The school holidays are great because they give us more family time. Who doesn’t want more family time? The only issue is that being stuck at home so much can lead to boredom, and as any mom knows, boredom usually leads to squabbles between the kids, which you don’t want. There is nothing worse than being trapped in a house with kids who are picking fights constantly with each other.
The key to beating off school break boredom is to keep your kids occupied as much as possible. Obviously, this is a task that is often easier said than done, but if you are smart about it, it is possible to beat school holiday boredom. The answer to preventing your kids from getting bored when stuck at home is crafting.
That’s right, arts and crafts are a great way to prevent your little ones from becoming overly bored while on school break. Like the idea of doing some arts and crafts projects with your kids? If the answer is yes, then read on for all the best creative art ideas for keeping your kids busy while stuck at home.
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Lino printing
Give each child a piece of lino, a pen, and a lino cutter. Ask them to draw a design onto their tile, or to draw it on paper first and then trace it onto their tile if they would prefer. Tell them to be creative, and pick whatever design they like to draw. Whether they opt to draw animals, patterns, or people, it doesn’t matter – let them be as creative as they like. Once they have drawn their design, show them how to use a tile cutter to cut it out. Then, once they have finished cutting, give them each paper, card, or a piece of material to print their design onto. Invest in a selection of different printing colors, so that they can create all manner of print designs, from black and white ones to ombre colored ones.
Do crayon art
Got any crayons laying around the house that never gets used? Well, now you can put them to good use! Give each child a piece of paper and a white crayon, and ask them to draw a design on it – remind them that they won’t be able to see it. Then, give each child a watercolor paint palette and ask them to fill the page with a range of colors. As the paint crosses the wax from the crayons, it won’t stay, meaning that the pattern will be visible against the areas that the paint has taken to.
Tie dye
Whether you use white t-shirts, blankets, sheets, or towels, it doesn’t matter; you can make some incredible pieces of art with tie dye. Twist whatever material you are using into any shape, apply rubber bands to it, and dip into your dye. Remove from the dye, twist the garment until all the water comes out of it, and then dip in fresh water, and squeeze it out until the water runs clear. Remove the rubber bands and place on the washing line to dry. While the item is drying, you should be able to clearly see the pattern that has been created.
Mosaic making
Do your kids love to collage? If the answer is yes, then mosaic making could be a great art project for them. All you need is some plywood boards, mosaic tiles, glue, and grout. Show your children what mosaics look like and ask them to create their own designs, reminding them to ensure that the tiles are stuck close together on the board. For sticking the tiles down, cordless glue guns could work well, just as long as your children are old enough to safely use them. Once the glue has dried and all the tiles are in place, help your children to cover the entire design in grout, making sure that all the gaps are filled, followed by wiping the tiles clean of grout.
Salt dough
Salt dough is a cheaper alternative to molding clay that works just as well. Mix together in a bowl, two cups of plain flour, one cup of salt, and one cup of water, stir the mixture together until a dough forms. Knead the dough, before splitting into portions for each person. The dough can be sculpted into any shape before being placed in a hot oven to bake until hard. Once cooled, the salt dough can be decorated with paint, before being covered in PVA glued to seal it.
There you have it, an array of creative craft ideas for preventing school break boredom.