Ah, arts and crafts with young children—a wholesome, creative bonding experience. At least, that’s the dream. The reality? Glitter everywhere (yes, *everywhere*), a toddler crying because their macaroni penguin doesn’t look like the Mona Lisa, and you wondering how on earth you’ve ended up superglued to your dining table. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Let’s talk survival strategies, sprinkled with humour, because you’re going to need both.

I ended up drawing on the table with the paints too. Feeling inspired by Alice and Wonderland.

1. Embrace the Chaos (But Contain It)

Picture this: your toddler proudly "redecorates" the walls with poster paint, and you realise your living room now resembles an abstract art gallery. To keep things manageable:

Set up a craft zone: Lay down an old sheet or a shower curtain on the floor. Bonus: you can shake it out in the garden when you're done and pretend it’s an installation piece.
Contain the mess: Use baking trays or shallow boxes to corral the materials. Don’t worry if it goes off the edges its still better then not having one.
Limit supplies: Only offer what you’re okay with cleaning up later. Glitter, for instance, is a choice...but so is regret.

The results were great these monster recycling bins loived in our kitchen for almost a year.

2. Manage Expectations—Yours and Theirs
If you think you’re about to create a Pinterest-worthy masterpiece, let me save you some heartache: you’re not. The goal is fun, not fine art. If your child’s "butterfly" looks more like a squashed potato, smile, nod, and resist the urge to "fix" it. They’re proud of it, that’s what matters.

3. Keep It Simple, Silly

Young children have the attention span of a gnat, so don’t overcomplicate things. Stick to activities that can be completed in 10-15 minutes (or at least paused mid-chaos). Here are a few foolproof ideas:

Paper plate masks: One plate, some string, crayons, and ta-da! Instant creativity with minimal effort.
Pasta necklaces: Cheap, cheerful, and a great way to work on fine motor skills. Just don’t be surprised if they eat half the materials.
Nature crafts: Grab leaves, sticks, or stones from the garden and get sticking.
Bonus: nature provides the mess *outside*.

True Story:
"My daughter recently drew a snowman for a christmas card design for school, it has a lovely multicolured scarf, two scary large eyes and an expression that looks more like somthing from a horror movie, obvously we have printed them and are sending out to all the family. Merry Christmas everyone."

4. Have a Plan (But Be Flexible)

Children are unpredictable, and crafts rarely go to plan. You’ll spend half an hour meticulously setting up the paint station, only for your child to decide they want to play with stickers instead. That’s okay. Follow their lead—it’s less about the activity and more about the time you spend together.

Pro Tip: Always have a backup activity like colouring sheets or play dough ready for when the glitter glue phase ends abruptly.

5. Prep Like a Pro

***Top tip: Blu Tack the paint pots to the tray. Trust me.***

If you can prep dinner while balancing a toddler on your hip, you can prep crafts. Here’s how:

Pre-cut materials: Scissors in tiny hands are a hazard, and the last thing you need is a spontaneous haircut.
Portion out supplies: Trust me, handing them a whole bottle of glue will end badly.
Keep baby wipes handy: Glue, paint, unidentified sticky substances—baby wipes can handle it all. They’re basically magic.

6. Let Go of Perfection

Your house doesn’t need to look like a magazine spread, and you don’t need to post the "results" on Instagram. (Unless you want to caption it with something like, “Our first attempt at Picasso…nailed it.”) The beauty of crafting with kids is in the memories you’re creating, not the mess you’re avoiding.

A last minute set up but a great decoration for the tree and one happy little girl.

True Story:
I promised my little girl we’d do some crafts after school, but I was exhausted from a tough day and hadn’t even managed to start the housework—I’d only just put the hoover out, intending to use it later. When she came home and (quite annoyed) asked where the craft materials were, I scrambled to set everything up, forgetting to put down the mat to contain the mess. Spotting the hoover nearby, I figured, "Why not? I’ll clean up later."
We spent a lovely 30 minutes cutting, sticking and—my absolute favorite—glittering a little card train she’d made the day before. Glitter, sequins, and glue went everywhere, but none of it mattered. She was so happy with her masterpiece, and a few minutes of cleanup later, everything was back to normal. Sometimes, the chaos is worth it.

7. Know When to Quit

Some days, it’s just not going to happen. Maybe the kids are tired, or maybe *you* are. And that’s okay. Stick the craft kit back in the cupboard, plop them in front of CBeebies and pat yourself on the back for trying. Parenting isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up.

Arts and crafts with young children can be a wild ride, but it’s also full of magic moments: the joy of watching them proudly display their wobbly creations, the belly laughs when things go hilariously wrong, and the sweet satisfaction of spending quality time together. Remember, the mess can wait—these moments won’t. Now, where did I put the baby wipes?