Hello everybody,
I hope you are all doing well given the current circumstances.
Before my daughter and I created JustFamilyFun we used to scour the Internet for the best arts and craft websites to find fun activities to do at the weekend. We have been through hundreds of great ones but now we have compiled a list of the ones we use the most often for inspiration especially now that we are stuck indoors.
However, we want to share our favourites with you, because what fun is it keeping a secret to yourself. After all sharing is caring.
PepperPot Crafts
PepperPot Crafts is a one woman enterprise. Everything they make is created from patterns and ideas that they have developed themselves. They primarily focus on custom-doll making on their Etsy shop, but they also run a blog with easy crafts to do with children which we love because it can easily fill a Sunday afternoon. We had lots of fun recently making Silhouette art décor for Imogen’s room and she certainly enjoyed covering herself with paint.
We also have a special offer from PepperPot Crafts for our readers. They are currently offering 10% off their crafts kits and doll making kits on their Etsy store. When purchasing a kit from their Etsy store use the code CRAFT10.
Check them out at www.pepperpot-crafts.com
Crafts on Sea
Crafts on Sea shares crafts for kids with simple tutorial as well as free templates and printables to help your child get creative.
Their website is very easy to use because not only do they divide their activities into age categories, e.g toddlers and children, but they also have a huge variety of arts and crafts tasks for different seasons and holidays.
Recently we tried the Valentine’s Day Easy Mosaic Heart craft to make for mummy to show her how much we love her. This activity was so much fun as we could decide what materials to use on the heart and whether we wanted to use it for a card. It also helped my daughter practice her scissor skills which was an added bonus.
Check their page out at www.craftsonsea.co.uk
Free Kids Crafts
Free Kids Crafts is a family-run team of three woman sharing their amazing range of kids crafts. They really do have something to suit everyone from aspiring princesses to adventurous pirates.
One of the unique points about this website is that every craft comes with a bit of trivia and let me tell you how surprised I was with them. My daughters favourite activity on this website was building the princess castle…. I mean which little girl would not it is truly a magical dream to make their fairy tales come true.
They have a different craft on their website every day which can be adapted to suit your child’s preferences all for free.
Check their page out at freekidscrafts.com
In The Bag Kids Craft
In the Bag Kids Crafts aim to limit screen time with easy, engaging but most importantly fun crafts that do not require hours of time and a PhD in Craftology. This website has simple and seasonal craft ideas for promoting much needed skills that your child will begin to learn in school, so therefore enhancing your child’s development.
The idea behind this website is that each craft is completed using items from the same master list of basic craft supplies which are economical (saves the pennies in the bank for other fun activities – like making brownies) and can easily be stored in one bag.
My wee one and I had bundles of fun making their Christmas hats over the festive period. She wanted to be the angel so I chose to be the snowman because who doesn’t love a good snowman after seeing Olaf in Frozen, right?
You can also craft by age, season and skill depending on the needs of your child.
Check out their website at inthebagkidscrafts.com
Sugar Bee Crafts
Sugar Bee Crafts is one of our favourites websites because when you land on the page – it is so colourful that it can without a doubt brighten your mood. This website has absolutely everything you will need arts and crafts wise. They have recipes, Zoom backgrounds, printables, sewing and crochet for peak different interests.
I can guarantee that you will learn something new from Sugar Bee Crafts. A few weeks ago, we tackled the painted sunflower kids craft and I learned that you can use the cardboard tube from an empty toilet roll to create petals rather than attempting and then failing miserably freehand.
This website is based in the U.S so there are quite a few American-themed crafts, but honestly you will learn a lot of the crafts in their country.
This is one of the few websites that uses video for tutorial if you find reading instructions difficult You can follow along with someone, so you are making the craft together.
Check out their website at sugarbeecrafts.com
Crafts and Activities for Kids
Crafts and Activities for Kids is perfect for the more hands-on crafty activities. They take real value in getting your child doing activities where they can open up their senses to experience new feelings. I know if I have a whole afternoon to spare I will scroll through the Crafts and Activities for Kids website because there are A LOT of fun things to try from the Sensory Play Cloud Dough recipe to the How to Make Bracelets from Drinking Straws.
Last weekend, Imogen and I tried the Valentine’s Day White Chocolate Spoons as we both got hungry looking at the idea on the website and who can say no to a bit of white chocolate? The best thing is that we could switch it up and add sprinkles, marshmallows or some sweets.
One of my favourites things about this craft website is that the pictures and thumbnails for each task is so beautifully presented that I always end up clicking on the link to find out more.
Check out their page at craftsandactivitiesforkids.com
The Crafty Crow
- The Crafty Crow is run by a crafts designer who created the blog to keep track of all the wonderful children’s crafts that they spotted over the Internet. The website specialises in crafts found on blogs of creative people who either have, or work with kids which is great because it means that you know the activities were especially designed for children.
This blog has an emphasis on projects inspired by nature, crafts that make use of recyclable materials and open-ended art meant to bring families closer together through the creative experience. You will also find tips, tools, resources and other ideas sprinkled in the activities too to make your learning experience fun.
One part I enjoyed about using this blog for crafts was that the categories are dated back into months which is so handy because if you have a craft passion like me then you can explore the trends in arts and crafts over the last five years.
One of our favourite crafting activities to do on this website was the Paper Heart Valentine’s Crown, because not only does my princess deserve her own crown you can adapt this activity to suit different occasions.
Check out their blog at thecraftycrow.net
Craft Learn & Play
Craft, Learn and Play is a fun and upbeat website that focuses on your child’s development through a learning journey. This blog is a membership that you will have to sign up for, but I promise you that it is totally worth the money as there are thousands of activities to complete with your child. They really do focus on the child’s experience.
When you use Craft, Learn and Play, you’ll learn how to intentionally craft projects and simple activities that benefit your child and nurture your heart, even if you think you are not a creative person.
Each tutorial and idea that you find on this blog has very clear steps and instructions if you are like me and reading is not always your strong point (I am more a hands-on type of guy) that will give you the ability to make craft projects and kids activities with ease. I really like how Craft, Learn and Play also provide you with tips on how to engage with your child in creative play and teach you how you can help them to play independently for all those multi-tasking parent.
We recently tried the DIY Felt Board which can be done in five minutes, however we let our imaginations run wild and created all sorts of characters from dinosaurs to magical monsters for our board.
Check out their website at craftlearnandplay.com
Like JustFamilyFun, most of these blogs and websites were created by parents who have a huge passion for arts and crafts and want other children to join in on the fun. They spend time researching and experimenting with crafts to share with others. We value every one of these sites mentioned in the list because they are individual and unique. They really value giving their readers a unique experience whether you are a paper beginner or a needlecraft expert. There is always something for everyone.
We decided to show you our list because having fun does not have to mean going outdoors to play sports or sitting in front of a screen playing a game. Arts and crafts is a hobby for all ages to bring the family together and without these blogs we wouldn’t be here today with our own website.
So please don’t be afraid to check out some of these websites. I can assure you that they will be giving you the best experience and I know that they are available to help with any questions.
We really hope this helps you to discover some new activities to try at home. Let us know your favourites or if you have any you want to share with us in the comments below!
Stay safe and catch you all soon,
Gavin