When I was a kid, my mom filled summer days and snow days with crafts to keep us busy. I learned how to cross-stitch, embroider, crochet, press flowers, make jewelry and even did a little sewing. She encouraged us to explore our creativity all the time, so when I had my daughter, I was really looking forward to passing on some of that craftiness to her.
Finding the right activities to share with her wasn’t easy. Kids these days are so fast-paced and impatient that getting them to sit down and learn something is often a major chore. She had no interest in needlepoint or sewing. Crocheting was far too time-consuming and I never did learn how to knit. Gardening took too long for her to see results, and scrapbooking was only fun for a few minutes once in awhile.
What I did discover was that she loved jewelry. From the time she was old enough to string beads together, she would sit for hours on the floor making bracelets and necklaces for everyone she knew. Best friends, family members, teachers were all prime recipients for her colorful strands, and it gave her a sense of pride whenever she brightened someone’s day.
Of course the novelty of just stringing beads together wore off as she got older, but whenever we would shop the craft store, she would look for unique jewelry kits. Then she would take them home and put them together. Earrings, necklaces, decorative pins and even bracelets found their way into her slowly growing collection.
Recently, we found a fun project we couldn’t wait to try: the Starburst bracelet. When I first heard about, I thought it was some fancy-beaded star bracelet, but as I researched was excited to discover it involved us eating a big old bag of Starburst candies and then linking the wrappers together.
It took us all weekend to eat the whole bag, and we started saving the wrappers in a big pile. By Sunday morning, I had enough to make the first bracelet. We studied the instructions and tried folding the first few links, but it took awhile to get the hang of it. About an hour and a half later, we had a colorful bracelet long enough for her to slip onto her wrist, and a great bonding experience we would both think about every time she wore the bracelet.
A lot of people think crafts are a waste of time, but they are great opportunities to sit down and talk to your kids about whatever is on their mind. There’s a sense of comfort and relaxation while crafting together that opens them up to you, and many parents find moments like that few and far between. You don’t have to rush out and buy out the local A.C. Moore, but finding something fun you can do with your daughter every once in awhile will definitely bring you closer. It will also teach her how to be more resourceful, which is something we as mothers all wish for our girls.
Photo via Cravis
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