March 14 is National Children’s Craft Day

March is declared as the National Craft Month. And right in the middle of the month is the day dedicated to unleashing a boost of creative energy in children, which is on March 14. There are many benefits in children when exposed to the world of crafts early in their learning curve. We help them spark their imagination, develop a sense of accomplishment, build their self-esteem, and even reduce their stress levels. Crafting also provides opportunities for children to interact with other children, have fun and learn something new without the aid of television or electronics, which nowadays is very rampant in child-rearing. When kids learn something new, it also stimulates curiosity and the use of tactile skills. Not only that, other important skills are being honed when crafting such as following directions, learning independence, improving reading comprehension, overcoming mistakes, feeling included, and mastering social skills. Crafting does not necessarily cost you a lot of money. In fact, it could be even a better practice to use everyday household items and recyclables in making art projects. In this way, you do not only teach the kids to be budding artists but also environmentally aware and resourceful. Here are some fun activities that you and your kids can start doing at home this National Children’s Craft Day.

Create a stuffed animal sailboat out of a cardboard box

Kids would remember the story of Noah’s ark, where Noah built a big ark to save humanity and loads and loads of animals from the flood. If not, this could be a good storytelling technique while building the sailboat. Well, except for the part of the flood, kids could relate well with the number of stuffed animals that they own that could be lying around their rooms. It is so easy to make this project. All you need to prepare are a sturdy cardboard box, a long cardboard tube (could be from the large roll of gift wrapper or connected tubes from tissue rolls), a scrap of fabric for the sail (any size will do depending on the size of your cardboard box and tube), empty round plastic container (from a yogurt tub, ice cream tub, or jelly tub), sting and safety pins. Other materials include masking tape, double-sided tape, craft sticks, colored paper for the flag, scissors, and a small knife. Remember to keep sharp objects away from children’s reach, especially when not in use.

Make a DIY board game out of a cereal box

Don’t throw away those cereal boxes just yet. And we know you got loads of them because whose kids do not eat cereals for breakfast? Are we right, parents? Kids love playing. So, why not insert learning while playing through DIY board games. Make your own snake and ladders or kid-friendly monopoly. Playing board games is a good way of teaching your kid to practice patience, count, and be a good sport. All you need to prepare are a large cereal box, sharpie markers or washable toddler markers, scissors or cutter, game pieces, and dice (game pieces could be miniature dolls, dinosaurs, or cars).

Is your kid a car lover? Teach him to make his own toy using an egg carton

Let’s face it: toy cars are so expensive. So if you want to teach your kid the value of money and at the same time boost his creativity, make him create his own toy car. Using household items, you and your kids will be able to personalize their own toy collection. All you need to prepare are egg cartons, paint tubes (colors of your choice), paintbrushes PVA glue, shoelaces (for the string to be attached on the toy car so he can pull the toy anywhere), bottle caps or toilet rolls (for the wheels) and bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks (to attach the wheels. For other fun activities you may think of, we recommend using a Fleximounts WB102 Manual Height Adjustable Workbench. When doing all the activities, it is important to use a solid worktop and a surface that is scratch-free. Remember that kids can get clumsy and mishandle the sharp edges of say, a pair of scissors and accidentally scratch the table. It is also good to choose a workbench that can be adjusted according to the height of the user, and in this case, your child and you. With a flexible feature like this, it can accommodate the needs of both you and your kid and the wide gap height difference. Height-adjustable workbenches are heaven-sent. There are tons of work and activities that rely on a stable worktop. If you add flexible height to the features, this product is a winner. The user can manually adjust the level of the frame to match the desired size. So, whether you like doing activities either standing or sitting, you can count on this workbench. And this feature is really helpful for kids whose heights are still growing. The Fleximounts WB102 Manual Height Adjustable Workbench lets the user confidently handle any sitting or standing work with maximum efficiency. It enables you to elevate your workstation to its ideal height, with a height adjustment range of 29.5 inches to 44.1 inches. The extra-large crank handle offers smoother operation than standard cranks, so you can easily lift the desk, even with heavy loads, such as items like the computer set, toolboxes, car cleaning machine, paints, and many more. And best of all, you would never need tools to adjust the height of the table legs as is necessary for other workbenches without a crank handle. The WB102 has a solid construction, is made of a 1.5 mm cold-roll steel frame, and holds up to 500 lbs. Its worktop table uses solid rubberwood as a surface and has desktop dimensions of 47.2 inches x 23.6 inches x 1 inch, which offers plenty of space to work on. You can also use it as a garage workbench, home office desktop, or even sewing and crafting table.