As the title says. I hate kids’ crafts and kids craft related activities.
This is one of my parenting confession posts, where I spill the beans on a parenting foible or failure, I have experienced or feel that I want to share!
That sounds a little extreme, and probably is slightly exaggerated, but I really do not like or enjoy craft activities, particularly with children.
I am not creative, I don’t have an eye for making pretty things, or whipping a lot of pretty paper, beads and glue into a marvelous creation that is fit for Pinterest. I love watching other people create things, with much envy, and wistfully wish that I had their skills, but as hard as I have tried, it is never going to happen for me. I have been told many a time, that I COULD be creative if I wanted to, but really, truly I can’t
Don’t get me wrong. We do creative things, the children and I. We bake, we cook, we do some sensory activities, but when it comes to crafts and being creative, I happily outsource to other people or will spend money on things that make my life easier and require minimal effort from me.
I do occasionally relent, and we attempt a craft, and if it is a short, easy thing, with simple instructions and preferably not too much glue, glitter or artistic eye required, then I can manage it. Thankfully, now my kids are older, they can happily get on with kids craft stuff without me a lot more of the time.
So, there you have it, I am not a crafty, creative mum. I don’t enjoy it, my children somehow seem to both be incredibly creative though, so I happily facilitate that for them, and encourage it, as long as they don’t look to me to the be expert.
I did feel guilty for a long time and tried to make an effort to be more crafty, and still occasionally linger, looking longingly at the fabulous efforts people put on Pinterest, and at all the hundreds of suggested craft activities for children, but I am over the guilt, and whilst Parenting Confessions – I hate doing kids crafts, we do plenty of other things, instead, and I don’t think the children are missing out that much. You don’t have to be crafty and creative to be a good mum. I currently homeschool our younger child, which has made me have to be a bit more creative but he does an art class, a craft class, and plenty of activities that meet his creative needs.
If like me you like to outsource your craft activities, then you may want to check out Gemma from Papertown Crafts. Well worth signing up to, my son loves her sessions and activities.
There must be other parents out there who don’t love craft activities? Do you love or hate kids’ crafts? it’s ok if you do and if you are in fact a parenting craft genius, then I will admit to admiring you, but not feeling too insecure.
I’m a nursery nurse by trade so I like to do messy stuff with the kids,show me glitter and I’m happy but that’s not to say I’m creative coz I’m not!I can’t draw for toffee and my creations can be rather dodge but as we always say…..it’s the doing that counts not the end result!
At least you know it’s not your chosen thing and it seems like your kids are crafty enough,it’s not everybody’s idea of fun is it! Although looking around the Internet you would think it is!
I have to admit that I quite like arty crafty things,my problem is finding the energy and enthusiasm to actually set things up for the kids, knowing that I’ll have to tidy it all up at the end 🙂 #PoCoLo
I don’t like crafts. Mainly because they’re so much work for me to prepare, usually cost some amount of money, take time to gather/buy the materials, and generate a mess that I have to clean up. It ends up not being quality time with my girls because I’m frustrated and doing 90% of the work. Maybe when my 3 girls are older I’ll have more patience for it, but right now the effort is not worth it, so I don’t do it. I play with them in other ways. They don’t even get that much out of crafts anyway, I don’t think. Thanks for writing this so I don’t feel like the only mom in the world who doesn’t like to do crafts. I think our kids will be okay. 🙂
When I was a registered child minder, a child once told her mum that I was the best at crafts, I wasn’t! #stayclassymama@_karendennis
I’m so glad you said this out loud! I am in the same boat – thankfully my kids are older now but I hated doing crafts when they were younger! #stayclassymama
I also hated doing crafts when my kids were younger!
It is ok if the child wants to but mine struggle with it and then I grt fruetrated. I perfer just drawing without the pressure to create something. X #stayclassymama
I’m a big fan of letting them do it themselves – even kits, if they don’t want to follow instructions, just go to town…that’s the fun of it. #StayClassyMama
We enjoy doing crafts but much prefer baking and cooking, as I’m rubbish at art though and my daughters a budding artist we do outsource for art lessons #stayclassymama
Totally with you. HATE CRAFTS! I have about 30 toilet rolls upstairs waiting for me to do something wonderful and creative but been putting it off… #stayclassymama
This was a fun read! My kids love doing crafts, but honesty I’m not the nifty type. I still try to do it with them though. Haha
Haha you’re definitely not alone. I love the IDEA of doing craft, but it’s so hard finding something age appropriate and fun. Painting and drawing are winners in our house!