A designated craft area in your home is a great way for kids to express themselves creatively. But, it can lead to a big glittery, gluey mess! Here are a few tips to keep the craft area in your home neat and organized.
Keep it Confined
Designate a place in your home for kids to do crafts. Make sure they only do crafts in that area. That will help to keep all the markers, papers, and crayons confined to at least one space. Refrain from letting your child take their works in progress to other areas of the house, otherwise, you may have a trail of glitter through your home!
Make It Inviting
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To encourage the kids to craft at the craft area only, make it inviting! Purchase a kid-sized craft table and chairs that are just their size. Frame and hang up their artwork on the wall above. Add something like a bulletin board where they can display their drawings.
Cut Back On Supplies
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A great way to keep the craft area clean is to limit the number of supplies that kids have regular access to. Even if you have boxes and boxes of crayons and markers, you don’t need to have them all out at once. One set of markers and one set of crayons should be enough for the kids to use. When the markers dry out and the crayons get broken, replace with new ones fresh from your stash.
Hide the Glitter and Glue!
Keep especially messy craft supplies hidden away from kids. Things like glitter, glue, scissors, and play-doh are best kept out of reach unless there is adult supervision.
Kids Can Clean Their Craft Area
Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash
Teach your kids that it’s their responsibility to clean up when they are finished creating. Have them put caps back on markers and put crayons and pencils away. Encourage them to pick up and recycle all paper scraps. Keep a small trash can and a small recycling bin nearby. Even little kids can wipe down the table when craft time is over. Once they are finished, their reward can be hanging up their new masterpiece!
Make Clean-Up Easy With Labels
Make cleaning the craft area easy for kids by labeling everything. If your child is too young to read, print out pictures with the words written clearly below.
Every family’s craft area will look a little different. Whether you have just a few coloring books and crayons, or a full craft cabinet with the works, creating can lead to a mess. Use the tips above to plan a space that lets your child’s imagination run wild but is easy to keep neat and organized.
