What should be in your children’s crafts box? Must-have craft supplies.
As your children get older, one concern as aparent often becomes making sure that you are providing for your children inevery way possible. You want to set them up for every opportunity, encouragetheir creativity, teach them how to commit and excel, and make sure that theysufficiently “fit in” while maintaining their independence and individuality.One great activity for promoting all of these traits and behaviors is doingcrafts. By doing handmade art projects, you children are refining their motor skills,learning to design and create art, and growing to understand the importance ofpaying attention to detail. Plus, this is an activity in which mom and dad canhave a little fun, as well! Nothing is more enjoyable than sitting down withyour kids and creating some homemade art. Here are some of the must-have craftsupplies that you should keep in your home so that you can craft away when thedesire strikes.
1. Non-toxic paste
Glue and/or paste are no-brainers for any seriouscraft-maker’s toolkit. But before you go and clear out the Elmer’s shelf atyour local supermarket or drugstore, remember to read the label. You want tomake sure that whatever product you are buying is non-toxic, otherwise you maybe making an undesired phone call to poison control within a few hours. This isbecause the younger your children are, the more they like to put into theirmouths. Avoid a painful situation altogether by nipping it in the bud. Thereare plenty of kid-safe products from which to choose!
2. Thick, recycled construction paper
Colored construction paper is another materialthat brings back memories of pre-school projects and after school fun. But notall construction paper is made the same. First of all, you want to look to seeif the product that you are buying is made from recycled paper. This moreeco-friendly variety should not cost any more than your generic paper, and bybuying it you know that you are not contributing as much to the cutting down oftrees! And for the purposes of the projects that you are about to take on,thicker is better. That is because you will most likely be using glue on thispaper, and if it is too thin (or if you use too much glue), the liquid of thepaste will soak right through and potentially ruin the project.
3. Old magazines and newspapers
Using images from old magazines and newspapers tocreate collages or cut out appealing photos and images is a way that reuses anold material, saves you money, and is a lot of fun. Instead of having to printout or draw specific things that you want to see, you and your kids can let theperiodical before you be your inspiration.
4. Scissors.
When children try to cut with scissors, be itpaper or magazine images, they often try their best to cut in a straight line.But lack of dexterity or experience makes it so that it is impossible to cutstraight, and they can become frustrated. Avoid this situation all together byintroducing “funky” scissors – zig-zags, rounded waves, triangles, etcetera.
About the Author: Victoria Crowdell writes articles on family, home & garden andcrafting – her passion is decorative candles.
