One of the most challenging parts of being a parent is the difference in energy levels between you and your kids. Of course you love it when the kids play and any time spent with them is precious but you just don’t have the get-up-and-go to after a long day at work to chase them around the house, answer three million questions, clean up messes, and get dinner ready in the span of a few hours. There will always be days where you and your children run around the backyard for a few hours but for those times when you need a little peace and quiet, nothing works quite so well as a calming craft.
Children love to spend time with you. This is why they crawl into your bed to wake you up in the mornings, why they’re happy to see you coming home from work, and why they follow you around chattering all evening. Making a craft together not only helps to focus all that childhood energy, it can also give them a toy to play with that will keep your children quiet for many hours after your shared craft is complete. Not sure where to start? We have three helpful suggestions to try with your kids at home.
1) Snow Globe Craft
Snow globes are beautiful, mesmerizing contraptions full of glitter and something fascinating to look at inside. Making a snow globe at home can take anywhere from three hours to less than fifteen minutes depending on the time you take with the decorations. The first decision is the biggest. What do you want on the inside? Choose something interesting or pretty that can be glued to the jar lid and stand in for your snowman or little cottage. You can use a toy, a figurine, or make something by hand using craft supplies or river stones.
What You’ll Need for this craft
- Mason Jars
- Glitter
- Glycerin or Water
- Hot Glue or Superglue
What to Do
- Glue Decorations to Inside of Jar Lid
- Fill the Jar with Water or Glycerin
- Add 2 Teaspoons of Glitter per Jar
- Screw On the Jar Lid and Glue Shut
2) Paper Doll Stories
Story time is another big favorite with children but it’s very demanding on your time without actually giving your child much to do. Children are happiest when they can act out a story and make up their own versions when they get inspired. Rather than relying on picture books alone to feed your child’s imagination, make a set of paper dolls together so that they can ‘illustrate’ any story they want. They can even bring the dolls along to restaurants and doctors offices for a quiet waiting activity.
What You’ll Need for this craft
- Cardstock (sturdy paper)
- Markers and Colored Pencils
- Scissors
- Brads
- Tape
To make the paper dolls, first draw a person outline on the cardstock that will be easy to dress and undress. Cut out the outline and use the first person as a template to draw items of clothing they can ‘wear’. Don’t forget to include tabs to fold and secure the clothing. If you’re brave, use the brads to make limbs that can bend at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Then invite your child to use their imagination to color each doll, invent clothing for them, and tell their stories.
3) DIY Coloring Books
Our final suggestion is one that’s easy to do, especially if you enjoy working together with your child on quiet activities. There’s no need to buy pre-printed coloring books sold only to promote recent kid’s movies. You can make your own with pictures of anything you or your child can draw.
What You’ll Need for this craft
- Pencils
- Felt-Tip Pens or Black Sharpies
- Paper
- Staples
Work together with your child to draw pencil outlines of pictures that would be interesting to color in. Use the felt-tip pen to bold the outlines when each picture is finished, turning it into a coloring book page. This way, every time your child needs something quiet to do, they can open up a coloring book made by hand with pictures you drew together. For a faster coloring book, you can also print up any outline image on the internet and turn that into a coloring page as well.
When your children are hyperactive, spending time together may be wonderful but it can also be pretty stressful. Whether you need to sit quietly together in a waiting room or just to create a single evening of peace, a little arts and crafts can go a long way to calming down your energetic children.
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