Skip the mess, not the crafts! Arts and crafts projects are not only fun but they also aid the development of children through stimulating play. Activities involving paint, Play-Doh, glue and/or glitter (amongst other substances) however can also cause a great mess if undertaken in the wrong way and a resulting spill or stain can often be enough to see a mother completely banning artsy crafts from her home. Obviously the presence of a child’s apron and covering exposed surfaces will help but here are some other steps to take to ensure that you will never need to ban your child from indulging in crafts in your own home. I hope you enjoy these low mess crafts for kids
Tips for Kids Crafts Without the Mess:
1. Be Sure to Supervise Kids Crafts
There are many mischievous children that would take the opportunity to sprinkle glitter all over the couch, cut up a favorite scarf or place potentially dangerous craft materials in their mouths the very second an adult’s back is turned and so it important to supervise all crafty activities undertaken by children in your home (especially if the children are aged 10 or under). Keeping an eye on your child from across the room may help to prevent a mess or craft-disaster from occurring but many kids would actually much prefer your supervision to be the kind that sees you also getting involved. You will likely find this more fun too!
You might like to read these safety tips for crafting with kids. Since you will want to supervise your child’s handicrafts you should be sure to organize such activities on a day in which you do not have a full itinerary (unless of course, your child has been left in the care of another adult).
2. Set a Physical Boundary
Covering the surface(s) on which a craft is being undertaken is often not enough to prevent the spreading of mess throughout a home. This is because kids will usually come and go from this craft area as they please, touching things and inadvertently dropping debris from their clothing as they go. This is why establishing a physical boundary – that children cannot leave until the messy activity is over – can be incredibly useful.
Although a room of your house (for example; the dining room or conservatory) can be selected as the boundary for craft completion, it should be noted that an arts boundary does not have to have physical walls. For example, children could instead be told they cannot step off of a tarpaulin sheet that has been laid down until they have finished gluing and painting, have had their hands and faces (if necessary) wiped and they have been stripped of their dirty clothing. Ensuring that your child has visited the toilet before the commencement of the selected activity will also help to leave your bathroom sparkling white instead of poster paint-stained.
Alternatively, if the weather is pleasant you can set up arts camp outside – spillages which occur outside are far easier to deal with!
3. Choose the Right Craft Products
If you buy scissors and/or bottles of glue which are designed for adult use then these will not sit comfortably in the hands of children. This in itself could cause spillages and other mistakes to occur, making your child seem clumsy. The best crafts products for children are also non-toxic in nature and are washable (meaning that they will not stain wipeable surfaces) so be sure to check the packaging of anything you might purchase for artsy children’s activities.
4. Get Children to Help with Cleaning Up After Crafts
In addition to the advice above, you should only ever agree to let your children engage in crafts if they agree to help you with the cleaning up that needs to occur afterwards. If children know that they can’t simply leave their mess for one of their parents to deal with then they will make a conscious effort to keep untidiness to a minimum.
10 Fun Low Mess Crafts For Kids:
Lollipop Polymer Clay Tutorial
Construction Paper Crafts: How To Make Fall Pencil Toppers
Adorable Popsicle Crafts For Kids Make Fun Summer Decor
I hope these mess free craft tips and low mess craft ideas help you enjoy kids crafts more!
Little John says
That is a really good tip particularly to
those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very precise info… Thanks for sharing
this one. A must read post!
test says
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he’s your biggest influence. It has nothing to do with taking off a wig
or smearing my lipstick. The songs have an overwhelming bombast despite
lacking a bass guitar, and Junior’s masterful drumming is all
Kimberly needs to go off on a metal-as-f*ck riff-fest.