Fun Crafts to do at Home

Being cooped up within the house, with the same lot for an extended period could lead to boredom, especially in winter. Nothing bores an individual than the rut of the routine. New thoughts and things to do are always welcome by children, especially when it allows them to let their hands on things. Creating something new or doing a known task in a different way is the sure short way of training the little gray cells that are screaming for some excitement. Did you ever heard or read, "If you walk on the other side of the road you use every day, it will create a new pathway in your brain." So allowing kids a free hand in the making of a craft is not just an idle activity to pass the time or an excuse to get them out of your hair, it is a way of shaping their minds. So be serious, and let the child in you to take control and take the lead your kids in trying to make crafts.

Some Crafty Things to Do at Home

Home is a nice, secure place to grow up in, but it always appears small, however big it is, when it is compared against an idea, however small. Making crafts at home is an easy way of helping a child to break the shell of inactivity, charge their batteries, channelize his energy and to deal with the logic of things. In other words, provide them a portal to walk out of the boredom, in order to extend their mental and physical dexterity, while in pursuit of new ideas. Ever tried giving a bunch of kids a paper and a scissor each and asking them to cut some shapes. I bet my life that no two shapes were identical. Each child has his own ideas about things like, adults do. Crafts making gives them a chance to express them. This creative activity gives them an opportunity to mesh arts and crafts together.

3-D View Drawing
It is easy to see painting and drawing as kid's craft, and a 3-D view drawing as a more intensified activity for the children. Well! Let me inform you that it involves lot more than the act of seeing. It involves sensing dimensions; height, width and length of the objects. Is it wrong, giving it a try? When we look at an object each one of us form a 3-D image of it in our brain. Try translating a 3-D view on a piece of drawing paper. You need an inner eye to do so. May be your child has it. Choose a match box as the object to draw the 3-D view of. Wait for your child to finish it. Beware that the result may not come up to your expectation. Whatever the result treasure it.

Sand Craft
For this you will need colored sand which you can make easily using food color. Before letting your child use sand, wash and clean it. You will also require gum and a pattern or a picture. It is easy to gum sand grains together, in order to duplicate the pattern. The idea is to make it in three dimensions. It is not an easy task for a child to master it in a short spell of time. So, in the beginning be satisfied with whatever is created.

Even though, a 3-D view drawing or sand crafting in 3-D, is hard to accomplish for many children as well as adults, I have included it here. The purpose of this is to try to stimulate a few gray cell which is fulfilled as soon as the child starts the activity. Such an activity could form an important part of the child's development. The quality of the finished product can be improved with practice. You can also take the help of some information from the articles; craft ideas for kids or craft books to get a better idea or for further reference.

The Paper Craft
The safest and surest way of obtaining your child's active participation. This paper craft depends on folding the paper in numerous patterns to achieve the effect. This needs involvement of a conscious mind on the child' part and is a sure shot way of developing dexterous fingers and memory. Try making an origami crane for starters or you could choose to go for a paper boat or flower. If this puts you in a bit of a difficult position, refer to origami or origami instructions for kids.

Designs with Lady's-finger
One of the paintings, I received appreciation for, was made using a piece cut out of a lady's-finger. What I did was easy and can be emulated very easily. I washed the drawing paper, marked with a grid drawn in pencil, with the faint shade of yellow and allowed it to dry. Then I took a lady's-finger and cut its head off. Dipping it in dark colors, I used to make prints on the drawing paper. Of course, I didn't mark all the squares in the grid. When you are finished with the lady's-finger, you can experiment with a thick potato chip. Using a knife or a blade cut a figure of your liking on one end of it and use it to make marks on the drawing paper. You could use this in the form of a craft idea for toddlers for your child.

Make a Movie
The idea of making a movie has tremendous potential in it. Instead of just carrying a video recording camera in your hand and filming everything that tries to get into it, think of producing a proper movie. Think of it in terms of writing a story and a script till editing and the premier show. You can do it over a day, a week or during the whole of your summer holidays. Make a team, which may include your friends and/or your siblings and at first, start discussing a story. Try to relate it with your locality, that way you will have ready-made locations and characters. If you dig in the local newspapers then you may find something to base your movie on. You can find songs, cartoons and scenes to include in the movie on the Internet. You will also need to download a software for editing your movie.

You cannot beat children when it comes to inquisitiveness. They are just hungry for knowledge. However, they can be easily turned off, well, who won't be, looking at the same nooks and crannies of the same house every day. What is so interesting about it? Put these qualities to the better use, during the activity keep your advises to yourself, let the kid makes some mistakes, allow his imagination soar and come up with solutions to them.