Discover the fun of DIY with your children. Even toddlers. Because they also enjoy tinkering. It also promotes their creativity, fine motor skills and ability to concentrate. In this way, the children playfully prepare for learning at school. To tinker, many materials are at your disposal such as paper, beads, felt, modeling clay, etc. You find them in particular in creative leisure stores but you can just as well find your happiness in the everyday objects that you have at home or even elements of nature, which will allow you to compose your creations. Small works of art are yours!
Why is crafting with children so important?
By doing crafts, children learn to develop creative ideas and implement them. You exercise their imagination. You focus your attention on a task for a certain time, which promotes perseverance and the ability to concentrate in your children. By manipulating the different objects, they advance their coordination skills and practice. Motor skills, important for learning to write, among other things, are refined. It’s fun, and in the end, the youngest and the oldest are proud of their results. This increases their confidence in their own abilities.
Craft with children of different ages
Do you have children in kindergarten? Whatever their level, their skills are different. A three-year-old still needs support, while a five-year-old is able to do much finer work and can do a lot on their own. Of course, what you craft should always be suited to your children’s abilities so as not to overwhelm them. You would then quickly lose the pleasure of tinkering together. On the other hand, don’t underestimate their abilities either, they might get bored.
Cutting various shapes out of paper and making a collage out of them by sticking them on a cardboard box is possible with scissors suitable for children from the age of three. As the child grows, the shapes and designs become more detailed. The same goes for crafting with beads, modeling clay, wool and objects from nature. As an adult, come up with things. Distribute materials, make suggestions but let the child live out his imagination and share his ideas. You can then implement them together, although of course the child must do what he is already able to do on his own. Support your child whenever they need help. Skills vary not only with age, but also within the same age group. But that’s not so bad, because fun learning by doing DIY will develop and refine everyone’s abilities.
Tinker with materials from home and nature
In a house, there are all kinds of objects that children can use for crafts. Small figures can be created from rolls of toilet paper, scraps of wool can be used glued on drawings or figurines, empty boxes can be used as supports for gluing colored paper and other materials.
A walk together in nature can benefit both you and your children. You can collect leaves, twigs, pine cones, etc. from it. When you get home, you can make a whole bunch of little characters, which you can use to decorate your table, your wall or even your window. Of course, all handmade things make great gifts for friends and family.
Some craft ideas to do with children
accessories for painting
An idea for the little ones, under the supervision of their parents, of course – since you always have to make sure that there is no risk of injury and that the products you use are not toxic. Take a large sheet of paper, marbles and paint. The child can dip the marbles in the paint of the color of his choice, then roll them on the paper. This creates images of colored lines. These creations can then be hung in your home and make the child proud.
Little men made of various materials
You can then create small figures which can be made from any object. Chestnuts or pine cones can be used to create any type of animal, which you can decorate or accessorize with twigs and small pebbles. Toilet paper rolls are also suitable. The smallest children need help, but at the age of five they can make a little owl themselves, for example.
Stamp pads in potato
Potatoes, paint, and paper or fabric are all you need to make potato stamps. Take care that the little ones do not handle sharp objects. However, if you cut the potato in half and cut various protruding shapes into it such as stars, rectangles, circles and triangles, any child can use the shapes and colors of the potato to create creative pictures. With this method, you can also make your own wrapping paper.
modeling clay
Children can let their imaginations run wild with modeling clay. What comes out of it depends on the one hand on the individual skills of your child and on the other hand on his imagination. A small suggestion and, if necessary, an accompaniment can help your offspring in the creation.
Paper for drawing, painting, cutting, gluing
The paper can not only be painted but also glued. Kids can quickly learn how to cut out a circle if they can’t already. Painted and pasted on paper, it turns into the sun. Houses, trees and hills can then be made from other shapes. In the blink of an eye, the landscape is already finished! Little ones can tear the shapes from the paper instead of cutting them. And natural elements like leaves, moss and twigs can be used instead of paper.
It’s also fun for parents
When you craft with your kids, your clothes and theirs can get coated in paint, just like your table and carpet. So cover the area beforehand, put on an apron or clothes that can be stained and do not risk anything and remove sensitive objects from the DIY area. In short, anticipate and prepare well for the activity and you will derive as much pleasure as your children from practicing this DIY session.