HOMEMADE CRAFT BOXES
Picture the scene. The baby has kept you up all night and you’re absolutely shattered. You’d love to have five minutes just to sit down and chill but also have a 3 year old who needs entertaining. I’ve been there; it’s hard. Wouldn’t it be great if your older child was able to be more independent with their play and crafting? Try setting up a craft box together so that when those tricky days crop up, as they so often do, your child is able to access it themselves and use the contents independently, without you having to worry about all the mess!
Creating a craft box doesn’t have to mean that paints, scissors and pens need to end up destroying your house. Some carefully chosen items will mean that your child can play and create safely and happily at home. Some items which seem incredibly ordinary to us will be fascinating to little ones and while they will need supervising due to their age, you might just be able to grab 5 minutes for a hot cuppa.
I’ve compiled a list below but there is so much more that could go in. Do pop over to the Creative Kids Community to share what you’ve added to yours! You could use a simple cardboard box (they could decorate this themselves) or just a plastic storage box (they could add stickers to this perhaps) and compile the contents together.
Pasta shapes
Bubble wrap
Old magazines
Ribbons (cut to short lengths)
Wooden pegs
Small pieces of cut-up fabric
Wool
Egg boxes
Old birthday cards
Small squares of aluminium foil
Cotton wool
Objects of different shapes to draw round, such as a jam jar lid or plastic bowl
Paper and card - any colour and size
Crayons
A couple of paper plates
Some shaped biscuit cutters
Scissors (safety scissors if you are worried!)
Glue sticks
Masking tape
Pompoms
Kitchen roll tubes
Small boxes from the recycling
Top tip: Although you may have made your craft box together, try adding one or two surprises in there occasionally to grab their attention and make it exciting all over again!
