In these difficult times, we are all just trying to stay calm and make the best out of this pandemic. Many of us are stuck at home with the kids all day and it’s nice to be able to do some activities with them especially on rainy days.
Arts and crafts originated in the British Isles and spread across the globe. It is a pastime into which people can pour their creativity. It’s also a stress reliever and helps us bond with our children. Lately, my daughter and I have been doing more indoor crafts because she has started virtual preschool. Below are several easy crafts you can do with your little one inside your house. These are suitable for children ages 4 and up.
Easy Crafts for Indoor Play
Paper Dolls
I remember playing with paper dolls when I was little. It was one of those American Girl dolls you get from a magazine subscription. My sister and I loved those dolls. They also came with clothes and accessories. This craft was inspired by one of my daughter’s assignments. The goal is to have your child decorate a blank cutout of a person in any way they would like. You can use cardstock for the cutout so it is more sturdy. All you really need are colored pencils.
If you want to go all out and gather more supplies, I would suggest you get decorative scrapbook paper to make the paper doll’s clothes and shoes. You can also use glitter and paint to decorate the clothes. For hair, you can use yarn or any other materials you can think of. This is where your child can really express themselves. And you can also add cultural items to the doll. For us, we would put a barong (men) or baro’t saya (women), which are the traditional dress of the Philippines, on the paper doll.
Here is a page with free paper doll templates: Paper Doll Templates.
Finger Painting
Kids love to get their hands into everything. My daughter loves to finger paint. She would even put her whole hand into the paint and swirl it around and make handprints on a piece of art paper. It’s very therapeutic and a lot of fun, too. Finger painting can be done on anything on which you can put paint. Some examples include paper, boxes, t-shirts, canvas, and rocks. Your child can paint with the colors of their country’s flag. They can even paint an actual flag on canvas.
Rock Painting
We’ve dabbled in rock painting recently and it’s been fun. We didn’t even have to buy them. We found some in the backyard. Some people find them on their walks or hikes in the park. For this project, you really need a smooth flat rock. You can paint words on these in your own language. For example, we would write, pagasa (hope), magmahal (to love), masaya (happy) or kumusta (hello). Your child can even paint their country’s flag on the rock. This rock project is great for kids because they can put encouraging words on them. They can even put phrases and then leave them all around the neighborhood.
Everyone needs a little bit of hope and these rocks are a great way to spread that around.
Mask Making
This is for older children who know how to use a sewing machine. You could also have your younger ones do this with help. Your kids can pick out patterns they like and you can help them cut out the pieces and sew them together. You can even embroider words and images on the masks to customize them. For this project, remember to use two layers of quilting cotton and a layer of non-fusible woven interfacing in between. Three layers of fabric give more protection and we can protect others from us. Then you also need sewing thread and elastic.
There is a pattern that I used that I really like: 3D Mask Pattern. You can decide whether or not to add the nose wire section. For our masks, I decided not to. Once you get the hang of cutting out all the pieces and sewing them together, the process goes quickly. If you are doing the sewing, you can recruit your kids to cut out pieces of the mask. Your children can even pick out their own patterns which will give them more motivation to wear them if they are required to where you live.
Origami
This is one of those crafts that my sister and I loved doing as kids. I got my daughter interested in origami and I’ve folded a few things for her in the past. This craft is pretty fun because you can use all types of paper and fold many different things like a jumping frog, a house, or a paper crane. I remember at Christmas, we would fold a paper ball and put them over those small Christmas lights to decorate them. You can also fold 3D stars with long strips of paper. You can even purchase glow-in-the-dark paper or fluorescent paper online to make it even more interesting.
Here is a page I found for preschoolers: Origami for Pre-Schoolers.
Perler Beads
This is a timeless craft that my daughter loves. Your kids can make anything with these. They can even make 3D boxes and jewelry with the beads. It’s a great way to flex those creative muscles. If you are stuck and need some inspiration, just search for pixelated images on google images. For example, you could search for “pixelated bear,” and you will get a bunch of images of a bear you can make. Your kids can make flags with them and turn them into magnets.
These are only a few crafts you can try with your children. Feel free to share crafts you have done at home in the comments below!
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These are really great ideas! The perler beads bring back so many memories!