January is always a tricky month for you and the kids - the excitement of Christmas is fading fast, the weather seems to be generally dull and cold and the kids are just tired from being back at school. How to keep the kids amused and happy after a long day at school and when they're overtired at the weekend can be exhausting for parents and carers on top of everything else that needs to get done. We've made a list of our top ten crafts this month to keep the kids amused, unwind them after school or just to give you five minutes to have a hot cuppa!
Mosaics are one of our most popular crafts as they are just brilliant for getting kids to concentrate on just one thing at a time, thus switching off after school and having a bit of quiet time to think and process their day whilst producing a gorgeous piece of artwork that they can proudly display. My two happily sat at the table after school having a go at theirs - a craft that doesn't have to be done all in one go but can be returned to time and time again whenever the kids feel like it.
Sticker crafts and transfers are just so versatile and kids LOVE stickers - my girls like to decorate their books with them or make sticker pictures up from their own imagination.
Artistic Patch Collages from Djeco are a great no mess craft activity, presented in a beautiful and durable box that can be taken out to keep the kids amused - choose from glitter, velvet or metal foil to get great instant results.
Play Dough is always a popular activity with children, whether toddler, preschooler or a bit older, kids love getting involved in making simple shapes or more complex creations. My youngest little girl loves creating different hairdos with Djeco's Hairdressing workshop - the longer the better!
Scratch Art is another of our most popular and versatile crafts and is perfect for a quiet ten minutes making striking pictures, designing bookmarks or writing rainbow notes!
Make paper planes, chains, dolls or animal faces - Djeco has a wide range of origami kits to try out. Clara and Edith adored the Fortune Teller game at Christmas, getting us all to do silly things and have a laugh together!
Paper modelling - take your paper folding up a notch and make sharks, dinosaurs or unicorns with Clockwork Soldier's paper crafts. These are brilliant for imaginative play once made and also can be put on display or decorate the kids room.
Felt Pictures - see our product review here
Sand and Glitter Art are two more of our most popular craft kits for older children - kids can produce stunning results with the easy to follow kits that are a bit like painting by numbers.
Decopatch is a fun creative activity that you can do together at the weekend - if you live near our shop at the Engine Yard at Belvoir Castle we sometimes run decopatch workshops so keep an eye on our Facebook page for details of any coming up.
Crafts are always a great way of getting kids to relax and unwind while learning something new or using their imagination and creativity. What is your favourite craft to do?