5 Fun Craft Activities to Keep the Learning Going These School Holidays

The types of arts and crafts you incorporate into your child’s life can vary, and are based on several factors:

• Their interests
• Their attention span
• Their learning needs (what they need to focus more on)

To best support mental, social and emotional wellbeing, look for arts and craft projects that touch on a variety of skills. This will make sure your child is well-rounded in their development.

Most importantly, look for arts and crafts projects that are fun and require minimal setup or supervision. Some fun and easy ideas for arts and crafts these school holidays include:

Rock monsters

To make rock monsters you will need rocks, googly eyes, paint and glue. If you’d like to make these yarn-wrapped rock monsters, you’ll also need some yarn in different colour. You can get rocks from just about anywhere in nature, and the rest you can get from Discount Art N Craft Warehouse.

If you gather rocks from the garden, wash them first to remove all the dirt that might make glue less effective. The shape of the rocks chosen doesn’t matter - just make sure they’re big enough for the kids to easily handle. Once you’ve got your rocks, you’re ready to start making silly monsters.

Eco-friendly tote bags

Now that many supermarkets and grocery stores have replaced the use of single-use plastic bags, tote bags are all the rage. Have your kids decorate a bunch of tote bags during the school holidays and give them out to your friends and family. Not only have you got a great gift for birthdays and Christmas, but you’re also helping to spread the message that protecting the environment is important.

For decorating reusable tote bags, fabric paint is a must. Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint remains soft and flexible when dry, and colours can be heat fixed on with an iron or hair dryer. Watch this demonstration video to see how you can make your own stamps and create something different every time.

Recycled egg carton flowers

Watch your young artists blossom as they transform egg cartons into colourful flowers. You can approach this in one of two ways - as standup egg carton flowers in a vase, or a 3D egg carton flower picture or card. Either way, the kids will love getting creative and you’ll love making use of your recyclable goods.

Egg carton flowers can be as simple or as creative as you like, making them a great craft activity for kids of different ages. What you’ll need are items like paint, glue, scissors, paint brushes, canvas or cardstock, paper clips and pipe cleaners. For the egg cartons, all you need to do is eat some eggs. Why not set the kids a cooking activity and get them to make scrambled eggs for breakfast before you craft?

Monster pegs

For the October school holidays, monster pegs are a great craft. Get some clear lolly bags ready for trick or treaters and peg them shut with your little creations. Not close to Halloweeen or don’t celebrate it? These monster pegs made great decorative peg magnets with a magnet stuck using a hot glue gun. Why not have your kids come up with some great monster jokes and use your monster peg magnets to stick them to your fridge? Here’s one to get you started…

Q. How do monsters like their eggs?
A. Terror fried.

Illuminated art

For older school kids who might use the school holidays as a time to rearrange their bedroom, a glitter and lights canvas is a beautiful piece of art that’s easy to make and looks fab sitting on a desk or shelf. You’ll need:

• Artist canvas (18” x 24” is a good size)
• Decoupage medium
• Foam brush
• Gold glitter (ultra fine to coarse works best)
• 3 pkgs battery-operated LED moon lights (warm white)
• Tape adhesive
• Craft knife
• Cutting mat
• Protected work surface
• A Ruler

Start by covering the entire canvas with a layer of decoupage medium. Next, dust the canvas with glitter. Add additional layers of glitter to the bottom of the canvas to achieve a thick consistency. Fade into less glitter as you get closer to the top. To create texture and dimension, use different types of glitter.

Once you’ve reached your desired look and you’re sure the base layer of decoupage medium is dry, apply a thin layer of decoupage medium over the entire canvas to seal the glitter. Once dry you can poke holes into the back of the canvas with a craft knife (you might need to offer assistance to younger children). Push the moon lights through each hole and secure with tape adhesive. Repeat, placing more lights at the bottom of the canvas and less at the top. This will create an ombre effect.

The benefits of arts and crafts during the school holidays

There are numerous arts and crafts projects that can engage kids of all ages to nurture their creativity. Arts and crafts can help to develop:

• Fine motor skills
• Dexterity
• Self-esteem
• Self-expression
• Social skills
• Imagination
• Decision-making skills
• Memory
• Flexibility

The benefits of arts and crafts extend to all spheres of life and make your kids better equipped to face the challenges life throws at them. Plus, arts and crafts are fun and stop kids from saying the dreaded ‘B’ word.

Why wouldn’t you make Discount Art N Craft Warehouse you’re number one school holiday supply shop? Check out more of our inspiring ideas and order your art and craft supplies today.