Gifts to get children crafting

1 – A craft box – This can be an excellent gift to start a child off on a crafting hobby or as a way to add to the supplies of a child who is already crafting.

You will need a box that can contain a variety of supplies. Consider what you wish to put into the box and find a box of the appropriate size. The style of box is up to you but a basic clear plastic box with a lid is a simple starting point. Boxes can be fancy and expensive or cheap and cheerful as long as they can withstand repeated use. Giving a child an undecorated box that they can personalize is another way to fire their enthusiasm.

Fill the box with supplies appropriate to the craft they already undertake or for a craft that you think they would be interested in. perhaps your child has expressed an interest in making jewellery. Fill the box with beads and baubles, ribbon and glue, laces and clasps and set them on their way. Aspiring artists can never have too much paper or paint so give them brushes, art pads, a poseable human figure, a couple of books filled with painting by famous artists and watch them take off.

The possibilities of the craft box are endless. The box can also be useful when it comes to stocking fillers at Christmas and for cheap gifts by younger family members who can give gifts of small items needing replacement.

2 – Magazine Subscriptions – If your child is interested in a craft, they will constantly need inspiration and the chance to catch up on the latest news and innovations relevant to their craft. Gift your child a year’s subscription to a magazine related to their craft and you will inspire new ideas, give them a reason to read (often lacking if they are not book readers by nature) and also give them something to look forward to each month.

3 – Books – There are thousands of craft books out there and a quick search of a site such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble will soon show you just how many books are available. Choosing one book can be difficult and it is worth doing a little research amongst other people who pursue the same craft (online forums are handy here) or by reading reviews of books that people leave after purchase.

The only rule is to ensure that the book you choose is appropriate to the age of the child. Your aspiring artist may fall in love with Michelangelo but probably doesn’t want to wade through endless critiques at age 8. Choose carefully and your book gift will likely be treasured forever.

There is not always a lot of money available for buying books and if your child is a real enthusiast, feeding their literary need can be hard. Often overlooked, and an alternative to expensive purchases, is a membership for your local library. Even small libraries will have some books on crafting but should there be little new, the opportunity to order books in from other libraries can come in very useful.

4 – Lessons – Sometimes there is nothing quite like getting an expert to help you out. Giving your child a gift of a lesson with an expert can get them going again when it seems that they have stalled in their chosen craft. People take lessons in driving, flying planes and skiing, why not in crafts.

Take a look around your local area and see what is available relevant to your child’s interests and book them in for a single lesson, or even a course if you are feeling generous. If you have problems finding classes that you can pay for singly, think about pooling resources with other family members and giving a course of lessons in say, pottery, as a joint family gift.

5 – Time – Perhaps the most overlooked gift you can give to your ‘crafty’ child. When a child becomes enthusiastic about a craft, they want to share. There is possibly nothing more dispiriting for a child than to take their creation to a parent, show it and receive an ‘Oh, that’s nice’ response. Consider how you would feel if your enthusiasm and pride were dismissed so easily.

Engage with your child, give them the time it takes to listen to how they made their object, why they made it and tell them what you think. Of course, no one wants you to tear a carefully constructed project to verbal pieces.  The conversation often turns into a variant on –

“Silly mummy, of course it’s not an alien. It’s a cow.”

“Cows don’t have six legs!”

“This one does!”

“But real cows don’t”

“Why?”

“Because they don’t” (exit attention of parent)

Cue despondent child and frustrated parent. Always fall back on the “Tell me about it” option when you haven’t got a clue what is being shown to you. Why shouldn’t a cow have 6 legs when you are six and believe in fairies and pixies? Just listen to your child, take an interest and join in if they want you to.

Give the gift of your time and show your child that their crafting efforts are important to you and that you are interested. Display their work around your home and foster their sense of pride and achievement. In the end, the gift of time will always outweigh any other gift you might choose for your ‘crafty’ child.