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Without any shame, I will admit that I do not know to discipline my children. The tool that I often use is, “if you do this… I will buy this for you” or “I will take this away from you if you do not listen”. I know by doing this the child gets attached to the things more than he should. One way to counter-effect is by teaching the child to take pride in his work rather than the toys he possesses.
“… but I know happiness does not come with things. It can come from work and pride in what you do. “ – Gandhi
I have been planning and experimenting my weekends with craft ideas to provide that happiness.
I found 4 different kinds of craft ideas for kids like the wooden craft, a boat, a helicopter, an aero plane and a race car in Amazon.com. We built the race car and painted it. Since we did it around Valentine’s day the car got a ton of heart stickers too.
This gave 45 minutes of focus time. I can tell he feels proud of his race car.
I also found some Crayola sun catchers. We have some hanging in the window and it brings a smile on my kid’s face when someone asks about them.
Home depot conducts craft activities every month. It is a good class to sign up and we have been building a few things in the class. In the picture down you can see their clock tray, a heart-shaped candy box, a wooden birdhouse, etc.,
Target craft section at the entrance is another spot to look for craft items and stock up. We have been experimenting with a 3D puzzle. This is a bit hit when my son took this 3D dinosaur puzzle to his show and tell at school. These puzzles easily can take an hour to build and glue.
There are few other 3 D puzzles that we can find in target, grasshopper, bee, butterfly, spider…
We had a 3D puzzle in a play date and the kid made a butterfly for his sister. The kids seemed very impressed with the way it turned out.
I found Rocket and Alien sew and stuff kit from target. We finished the alien and it turned out to be beautiful. We will work on the rocket ship next. This one is from target too.
Finally, don’t forget the legos, they are easy to find and comes with instructions. The ones I found in dollar store are small enough to carry around during travel and pull out when needed. These crafts ideas are providing focus time for my 4-year-old and a sense of order in the house.
I once walked into my child’s Montessori school to share lunchtime with my son and was intrigued by the peaceful atmosphere. The teacher treated the children with respect, and they responded with poised togetherness. That is not what I see at home. I know the reason; it is the preparedness of the environment. I want that in my house too. I want my weekend with my children prepared and calm.
Having these craft ideas for kids ready, helps me, grandparents, nanny or anyone give the kid the focus time and down-time for mommy.
