You Don’t Need a PHD in Glitter Technology to Have Fun Crafting With Your Kids,” says craft expert, Shannon Wong-Nizic.

From Easter bonnets to baskets, to cute bunnies, sweet chicks and colourful eggs, the creative possibilities of Easter are endless, but if crafting a creative masterpiece fills you with dread, then you are not alone.

“So many parents tell me that they often avoid arts and crafts because it means more work and more mess. The good news is you don’t need a phD in glitter technology to spend time crafting with the kids this Easter and have some fun along the way,” says Shannon Wong-Nizic craft expert and owner of Oh Creative Day.

Here are Shannon’s 5 Hacks for Quick and Easy Easter Craft

  1. Keep it contained – have a storage option for paper, scissors, glue etc.  Keeping pens contained in a caddy or container prevents them from rolling away and frustrating young artists. Using a plastic tray is also a helpful way to create – the tray gives your child a defined space to work within and it’s easy to remove from the workspace when things need to be cleaned up.
  1. Keep it low-mess – the key to creating low-mess craft activities is choosing to offer low-mess materials. Look for ways to substitute materials that might create mess or stress you out. For example, craft glue can be messy. Perhaps use Sellotape sticky dots instead? Lots of fine-motor practice is involved in peeling the sticky dots off the backing sheet! 
  1. Keep it simple – there is no point setting up craft activities if they are going to stress you out and create more work for you. Don’t over-complicate matters – just use simple materials. Frixion stamps are a great option. They each have a little emoji-style motif and come in lots of colours.  They’re a simple way to add vibrant details to craft projects and are a perfect gripping size for little hands. 
  1. Keep it colourful – I hear many parents lament about how their little artists will often turn artworks into a brown or khaki green masterpiece. One way to avoid this is to discuss colour options with your mini creative first. Sometimes it can help to limit a colour palette to three complementary colours.
  1. Keep it fun – introducing a new material and inviting your child to create with it can lead to all kinds of wonderful possibilities. There is no right or wrong way to create! If they have a novelty factor then even better – paint markers such as Pintor are a perfect way for children to have mess-free fun with paints that don’t involve much prep beforehand or clean up afterwards.  Compasses are a great way for children to explore mathematical concepts whilst creating in a fun and open-ended way.

To download Shannon’s free Easter craft templates, visit: www.pilotpen.com.au/activities

Shannon Wong is a teacher, mum of three and avid crafter.  An enthusiastic fan of pom poms, PVA and paint, she runs popular blog and online parenting resource dedicated to all things creative, https://ohcreativeday.com/ and has over 30,000 followers on Instagram.

Pilot Frixion Stamps (RRP $3.70) and Pintor Paint Markers (RRP $5.20-$6.25), are available from Big W, Officeworks and leading stationery suppliers.

Find more Easter recipes and craft ideas HERE.