Spending time at home gives you a great excuse to get those creative juices flowing with your little ones. Whether your kids love colouring in or painting, pom-poms and glitter, or creating jewellery, there are countless crafting kits online to spark your imagination and keep the family occupied for hours.
(Or, just for three minutes while you make yourself a cup of tea but not long enough to drink it while it's hot - we know those days too).
But, don’t worry, we understand that crafts can often mean making a dreaded mess. Thankfully, we’ve found a whole range of craft kits for kids, most of which come in a handy little box for tidying away after the fun.
That doesn’t mean you have to colour within the lines, though. Get ready to break out the felt tips, feathers, stickers, tissue paper and get creating. Soon you’ll have your own personal art show that you can show off to the grandparents on FaceTime. Here are the best craft kids for kids you can buy online today...
From poms-poms, to googly eyes and rainbow feathers, this art supplies set has more than plenty to keep your little ones occupied. This set makes for an excellent gift and perfect for homeschooling projects.
Suitable for ages 3 and up, this magic clay kit is hours of fun without the mess. The kit comes with 24 colours of dry, easy clean-up modelling clay and accessories for making keyrings, animal characters and anything else you can imagine. 100% safe for kids and adults and made from eco-friendly, washable material.
An ideal kit for your little artists ages 3 and up, this kit helps to develop their creative, cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination. With over 1000 pieces, this box includes practically anything you can think of including pom poms, chenille stems, foam sheets, felt sheets, fabric flowers, wooden people, plastic mosaics, glitter bottles, glitter glues, glue, scissors, wooden lolly sticks and much more.
www.lovecrafts.com
Designed for ages 4 and up, this playful suitcase is packed with colourful ribbons, beads, self-adhesive flowers, butterflies and jewels for simple projects. This set is great for making headbands, belts or necklaces - all of which can be stored neatly away in the carry case.
Enhance your toddler’s imagination and storytelling with this adorable felt puppet kit. This set comes complete with six ready-made mitts ready for decorating, googly eyes, pom-poms, shapes and accessories – hours of fun with minimal mess.
Best suited for ages 3 and up, this craft kit features over 100 projects and activity ideas, all based on the popular Mister Maker Cbeebies show. The pack includes countless craft essentials including pipe cleaners, pom-poms, coloured card, tissue paper, crayons and paint brushes, as well as stickers and googly eyes. Once you’re done, pack it back inside the box.
www.notonthehighstreet.com
This children's colour-in kit makes the perfect gift for your super kid. The kit includes a personalised cotton cape with Velcro fastening for your child to decorate, seven fabric colouring-in pens and a colour-in practice sheet.
This craft box may be small but it comes with more than 1,000 crafting supplies. Recommended for ages 4 and up, it contains a whole host of essentials for almost any project; from feathers, to glitter glue, pegs, colourful lolly sticks, safety scissors and felt shapes.
How does crafting help your child develop?
Playing games and crafting with your toddler may just seem like a bit of fun, but according to a senior lecturer in the Psychology of Education at Cambridge University, it is far more beneficial than teaching them to read and write at a young age.
Speaking to The Times at the Lego Idea Conference in Denmark, the developmental cognitive psychologist and former primary school teacher said:
'There's a big job to be done in terms of parental education. If you want your child to do well at school, then spend time with them in early life.
'They need episodes of shared attention, doing puzzles, reading books or playing with building blocks.'
Research shows that play leads younger children to become ‘self-regulated learners’, instilling an enjoyment of solving problems. Furthermore, children are better equipped with dealing with failure.
Although reading is valuable, it is not the ‘key’ skill for toddlers. ‘Instead, the parent can share something they love, such as making cakes or tinkering with engines; the key is partly sharing the enthusiasm but mainly the conversations you have with the child while doing it.’
‘The best advice is to play with them and have fun - anxiety is the killer of learning,’ he added.
Which craft kits would you recommend for children? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
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