When I had small children, we did many crafts, and I mean many crafts. I was certainly a crafting queen! Summers home allowed for more time for crafty ideas working with our hands. Now that I have three teenagers (gasp!), our crafting has dwindled significantly during the school year. But summer is here! I have a dining room that we rarely use for eating. This space became our Summer Craft Central years ago and is still holding strong.
My “Crafty” Pinterest board has over 350 pins dating back at least a decade. There is a wealth of ideas ranging from easy to more complicated. It’s amazing how much time the kids will spend on a crafty project! You may even find your child sitting at Summer Craft Central alone; head tilted to the side with the tongue sticking out in deep thought (this was my middle child).
Having a Summer Craft Central allows the kids to experiment with textures and creativity and build self-confidence. With some inspiration on your side and a few supplies, endless hours of fun are ahead! Here are the basics for creating your own Summer Craft Central.
Space
I happened to have a large dining room table to use as a setup, but the crafting space doesn’t have to be a large table or even a table at all. The floor works, the kitchen table or island, a folding table, or even the driveway. We’ve used poster board leaned against a wall, the coffee table, and sometimes the front porch.
If you are using a more modular space, I highly recommend having a rolling cart, basket, crate, old lunch box, or shoebox for your supplies to be moved around and organized. I have a rolling cart, and I also leave a lot of supplies right on the table within arm’s reach. Having supplies readily available increases the chances of the children using them.
Supplies
Supplies will depend on the ages of your children and, obviously, what kind of craft you are making. I highly recommend recycled items. Small children love a good-sized box to decorate. We’ve made collages with newspapers and magazines. Old crayons can be warmed up and put into plastic ice cube trays to make new ones. I’ve used coffee filters and watercolors to make flowers. You do not always need to spend a lot of money on supplies!
As my kids have gotten older, they have entered a yarn era. You wouldn’t believe how many people want to give away some of their yarn! Quite a few, it seems. Just put a request on your Facebook page and see.
Outsource
If you don’t have the mental capacity to have a Craft Central, no judgment here; I get it; outsource the idea! Our local library has crafting events all summer, there are several art camps run by our town and local art studios, and Micheals and Home Depot even offer events.
In a world where our children want to be on screens and online for larger amounts of time, I find having a crafting space helps pull them away from that desire. The creative time allows us to bond over shared ideas. I find myself grasping at those moments as my children are getting older. The bonding time with them makes the mess worth it. Maybe skip the glitter!
