Fun Activities To Enjoy With Your Kids

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For many parents, fostering creativity in their kids is important. It helps them to become more imaginative thinkers when they're older, helps them work independently, and teaches them how to follow directions and clean up after themselves. 

Finding age-appropriate creative activities is very easy. Some crafts might need a little supervision, but many, especially for older kids, are great for your children to sit down and get on with on their own. But even if they can do them alone, it doesn't mean you don't want to join in and spend some time with your kids. Try these crafts that you can enjoy with your children, whether they're three or thirteen.

Baking

Older kids can get baking on their own, when they're responsible enough to be safe in the kitchen. But even little ones as young as two or three can help you make cakes or cookies. There are plenty of tasks that small children can get involved in, from measuring ingredients to stirring batter. If you want to bake with little ones, choose some easy recipes for things they can decorate once they're baked. Cupcakes and plain cookies are fun to ice, and the simple recipes are easy to measure out and mix up, and then either pour into molds or cut out with cookie cutters.

Jewelry Making

Both boys and girls can enjoy making jewelry, with different levels of difficulty for various ages. Younger children will have no problem stringing beads or uncooked pasta onto a chord and tying it off to make a necklace, bracelet or even belt. When they're older, they can try some things that are a bit more fiddly, or get out a hot glue gun. Clasps and jewelry fittings might be a bit too small for tiny fingers, but a proper jewelry making kit is an excellent present for older children. You can also get easy to use kits for younger ones, where items can be clipped together.

Candle Making

Candle making is an easy thing to do, although you'll need to supervise young kids. As long as everyone knows to be careful with the hot wax, melting it down and adding colors and scents is like creating a special potion and your own unique scent. You can do this craft on special occasions, making Halloween or Christmas candles to give to people as gifts.

Scrapbooking

As any parent who's found one of their favorite magazines cut into pieces can tell you, kids enjoy cutting things out and sticking them down. If your children like making collages, they'll probably enjoy scrapbooking too. A pair of safety scissors, a glue stick, and a scrapbook is all they need to get started. They can stick in anything they like, from photos and artwork to birthday cards and magazine cutouts. It's a great way for both you and your kids to preserve memories from their childhood.