Now that the summer has officially begun, many parents and grandparents will be faced with entertaining children over sunny (or rainy!) weekends and throughout the summer holidays. Kid's crafts are a great way to get children away from the TV and to encourage them to be creative. Kid's crafts require children to concentrate and to see a project through to the end; both are good skills for children to be practicing and developing. Doing crafts in the garden is ideal for summer, as younger children can get as messy as they like without damaging the carpet or the dining table! Spread a large protective cloth on the floor or on an outside table, preferably a plastic sheet such as a wipe-clean tablecloth or similar, and weight it down with stones at the sides to avoid it blowing in the wind. Painting is a great activity to do outside, and a large sheet of paper can be used for finger painting and printing with whatever you find in the garden, such as twigs, flat stones and so on!

It is easy to use natural elements in Kid's crafts and painting large flat stones is another great idea for summer. Younger children can use large brushes and poster paints and older children can create more detailed designs such as painting ladybirds or butterflies onto the flat stones. They may even enjoy using a few stones to create a sentence or message, by painting a different word onto each stone. These can then be varnished and placed around the garden, perhaps amongst the flower beds to give a personal touch! Kid's crafts can also be a great way to encourage children to participate in the upkeep or use of their garden. There are many pre-prepared kids’ crafts available to buy such as garden gnomes and birdhouses which can be painted and then displayed in the garden. Children may even be able to paint their own bug house or butterfly feeder, which is a great way to get them to observe the wildlife in their own garden.

It is a great idea to stock up on Kid's crafts supplies and kits now that the summer holidays are here. Having some paints and brushes stored away is a good way to easily entertain any children who will be visiting. For parents and grandparents who will be looking after children throughout the holidays, craft kits are great for keeping children engaged and getting them outside. They will encourage creativity and children will be pleased to use or display their craft items when they are finished. For working parents, it may be a good idea to stock up on a few craft kits and supplies which you can pass on to any relatives or friends who are looking after your children during the school holidays. This is a great way to ensure both parties are having fun, especially the children. Crafts will provide a stimulating ongoing activity which children can focus on with the support and encouragement of an adult.