The best craft projects are always simple, cheap and don’t leave an aftermath of dried PVA and glitter in their wake. Whether you’re looking for some school holiday activities for your kids or just want to entertain them over the weekend, these ideas are guaranteed to be loads of fun and won’t make a mess – it’s as simple as laying down some newspaper and throwing it in the bin when the kids are done. For an added bonus, you can put a Christmas spin on all these activities, so their designs can be kept as trinkets in years to come.
Christmas decorations
It’s not Christmas until the kids put their hand-decorated ornaments on the tree. While it’s nice to buy some beautiful ornaments from the store, nothing adds a personal touch quite like some DIY ornaments. Find a piece of cardboard, give your kids some glitter, glue and scissors, and let them decorate to their heart’s content. For a more sophisticated decoration, give your kids a plain coloured bauble and free reign to do what they want – their imagination will go crazy.
Beach-themed
It doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of summer or the middle of winter right now – the beach is always a great place to go to collect some objects to get crafty with. Collect a few shells and gather up some sand and see what the kids can pull together. For a great idea, buy a plain photo frame and give the kids some glue to make a beautiful personalised frame – they double as adorable gifts for the family.
Origami
The young’uns might lose interest in this pretty quickly, but those that are a little too mature for cutting and pasting can make something to be proud of. Google or YouTube some simple patterns or purchase a kit that comes complete with patterned origami paper and instructions. If you’re so inclined, do a step-by-step at first to show them what to do; it’s a great way to spend some extra time with the family.
Photo scrapbooking
Get your kids documenting the fun they have over the summer. If they’re too young to borrow the digital camera, it’s all right – those disposable ones still exist! It’s the perfect way to record all their memories and reflect on the growing up they’ve done over the year. Plus, as a bonus, you can have them paste their origami works or their findings from the beach into the scrapbook.
Colouring-in fun
You don’t need to buy a colouring book to entertain your children. Programs like Adobe Photoshop allow you to turn your photographs into sketches, so take a photo of the family and turn it into a page in a colouring-in book. You can also do this with some photos from their favourite cartoons; this way, the book is personalised for them and they’ll have countless hours of fun.
Author bio: Sarah Paige is a media student who took this as an opportunity to reflect fondly on her childhood – she loved making ornaments as a part of her school holiday activities.
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