5 Ideas for Crafts at Home
10 June 2023
Creative activities are a great way to bond with your child and create memories at home. Try these simple ideas.
Potato printing
Cut a potato in half then draw a star, a crescent or a circle on the cut end. Trim away the edges so the shape protrudes. Let your child dab them into a blob of paint. Then let them press the shape onto a page of paper. They can repeat the pattern or vary it to make a moon and stars design. It makes great wrapping paper!
Salt dough modelling
Make play dough by adding 300g of flour to 300g of salt with 2 tablespoons of oil and 200 ml of water. Let your child help you measure everything and mix it up in a bowl. Add a few drops of food colouring to different batches. Place in a plastic bag and put in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. Kids can knead it, roll it out, cut it and shape it into animals, cars, characters, a rocket etc. Bake the finished items for about 4 hours at 120 degrees then paint and varnish them.
Cardboard marble run
Empty toilet paper and kitchen towel rolls can make a fun marble run. Use the empty kitchen towel rolls for the verticals, cutting a slot for halved toilet rolls to fit into as the chute. Make two high towers and one a little shorter with the slots at different levels to create a slope. Glue the towers onto the side of a cardboard box. Let it dry overnight so it is secure. Your child can help you paint the towers different colours. Salt dough balls or pom poms are safer than marbles for very young children. Make the last chute high enough that you can collect them.
Recycled juice carton and tissue paper birdhouse/feeder
Take a clean carton and coat it with white paint to make a blank canvas. Cut out squares of different coloured tissue papers. Coat the box with PVA glue and let your child stick the squares however they like. Overlapping the colours creates a new colour which will delight your child. Create a roof with an extra piece of cardboard. You may need to remove the pouring spout. Glue will make it waterproof. Cut a hole for the birds on one side for a nesting box. For a feeder make a larger rectangular hole. About an inch below the door cut an x shape and slot the end of the stick in with a blob of glue at the back to attach it to the back wall. The birds will perch on the other end. Make two holes in the roof to thread in some twine to hang the feeder. Put some bird seed in the bottom and watch your feathered friends enjoy what you’ve created!
Dyed pasta necklace
Place macaroni or penne in a food container with a teaspoon of vinegar and a few drops of icing gel or food colouring. Have your child shake it up til it's coated in colour then spread the pasta on a baking rack to dry. Do this again with several colours. Children enjoy the feel and sound of handling the pasta before they start threading onto a piece of string. Tie the first piece of pasta to stop it all slipping off then untie to finish. Thread by hand or use a plastic sewing needle. Older children can practise patterning with colours and shapes.