As I’ve been browsing the land of Pinterest over the past week, seeing hundreds upon hundreds of absolutely amazing kids’ craft ideas, it occurred to me that it may be helpful to readers of this blog to find out a bit about my “policy” for crafting: why I craft with my kids and a bit about the types of crafts I will be sharing in my corner of the blogosphere.
Disclaimer: We may not have the most “Pinterest-worthy” photos or *creative* (read=fancy) activities but we have fun, enjoy their simplicity, and grow through the experience.
I sum it all up in three words: fun, simple, and intentional.
Here are the 3 rules for crafting in my home:
(1) Fun:
The kids should be able to relate to the activities.
This means if my kids don’t want to go in the direction of an art activity I was planning, I adjust it to their interests. I can’t even list how many crafts I originally intended to include flowers or butterflies that have turned into cars, jets, and other not-so-flowery projects. This keeps me be on my toes a bit, yes. But I believe that in order to reach my kids in a deeply meaningful way to them that I need to be willing to be flexible so that we can all enjoy the activity to the fullest. Usually we end up going somewhere even more wonderful (discussion-wise) than I had envisioned before starting.
(2) Simple:
Crafts must be done with materials we already have at home (and take less than 15 minutes).
A craft that requires a whole tub of glue, freezing something over night, or a hot glue gun? Nope, I’m not that kind of mom. We use a bit of this and that from the typical art supplies you can buy at the dollar store, but never in great amounts. In fact, we have {reasonable} limits at my house about how many sheets of paper get drawn on daily and how much sidewalk chalk you can use up in one afternoon. Yes I want my kids to be creative, but I also believe in moderation and respect for the environment. Right now with two kids ages 2 and 4 we only do *simple* activities which can be done in less than 15 minutes (at the very most; usually it’s more like 5-10).
Our crafts may require:
- Paper – colored and/or white
- Glue (I prefer glue sticks versus runny glue whenever possible)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Drawing utensils (of any kind)
- String/yarn/repurposed ribbon
- Pictures from magazines/newspapers (or occasionally printed from a computer)
- Recyclables (mainly cardboard – old cereal boxes are great)
Glitter, paint, feathers, pom poms, foam shapes etc may come out on days when I’m feel very energized, when it’s a nice day to do art outside, and/or when I know I’m about to vacuum and mop anyway.
Sometimes we may have a special craft set given as a gift or a specific item from an occasional splurge but in these rare cases I will try to offer an alternative in case you do not have the same {unusual} supplies at home.
In general, I feel simple is the best fit for our family, at least when my kids are so young. (When they are older, sure I will probably start looking into some specific art mediums that the kids want to try out.) For now, simple means I don’t get stressed out about things coming out a specific way, I don’t have to worry about money and resources being wasted, and we can be done in just a few moments, which is how long my kids usually want to spend on any given craft anyway.
(Please note: I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use more materials or spend more time on crafts; it’s just not what I choose at this stage in my specific circumstances. As explained below in #3, our *intention* for the craft in the first place is the experience versus the outcome; we do not usually craft with long-term physical results in mind.)
(3) Intentional:
We do crafts for experience, not appearance.
I admit that I have done a bit of appearance-oriented crafting in the past… helping my kids paste things in just the right way so that a craft comes out proportional or pretty (to my eyes). But I’ve been a mom long enough now to realize that *my opinion or taste* is not what I want my kids to base their creativity on. I want them to explore art on their own terms and learn without limitations or restrictions (as far as creativity goes). And the reason I bring out crafts in the first place (usually) is to focus on building a character trait.
See the heart shape the kids are filling in above? That turned into a whole page of black paint within seconds of the photo being taken. We still had a discussion about our hearts being filled with love, which was the intended purpose of the activity. And we used the example of the *extra* paint to talk about how there is UNLIMITED love in the universe and there will always be enough for everyone. It didn’t matter that we ended up throwing the painting away directly afterward since it became ragged with rough painting and an excess of water; the kids learned from the experience.
I also don’t have the rule of the kids doing it all themselves. If I have prepared some cut-out shapes and the activity is showing how it all comes together, I’m happy to do the pasting if the kids just don’t feel like it at the time. As long as they are still learning from the experience and enjoying the process of seeing something artistic come together, that is what counts.
The lack of focus on appearance is also easy for us since we very rarely do a craft to keep on display for the long-term. I consider myself a “quick crafty” person meaning I enjoy making simple things that don’t take long and that represent a specific idea. I’m not one to work on a particular piece of art work for an extended period of time (it’s just not in my nature); and because my kids are so young, we stick to the quick-and-easy approach right now. Our crafts might be blue-tacked to the wall for a month or two, then the boys get to choose what they keep in a storage box, and what they want to recycle, to make room for new art on the walls. At the end of the year we do a final weed through for keepers – but I’ll save that for another post.
***I also want to add that the above largely relates to crafts I initiate. If my children come up with a project that they want to make themselves, we may spend more time and effort to get a desired outcome. Child-led crafts definitely receive more attention 🙂
I hope that gives you a bit of an idea about the types of crafts you will see here and where exactly I am coming from as a crafting-mom.
What are your *rules* for craft time in your house? Why do you craft with your kids?
This article was featured at Mummyology.
I really appreciate this post, Chelsea! Your examples of how crafts often go in “unexpected” directions and how we can go with it and still have meaningful experiences is so helpful. I think it is easy to feel like maybe we as moms haven’t done an activity “right” if things don’t go as planned, or even as if our child isn’t ready for the activities. But really, when we persist and are creative and flexible, wonderful things are possible. This post is so encouraging! Thank you.
Thanks Laura, really appreciate your comment and shared experience! I think “crafts” are so focused on outcomes these days that it is so hard to remember that art in the first place is an expression of ourselves, what we are feeling, what we are thinking, what we want to share with others. Sure there are times we want to make something specific. But in the end, I think being flexible and allowing our kids creativity is how we will help our children enjoy artistic endeavors which are so useful in all fields of education/work. Thanks for contributing to the post by sharing 🙂
You’ve given me lots to think about as I do tend to be a bit haphazard with my approach to craft activities. I’d not really thought about the potential wider benefits than just being a fun activity. Thanks so much for linking up to our Parenting Pin-it Party. I hope you’ll come and share more posts this week.
Glad you enjoyed the posts! Thanks for the reminder to link up too, will definitely pop over and have a look 🙂