4 arts and crafts ideas for kids in lockdown
Lockdowns, they’re synonymous with kids bored-at-home and frazzled parents with unbrushed hair. You see, when lockdowns hit, parents are forced to wear many hats: the working-from-home hat, the childcare hat, the school-teacher hat, the kids-entertainment hat….all on top of the usual hats a parent wears. But sometimes with all of those hats on, the “thinking cap” doesn’t fit. It can be hard for parents to “think” or come up with ideas for fun activities at home. And while there’s plenty of art classes for kids online, sometimes off-screen activities are needed. That’s why here at the Artory, we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve come up with a list of easy and fun art activities for kids stuck in lockdown. Because while lockdowns are difficult for parents, they are very difficult for kids too (check out our article on just how helpful online art classes for kids are in supporting the mental health of children and teens during lockdown).
Encourage your child to draw from sound.
Pull out all the supplies that sit dormant in your cupboards, spread them on the kitchen table, and set up something to listen to. This could be your child’s favourite music, music from a culture they’ve covered at school recently, or—if your main goal is to improve mental health—you could try out a meditation video, calming ocean sounds, or forest sounds. The goal is to let the sounds wash over you and allow the creation of the artwork to follow the inspiration offered by what you hear. This could also easily become an affirming family activity. Tate Kids has an excellent resource which is a little more guided and specific if needed.
Make a sensory bottle.
You may have seen sensory bottles for young children as a toy or learning tool but this project can appeal to a broader age range than you might suspect. Sensory bottles can be as complicated or as simple as you like, using for example only glitter, corn syrup, and food colouring, or you could make a bottle as a memory of a visit to the beach or park, using natural or found objects from your journey. The bottle could be themed for a friend or family member, an interest such as crystals or dinosaurs, or simply a favourite colour. This open-ended project can go wherever your child takes it.
Sensory water bottle example by nannygunna.com
Design a cardboard home.
Many of us have been receiving endless packages delivered to our homes during lockdown, which means there tends to be plenty of cardboard lying around. Take this opportunity to engage with a low-cost, exciting architectural project—designing and building a cardboard model home! First comes the planning stage: what would their ideal future home look like? Is it a treehouse, a tall wizard’s tower, a cottage, a farmhouse, a swamp hut? Then they can cut and glue or sellotape a model, going into as much detail as they like. Perhaps they could paint the outside, turn it into a doll’s house, or add a tiny garden from real plant cuttings. The idea here is to let the imagination run free while also exploring the intricacies of design and how things can fit together.
Brownstone cardboard house ideas by littleaugie.tumbler.com
Join online painting classes for kids.
The Artory is offering kids art classes online for a range of age groups during this time when meeting up in person is a little more complicated: juniors, tweens, and teens. These can all be enjoyed at home with a range of basic supplies available at most stores and your child will complete the program with a collection of six frame-worthy pieces of art. If you’re looking for a kids online painting class or kids drawing class online taught by a qualified and experienced professional, The Artory has got you covered.
One of the artworks your kids will create in the Artory Junior Online Art Course
Looking for Northern NSW art classes?
For those of you local to Kingscliff, NSW Australia, please contact 0423 171 245 or anne@artory.com.au to enquire about in-person class availability. You can also book here or sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of the page. Or try our online art classes for kids:
