I love the idea of my kids doing something creative but every time they'd ask to do craft there would be a little moment where I would think "Oh no, it's going to end badly, mess everywhere" or "We don't have everything we need!" Or "I'm too busy for that!"
Life got a LOT easier when I realised the mess can be cleaned quickly with a couple of small tweaks, and the kids don't care about having every thing they need..
Now instead of stressing that we don't have paper plates for paint palettes I just cover a dinner plate with cling wrap. Nothing gets ruined.. The kids will make craft out of ANYTHING - sometimes it's just sticks and leaves.. They have a ball!
The mess? I just throw down an old baby cot sheet onto the table or on the ground if we're outside, and tell them it doesn't matter if it gets a bit messy.
Most kids paints are washable now so at the end of the craft session I just swish everything (sheet, kids clothes) in a sink of cold water and throw it straight into the washing machine.
For extra messy craft I just throw an apron on them, they think it's cool ;)
At the end, we hang all on the front balcony to dry (how pretty does that look below!) and then we reuse our artwork for cards, wrapping paper, and other crafty ideas:
The more relaxed I am about it, the less the kids worry about it - and I find the mess is practically nothing.
What do you do to make art & craft easy and fun in your house?
Credits: This post is not sponsored and contains no affiliate links
