I woke up this morning and noticed that the heating had come on in the night for the first time. It’s not even the middle of Serptember yet and it’s a bit early for heating really, but that’s how this year is going. Flip flops away, boots on and wear a coat when outdoors. We’ve also had thunderstorms and days of bucketing rain. I’m glad I’m not looking after small children any more – I always hated this time when they have been used to going outside all the time but suddenly they can’t again. Time to get the craft activities out.
Arts and crafts are one of the best ways to keep kids occupied while helping them engage their imagination and learn new things. You might not be a Picasso, but you don’t need to have incredible art skills to learn and teach these techniques to your kids, either. Here are some fin things you can try when you don’t want to go outsise
Origami
Origami is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding to create a wide variety of different shapes. While it might look complicated, it’s relatively straightforward to learn, and there’s a huge amount of resources and guides online that cover a wide range of different shapes. You can start with the basics and progress in difficulty as you pick up skills.
The art of origami has been practised since the 6th century and is enjoyed by people all over the world today. It’s a great way to stay busy while developing hand-eye coordination and concentration. It has also been shown to help reduce anxiety and restlessness in people with ADHD. I remember doing origami as a child, learning myself from a book, with beautful coloured Japanese papers which are feely available from craft shops nowadays.
Easy Origami shapes include the heart, envelope and fortune teller, but you can also create various animals such as cranes and jumping frogs. Origami is even useful for wrapping presents without using any tape. All you need to get started is a guide, some paper and patience. While there is paper designed for Origami, any will do. You can use different colours to create stylish and cool designs.
Painting Stones
If you do get a nice autumn day and you live near a beach, then why not collect some pebbles and bring them home, then next time you are stuck indoors you can paint them.
Painting can be messy, but if you keep it outside, you don’t need to worry about getting any additional decorations on your furniture. Stone painting is a great craft idea because it combines multiple activities into one. First, kids need to go outside and scour the ground for suitable stones for painting. Next, they get their brushes and paints out for some creative designs. Finally, the stones are placed back outside, where they can be found by friends.
All you really need for stone painting is some free time and paints. The kids will find the stones, and you can wash them in a bit of water before painting them with a variety of colours. Make sure you have enough bright colours that will be easy to spot when the stones are placed back outside. there are Facebok groups where people hide painted rocks and encourage people to post pictures of them when they find them. Try Googling your town name with Rocks after it to see if there is a group near you.
Homemade Slime
Slime is a hugely popular experience for kids, creating lots of new and exciting sensations as they play with it. The sight, feel and sounds of slime make it a lot of fun to play with, and you don’t need to spend lots of money on it. Slime is relatively easy to make at home. All you need to create slime is some PVA glue, bicarbonate of soda and contact lens solution. You can add things like dyes and food colouring to create new designs and colours that your kids will love. The one downside of this is that it can be very messy, so make sure old clothing is used and cover the playing surface to prevent accidental spills while making your slime.
Do you have any favourite crafts that your children love to do when the weather goes wrong? Please leave a comment and share your ideas – you may well help a frazzled mum in need.
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