As our children return to school, we know the weekends need to be about fun with our families, so we have 10 fabulous crafts that will support your child’s education but without feeling like ‘homework.’ Craft activities are more than just fun pastimes; they play a crucial role in nurturing a child's holistic development. As conscientious parents, it's essential to understand how these creative pursuits positively impact your child's cognitive, physical and emotional growth.
Join CraftCourses as we delve into ten enriching craft activities, along with scientific insights that underscore their role in fostering psychological well-being in the next generation of crafters.
1. Wet-on wet nature paintings:
Encouraging your children to create paintings using nature treasures such as leaves not only enhances their artistic skills but also connects them with the natural world. Head to your favourite woodland and collect fallen leaves, or your local beach for some seaweed. These can all easily be incorporated into a painting using a wet-on-wet painting technique and can be as colourful as you like. Simply wet your watercolour paper, lay the leaves on top and liberally add watercolour paint over the top. Once dried the leaves can be peeled off and voila!
Studies show that exposure to nature boosts mood, reduces stress, and supports overall mental well-being (Kuo and Sullivan, 2001).
2. Art journalling:
Crafting art journals empowers children to express their thoughts and emotions. Your young ones can develop their own themes, write about their favourite things, memories or life events, and illustrate with their own drawings or painting. These can be beautiful keepsakes for years to come, and are a healthy way to decrease stress, foster self-discovery and personal development.
Engaging in creative writing has been linked to improved emotional regulation and enhanced self-esteem (Reutter et al., 2019).
3. Recycled art:
The act of repurposing materials in recycled art projects teaches resourcefulness and an eco-conscious mindset. Head to your local charity shop and buy a framed painting with a fun scene. Let your children loose with some felt tips or water-soluble paints and encourage them to add their own stamp to an old image, so much fun. Alternatively raid your recycling bin and cut up and old pop bottle to make a fun character that can also store pens and pencils when they've finished.
Such practices contribute to a sense of purpose and environmental responsibility (White et al., 2020)
4. Paper worry boats:
Paper worry boats are a wonderfully whimsical way of writing down worries and setting them sail. Similar to a 'worry monster' (who eats your child's worries!), this feels like a whole ritual and an intentional act of letting go. Choose a sunny day to make them and go to a favourite watery spot to release them; your child can imagine the worries being taken on a journey. Made from folded paper that has been coloured in entirely with wax crayons (for added water resistance), these can become a favourite family ritual. Just remember to add your worries onto small pieces of paper and place them inside the boat. Making worry boats can help a child to foster healthy emotional development, empower them to externalise their worries and build healthy coping skills in a fun and engaging way.
Research suggests that imaginative play is crucial for children's socio-emotional development (Lillard et al., 2013).
5. Origami adventures:
Origami requires patience and precision, promoting focus and mindfulness. More complex projects can be an ideal craft for teenagers. Set a competition this weekend for the best origami creature and have a prize ready.
Engaging in mindfulness activities has been associated with reduced stress and anxiety in children (Semple et al., 2010).
6. Painted story stones:
Painting rocks to create story stones offers an outlet for self-expression and encourages your child to tap into their imaginations. Your child can allow their imaginations run wild when thinking up different elements to a story; maybe a cosy cottage, deep dark cave, ginormous tree, a long green snake with yellow eyes, or even a grand castle. Once complete, use the stones as prompts to weave a magical tale for family and friends to enjoy. It can be as wild and wacky as you want! Using story stones nurtures social communication, logical thinking and problem solving through storytelling and imaginative play.
Art therapy, like rock painting, has been proven effective in enhancing emotional well-being and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression (Monti et al., 2006).
7. Handmade greeting cards:
Crafting cards for loved ones reinforces empathy and gratitude. If your children have a particular teacher they would like to thank, or a pen pal they would like to write to, consider them creating their own greetings cards to get creative and practice their handwriting. Sending cards and letters in the post can become a treasured ritual, and the excitement of receiving one in return will help to create simple but meaningful joys in your child's life.
Research indicates that practicing gratitude enhances overall psychological health (Emmons and McCullough, 2003).
8. Lolly-pop puppets:
Creating... puppets fosters imaginative play and emotional storytelling, promoting empathy and social understanding. Imaginative play has been linked to the development of emotional intelligence (Russ and Robins, 2004).
Most of us with children have some lolly-pop sticks in our craft drawers somewhere. If not, simply save up all the ones you have left from your ice-lollies and use them to create simple lolly-pop puppets. They can be used to practice re-telling favourite stories, which is important for children's language acquisition, promotes comprehension and vocabulary development and helps them to practice active listening.
9. Beaded jewellery making:
Designing jewellery encourages creativity and patience. If you do not have new beads to thread, consider cutting up some costume jewellery or grabbing some second-hand pieces from a car-boot sale. Children will love to create bracelets for friends or add something special to a favourite dress-up game they play. Not only that, but this activity enhances hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and cognitive abilities, while fostering creativity and problem solving skills.
Engaging in creative activities can provide a sense of accomplishment and boost self-esteem (Kaimal et al., 2016).
10. Oven-bake clay creations:
Sculpting with clay engages both the mind and body, promoting relaxation and self-expression. With oven-bake clay, such as Fimo, children can really develop a skill and become fully absorbed in creating a favourite character. Often starting with a skeleton type structure made from wire and tin foil for larger pieces, the clay can be sculpted over the top (which makes it go further), and then baked hard for a durable and fun model. To make this really cost-effective, using a plain colour to sculpt, that can then be painted once baked is the key. We love to use acrylic paint pens! Better than any new action figure too.
Art therapy, including clay modelling, has been shown to reduce stress and improve overall psychological well-being (Potash, 2020).
Craft activities are powerful tools that support not only your child's cognitive development but also their psychological well-being. Scientific research underscores the numerous benefits of engaging in these creative pursuits, from reduced stress and improved emotional regulation to enhanced self-esteem and empathy. By incorporating these ten craft activities into your child's routine, you can nurture their imagination and promote their holistic growth, setting the foundation for a healthy and happy life at home and in school.
If you are looking for organised activities for your aspiring artists please check out our range of courses available for young crafters…
