You see all the crafty chicks on Pinterest and I hear your complaints, I am just not creative. No excuse mamas! Our children need opportunities to explore and create and I’ve got a Quick Guide to turning that frown around and allowing creativity into your home in three easy steps.
#1 Stock up with creative supplies. Here are the basics you MUST have: glue sticks, Elmer’s glue, kid scissors, markers, crayons, construction paper and newsprint or white drawing paper. Googly eyes are optional but always fun!
#2 Accesible. Store these art supplies in an area that is available to the children and in a central areas of the home. For example, I wouldn’t keep them in the basement if the kids play down there a lot but you don’t always supervise the area. We transformed a kitchen pantry into a craft supply area for now because the kids are young and I can be in the room with them to help with messy materials. In order for the supplies to be accessible, you also have to allow time for children to be able to create and play with art materials. Don’t over schedule your family. It will only make for cranky kids and exhausted parents.
#3 Intentional crafting. Sometimes I browse Pinterest and find inspiration for a project. Then I take a few minutes prepping the project depending on how old your children are, you may or may not need to do this. I have it ready for the kids to do after school. If you don’t plan for some of these activities, they don’t happen. Because around 5 pm energy levels are low and it’s easy to just allow them to sit in front of a screen (but this is not always what’s best for everyone so be intentional about creativity!) This also may look like me simply taking out the play dough supplies and setting the table cloth out for them to do after nap time. Intentional means thinking ahead and planning in this case. 🙂
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