Skip to content

Home

Arts & Crafts

Netmums and their kids share their favourite craft ideas

Arts and crafts are really important for children from a very young age (even a one year old can enjoy finger painting) and it remains important long after they can read and write.

On a deep level, art is a form of communication, it is another way of expressing ourselves and our emotions and it can help with processing feelings and experiences.

And perhaps less deep, but equally important, art and craft sessions allow children to gain self confidence, belief in their abilities and to learn through play.

We've put together some simple, fun and effective ideas for you to try out. They've all been road tested by Netmums and their kids and will give hours of entertainment and a great feeling of satisfaction. Click here for our suggestions.


 Some of the valuable skills your child learns through art and crafts... 

  • The confidence to cope with a blank piece of paper and fill it with something good (a great skill when faced with an English essay in years to come!). 
  • The confidence to make mistakes and move on: 'that didn't work out, I'll start again'. 
  • Finding solutions to problems - 'It doesn't look like a dog but if I give it big teeth and horns I can turn it into a monster'.
  • A way of explaining to themselves their place in the world, their relationship with their surroundings and the things that happen to them: 'This is me, this is my Mummy, this is my Daddy and this is my rabbit in heaven'.
  • Attention to detail: the beauty of nature and of colours, shades and textures
     how many different greens are there in your garden?
Top tips

Give lots of praise and encouragement and always display your children's creations on the wall/fridge/noticeboard. Or have a weekly envelope for "Grandma/Aunt Sally" and let your child put a stamp on and post it each week.

Don't ask "What is it?". Instead say "Tell me about your picture"

Get your child to talk to you through his drawing: Ask him to draw his favourite place, favourite holiday, favourite teacher. If you think something is bothering them, for example at school, maybe ask them to draw "the worst thing that happened today" or "something sad that happened to you" then ask them to tell you about their picture.

"Who am I?" A great question - ask your child to draw the answer.

Whenever possible, try to find some time to do these arts and crafts with your child rather than just setting them up and leaving them to it. They will enjoy it more and be able to concentrate for much longer if they are being encouraged and praised by you.

Practical tips

Spread loads of newspaper out for the children to work on...then at the end you can just roll it up and bin it all (not the "creations" though!)

Accept that there will be some mess - try not to worry about it during the art session (as long as they stay in the designated area).

Put brushes, glue spreaders, paint mixers etc in the dishwasher to save on washing them up if you've had enough by then.

Buy glue and paint in the large classroom size bottles and just pour out what you need for each session.

You can never have too many glue spreaders, paint brushes or children's scissors...they disappear like odd socks. Buy in bulk!


Best books...

For more inspiration and ideas, read these two marvellous books "I'm Bored" and "I'm Bored Again" written by mums Suzy Barratt and Polly Beard. Find them on Amazon here.

Full of ideas for games and activities for rainy days, car journeys, days in the garden, days at the beach... every home should have a copy! And Polly and Suzy, being Netmums themselves, have kindly contributed to the Netmums arts and crafts pages with
these special ideas.

 

Sponsors

Advertise here

Advertise here

Advertise your business
nationally on this page.

Find out more