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DIY craft ideas are a fantastic way of doing something fun and creative with your little one! They’re sure to love the things they can create with our list of artsy, craftsy activities! Plus, you’ll love the things they make because you can keep them as memories!
*SAFETY FIRST* Before we get into it, here’s just a little reminder that all of these craft ideas should be supervised at all times by an adult (we know that you don’t need to be told, but ‘better safe than sorry’, as they say!)
Melted crayon rocks
That’s right – melted crayon rocks! This is one of the best crafty ideas that we’ve come across for a while! It’s really simple, super fun and creates some rocking keepsakes!
What you need:
- Small rocks (2-4 inches wide)
- Crayons (wax crayons and soy crayons work best; you get them from any craft or stationery shop)
- Baking sheet and baking tray
- A tea towel (to protect the table)
- A bowl of ice-cold water
How to:
- Wash your rocks to get rid of any dirt or germs
- Put the books on a baking sheet and place on the baking tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°F / 180°C. (Heating time depends on the size of the rock)
- Put your bowl of ice water on the table and make sure all the little ones know where it is (safety first!)
- Place the heated rocks on to your protective tea towel on the table (do one per little one, because the crayon won’t melt on if they cool)
- Go ahead and get creative by melting your crayons onto the rocks (the slower you draw, the more the crayon melts)
- Let the crayon melted rocks cool down
- You have your very own melted rock crayon!
Melted crayon rocks are a fantastic and original craft to do with your little artists! They will love making their own rock-creations, plus they make great paperweights, room decorations, and gifts for school friends!
Summer photo album
Allowing your little one to take the reins (or at least the straps) of the camera is a fantastic way to encourage creativity and create some great family memories!
What you’ll need:
- A disposable camera
- A photo album
- A little creative photographer
How to:
- Give your little one a disposable camera for the summer
- Take it out on family days out and allow them to take it out with friends
- Encourage them to take physical mementoes along the way (e.g. a leaf on a family walk, or an invitation from a friend’s party)
- Print off the photos every other week
- Set a day to sit down and add the memories to their photo album
- By the end of summer, their very own album will be finished!
A summer photo album is really as creative as your little artist wants it to be! It’s a great way to remember all the great times over the summer holidays and will undoubtedly provide a great keepsake for the future! It’s not just for photos either – your little ones can let their artistic flair out with drawings, sketches or even random objects, tickets and receipts for a scrapbook flavour.
Chalk drawing challenge
This is an outdoor, arts classic! Your little ones are sure to love getting their creativity going with this craft!
What you’ll need:
- Some chalk
- A patio or brick wall
How to:
- Give your child the chalk set
- Decide on a suitable outdoor canvas (a patio, driveway or brick wall is best)
- Let your child get creative and chalk down a masterpiece!
This is a simple, but incredibly fun and creative craft! Your little one will love the freedom of drawing a huge chalk picture on the patio or garden wall! Plus, when you want to get rid of it, just hose it off and the next day they can start again!
Make a suncatcher flower box
This is an art project that’s fun, flowery and fruitful! Making a suncatcher box is a proper arts and crafts project that will keep your little one entertained for weeks!
What you’ll need:
- Some nature materials (flowers, leaves, ferns etc.)
- A book for pressing
- A heavy object (book or brick)
- Some absorbent material (flat tissue, dryer sheets, newspaper)
- A cardboard box
- Transparent sticky back plastic (you can get this from most crafts shops)
- Scissors
How to:
- Collect a variety of natural materials, such as flowers, ferns and leaves (this bit is super fun and a great outdoorsy activity)
- Put the natural materials in your absorbent material (placing them in the middle and folding the material over the top)
- Place them inside the pages of your book, lie the book flat and place a heavy object on top
- Wait for two to three weeks (don’t check before a week to allow the flowers to dry out)
- Cut a square window into each side of the cardboard box
- Cut two pieces of transparent sticky back plastic (one to overlap around the edges of the window, the other to fit the exact size of the window)
- Stick the larger piece of sticky back plastic on the inside of the carboard box window
- Turn the box so the window faces upwards
- Take your flowers from your pressing box and let your little one put some on top of the sticky back plastic
- When they’re finished creating their flower window, take the smaller piece of sticky back plastic and stick on top of the flowers
- Repeat this for each window of the box
- Voila! Your little one has their very own suncatcher flower box
Creating a suncatcher flower box is a fantastic arts and crafts project, from start to finish! From selecting your collection of natural materials outside to pressing them and finally creating your suncatcher flower box, this is a natural, creative and fun way to spend time with your little ones!
Getting crafty with some DIY art ideas is a great way to promote your little artists’ creativity. Creating artsy keepsakes is also a wonderful way of making sure that you have mementoes of the great time you had spending time together! So, the next time you’re stuck for something fun and different to do with your little one, remember our list!