Okay… moms, dads, grandparents, guardians, teachers, older siblings, babysitters, daycare providers, and anyone else who spends a lot of time with children, this is your pep talk. I’ve had emails, phone calls, and personal conversations with people who keep telling me, “I can’t do crafts,” or “I’m not crafty,” or some variation.
Well, guess what? Anyone can do crafts! Your projects do not have to turn out perfectly, and frankly, they probably won’t most of the time. Nobody’s stuff is always perfect. My kids have gotten a good laugh from a few of my projects, and if you had seen some of the things I tried to make in order to come up with new ideas for this column, you’d be laughing too.
Of course, I didn’t post my failed creations here, since I didn’t think it would be fair. You might actually think that I could do that stuff and you couldn’t. But, you can do most of the crafts that are posted in this blog, especially the ones in the “simple” category. That is why I prefer simple crafts, so everyone can do them. It doesn’t take talent as much as it takes time and TLC (and sometimes the ability to laugh at yourself).
Your kids do not care what your finished project looks like nearly as much as they care that you took the time and tried to do the crafts with them. It’s about having fun and spending time together, not about making fine art.
So, give it a try. Have some fun and see if you can’t actually do some crafts after all. A friend of mine recently tried, and she was pleasantly surprised at how well she did. She’s now making fleece blankets for everyone she knows, despite the fact that it’s over 100 degrees here!