Crafting can be intimidating. Any search through Pinterest, Etsy, or Instagram and you will see amazing people making amazing things. You like what you see so you head over to YouTube and watch a video. It looks so easy! So you buy all the supplies and sit down in front of the computer only to discover, wow – this is much harder than it looks! Well, you aren’t alone. Sometimes the distance between beginning and end result seems too far. We give up sometimes before we even try.
But not kids! Kids take all the wondrous supplies – fabric, colors, glitter, glue, stickers, paper, and they simply create. We look at them in wonder, how easily and joyfully they approach crafting. They start with the delight in the supplies themselves – the texture of them, the endless possibilities – and they simply get to it. Sometimes they create in a craft tornado frenzy, but we’re so proud of their results we can’t get too mad. We know we will look back at those pictures and creations and remember these were the best days.
But what if the price to pay for priceless art wasn’t an hour-long fight to clean up? Or worse, having to scrape glue off one more bit of carpet by ourselves? What if instead they had their own space to create, and what if we could help them learn the organizational habits to keep their space ready for the next time they create? And wouldn’t it be nice if, along the way, we rediscovered our own creativity?
Learn about crafting's hottest new tool - the Cricut! Enter to win a private hour-long Cricut class - all supplies and use of Cricut machine are included in the class. Valued at $25, this class is our most popular intro class. It can be scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Check out some of our Cricut projects on our Instagram page: www.instagram.com/CraftITNC.com
If you want to make your own little maker’s space, here are a few of my suggestion how to do that for kids of different ages.
Setting up a craft space for your toddler:
Because most of the craft supplies will be taste-tested by your little wonder, before you buy supplies, make sure they are non-toxic. Also, since you will most likely need to be on-hand for craft time, a communal area like the kitchen (where you can easily clean up!) is essential. Covering your table with a shower curtain liner (the thick plastic kind) will save you all kinds of later hassle. A plastic roller cart with drawers (which you can find at Walmart or IKEA or Amazon) is your best bet for storing supplies. Each drawer should be readily accessible to your toddler so he or she can help with clean up (putting the supplies away), but bonus if the cart can be wheeled into a pantry or closet so the fun doesn’t begin without you! Separate the supplies by project. Paints and glitter in one drawer (painting is the best craft for this age, in my opinion), large, thick paper in another. Stickers can also be added to this drawer, especially made from the kind of sticky paper that is blank because it makes great personalized stickers. Paper and ink stamps are a good option for this age group, as talking about the letters and stamped pictures with your little one promotes verbal and coordination skills simultaneously.
Setting up your craft space for a “big kid” – ages 4-10:
This age group is big on building, working in groups (but each on his or her own individual ideas), and on “Look at me! I can do it myself!” kind of recognition from you. A communal space is still important, but a more permanent one where they have daily access is essential. As such, keeping the roller cart idea, I would swap out paints for play dough. Other ideas for drawers are: 1.) cookie cutters, dull knives (butter knives work well), and texture mats. 2). Paper, washable markers, glitter, glue. 3.) Fabric scraps, buttons, craft wire, and odds and ends for building whatever comes to their most creative minds. Make sure the space has a plastic floor mat that covers at least 2 feet past the perimeter of the table. The table should be sizeable, but small kid sized. Ideally, the space would be near where the family gathers, but slightly separated. Now, here comes the hard part – insisting that your child return the supplies to the cart that he or she has used at the end of the craft time. I know it’s hard, but if you can consistently reinforce this idea at this stage of his or her development, the later years will only be that much easier. This is the idea of a “habit”, and if you can get your child get into the “habit” of putting supplies away in the roller cart (honestly, any drawer, not even the specific one it came out of!) it will make a huge difference going forward.
Setting up a craft space for a tween – ages 10-12:
At this exciting stage, our kids are still insanely creative, but they are now fully able to learn and appreciate skilled crafting such as sewing, crochet, paper crafting, and design on their own (independently of a side-by-side with a teacher, such as myself). The kind of craft kits you get at the big box stores are extremely popular with them. Many times, this age group will spend more time in their rooms and less in communal spaces, and time with their friends will reach a new level of importance. Having a space in their rooms with the crafts they specifically enjoy will be your best bet. My own daughter is this age. I have modified a vintage piano bench to hold her favorite craft supplies – large, thick paper and thin sharpies for comic book making. I have replaced the roller cart with clear plastic scrap booking boxes for her paper and to store her completed comic book stories (her main character is the coolest kid lion you ever saw!) At this age, they are willing to try new skills (crochet and sewing, for example), but don’t be sad if they don’t stick with any one skill. I would suggest you try to limit their enthusiasm to a few different kinds of crafts at a time. For example, they’ll want to do a bit of everything, but tools like sewing machines take up valuable space and are harder to learn to use than your child may realize. Crochet is fun because yarn and hooks don’t take much space, and relatively easy to get the hang of. Also, they’ll probably be in the middle of three projects at once, in all different crafting areas and skill levels, but that’s ok because at this age they’re still trying on what they like and may simply leave a project in the middle of it!
Setting up a craft space for your teenager –ages 13-17:
Whichever skill they gravitate to, level up and make a designated space in their room for it free of their other attempts (don’t throw them away, instead, “graduate” them to younger siblings or donate them). Declutter at this point. A blank slate will help your teen fill in the space with their new personality and tastes. It is very important at this stage to find a way to use or display their art in the communal home where everyone can see and appreciate it. This will help your child know that you love their work without feeling awkward about having to ask, “is my art good? Do you like it?” The farther into the teenage years your child ventures, the harder it will be to still ask those ever-important questions.
The crafters on Etsy and Pintrest have been involved in their craft for much longer than you might realize. Some of us picked up the skills we use in crafting as kids. Some of us relearn them, some move from one craft to a similar one. The truth is, like any art, crafting is multi-leveled. You can always learn something new or evolve your skills. But at its purest form, crafting is simply creation. It is the act of enjoying your supplies and working out how to use them to make your world a little brighter. Anyone can do this if they can let go of their inner critic and embrace that simple joy. I hope by watching your kids create, you too will join in.
Happy crafting, everyone!
Amanda Stanford is the Owner of Craft It NC in Indian Trail. Craft It is a gift shop and maker's space, where she teaches crafting to both adults and children. She and her daughter do a lot of crafting together, and they are lucky to have a whole store in which to create. Craft It offers introductory classes to kids as young as 4, and all kids are naturally creative.
