Ask A Pittsburgh Expert: Easy Crafts To Do With Your Kids
Photo Credit: Thinkstock
As the weather gets cooler and the days get darker, it is time for more indoor time with your family. Fall and winter are the perfect times to enjoy a family craft night. Family crafts do not have to be elaborate. They can be simple crafts that spark conversation and provide a sense of accomplishment for parents and kids alike. Here are some easy crafts that can be done as a family, courtesy of Abby Lawson of Just A Girl And Her Blog.
Abby Lawson
Just A Girl And Her Blog
www.justagirlandherblog.com
Abby Lawson is the author of Just a Girl and Her Blog, a blog that specializes in organization, home decor, craft projects, creative ideas, and random happy thoughts. A former English teacher, Abby recently published her first eBook, Building a Framework: Everything I Learned My First Year of Blogging, a comprehensive resource for bloggers. She resides in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two young sons.
Watercolor Family Tree (Courtesy of Abby Lawson)
Watercolor Family Tree
Materials:
- Watercolor paints & brush
- Two pieces of white card stock
- One piece of brown card stock
- Scissors
- Marker
- Glue or glue dots
Instructions:
Give your child one piece of white card stock and have them use watercolors to paint the whole page. Once it has dried, cut out leaf shapes from the painting. Sit with the child and talk about your family members, writing each member's name on a leaf with the marker. You can extend this as far as you'd like. Cut a tree shape out of the brown card stock and glue it to the remaining piece of white card stock. Glue the child's leaf, along with any siblings' leaves, onto the trunk of the tree. Glue the parents' leaves above the children's leaves. Continue adding family members' leaves to the tree branches, with more immediate family on the lower branches and grandparents and great grandparents on the higher branches. Frame if desired.
Family Bucket List Banner (Courtesy of Abby Lawson)
Family Bucket List Banner
Materials:
- Large circle punch (1 1/2″ or larger)
- Various colors of card stock
- Pen
- Needle and thread
Instructions:
Have the child use the circle punch to punch out 20-30 circles from various colors of card stock. (Younger children may need help with this step.) Sit down as a family and come up with a list of activities that you would like to do together over the next 3-4 months. Write one activity on each circle. Use the needle and thread to string each of the circles, creating a banner. Hang the banner in a prominent place in your home to be easily referenced when you're looking for a fun family activity.
Finger Print Family (Courtesy of Abby Lawson)
Finger Print Family
Materials:
- One piece of white card stock
- Craft paint
- Crayons or markers
Optional:
- Various other colors of card stock
- Scissors
- Glue or glue dots
Instructions:
Put a small amount of paint on the tip section of the child's finger; press it down on the card stock to create the "head" of one family member. Continue using painted fingerprints to create heads for the rest of the family members. (Thumbs can be used for adults, pinkies for babies, etc.) Once the paint has dried, cut out clothes from various colors of card stock and glue them onto the page. (Or you can just have the child draw clothing.) Then have the child add each family member's features with the crayons as well as decorate the scene. Frame if desired.
Related: Best Pottery Painting Classes For Kids In Pittsburgh
Jennifer Stockdale is a native of the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. She is a restaurant marketer and wine enthusiast and one of the hosts of the East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
