bored kids get them into crafts

How in the world do you make time for crafts when you have 7 kids?? I truly admire you! I have never been creative or "crafty", but always enjoyed "making things" with my mom when I was a kid. We would sit for hours (it seemed) at the kitchen table with an old sheet over it making things. She kept a lot of the same items as you do, and was always cutting out newspaper articles for ideas of crafts. I think it's a great way to encourage creativity, teach kids patience, and get to spend time with them.

Great job you done with time and patient here. Nice idea and hope many mom will follow it and can build a small factory too.

Hi! Thanks for posting this. I'm putting together a stash of craft items, too. Our thing now is making bracelets with beads and elastic cording or pipe cleaners. I've bookmarked this site. Another one is crayola.com They have a lot of activity ideas, too. :-)

I have always been interested in crafts, I have tried many as some are listed in my interests section, for kids to do crafts is a good thing they develope pride in what they do and the things they learn can develope into much bigger things in the future.

Just a thought. More kids need to open up books today. Or maybe, if they've got time to be bored, they have time for chores. Just a couple of thoughts.

Great idea an alternative to violent video games all the time, I have done a lot of paper crafts with my son and is great to form a lot of proyects from this website http://www.canon.com/c-park try it you will not get bored there is a lot to do.

I do crafts with my kids, even when they are not bored, I like doing it for fun so I'm always making something with them.

I know its really a platform to show your creativity I used to go for art and craft sessions when i was a kid it was really good!

Great suggestion for mom's and dad's. Crafts and art is a great way to let children explore thier creativity and to learn something about themselves. It can open the door for a young budding artist to capture a passion. You never know which child will turn out to be a painter, sculpter, or poet. You should set up an inviroment that allows freedom to explore these talents. This is especially true in cases where the children's schools do no provide adequate exposure to art and creativity (my child is now 16 but when she was in elementary school they only had art for half the year and only 2 days a week and the lessons left a lot to be desired) I have heard of some schools that do not offer arts at all. I think this is very sad.

Thank you for your post. We have the grandkids over quite often and we do crafts with them. I am a collector of items and always have plenty of things on hand to use for crafts.

Loved the link. I do a lot of craft activities with my son who is 6 now. He is a very active child and that's one of the ways I can get him to do something constructive at home. He loves making stuff and taking them to school where it gets put up on the board.

This is a great list to have on hand and I have found that kids are so creative that if you give them a bunch of art and craft supplies, they will be busy for hours creating masterpieces!

yeah, correct lol.

My kids are having their year-end school holidays right now and I cannot think of anything creative for them to work on. I didn't think of craft work for them because my son, who is 5, dread his school's art lessons. He doesn't like coloured paints on his hands and glue drying up on his fingers. But you've me some great ideas to work with him now. Thank you.

Thanks for the idea box. My son loves to do crafts on rainy days and when he gets bored. Some of the time he just wants to be close to his family. Board games and activities are a precious way to make lasting memories. I have a Christmas tree just for the kids as they have grown through the years. There is nothing on it but things they have made in school or around the house. One day I hope to give them the ornaments to remember the way Christmas was growing up. They may never remember the gifts but will always remember their special tree. I am a mom of 4 with 2 grandkids and another on the way. How do you preserve the things they have made? I find the noodle type ornaments have less and less on them each year no matter how I have packed them? When do you buy the craft supplies? I find great sales after the school rush and when stores may be discontinueing the items. How long do you keep these crafts they indulge in? I have thrown out ones that I wish I had kept. Another great idea I have found is having my son write a book for the past year on what his life was like. I have one for all eleven years and it has encouraged him to write all the time about other people as well. It is a wonderful gift to give to Grandparents.

I think most kids can find ways to occupy themselves. I know kids who come up with the dumbest games but as long as they arent being destructive then hey why stop them. That list you provided though could be very helpful.

hi, we can train the kids in many ways.we can also learn them to help in kitchen,cleaning home,keeping cloths neately in shelfs,painting,studying stories,small cooking,teaching about vegetables and their uses,teaching handwriting,keeping all the places neately,and so on.....when they get bored in any work,we should divert them immedietly to other job.in this way we can teach and train them in many ways.

My kids love to do crafty and artsy things but they come by it honestly since their father used to be (yrs ago) an artist and I am as well...so are their cousins and one of the their aunts...I suggest (for slightly older to older kids) polymer clay, drawing/painting supplies, beading kits/supplies, and plenty of odds and ends like what was posted in the original post :D....Crafts are a great way to keep kids entertained, spend family time together and it keeps their imaginations flowing which IMO is never a bad thing!

hm ya u right even i ve observed da same!!!!

crafts are always a good idea for kids. it stimulates the imagination and helps with problem solving! simple crafts as a kid turn me onto visual arts. it's now my passion and i'm actually going to college for it.