Blog

Jul 14, 2023

How to Get Crafty With Your Kids With Marlon Rozemond

Photo: Courtesy of Marlon Rozemond Marlon Rozemond is a Honolulu-based art teacher, content creator and ocean lover (she fancies herself a part-time mermaid). Her website, Ocean Child Crafts , is a

Photo: Courtesy of Marlon Rozemond

Marlon Rozemond is a Honolulu-based art teacher, content creator and ocean lover (she fancies herself a part-time mermaid). Her website, Ocean Child Crafts, is a creative platform with colorful art and craft projects for children and grown-ups. She shares her tips for crafting with kids, her go-to supplies and even some ideas for free craft materials. After all, not all craft supplies come from a store!

Crafting with kids is great for many reasons, such as fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, imagination, self-expression and confidence. For more learning opportunities, you can include some patterns or counting. Crafting is also a great way to spend time together, enjoy the process, brainstorm, and laugh about silly mistakes and messes!

SEE ALSO: The Importance of Play

Choose an age-appropriate craft for your child. For preschool-age kids, keep it simple. Basic craft supplies like crayons, washable markers and paint are a great start. Let them draw on paper, a piece of cardboard or even an egg carton. Only give them a few color options and leave out the dark colors. When your kids are older, you can introduce different materials that need better hand-eye coordination or are a bit messier, like beads, glitter and acrylic paint. If you’re planning on some free crafting, I recommend not putting out all craft materials. That can be overwhelming; instead, pick just a few. And if you have a specific craft project in mind, plan it out. Preparation is key!

Photo: Courtesy of Marlon Rozemond

Mix basic supplies—like colored paper, paint, scissors and glue—with recycled items. I personally have a craft recycle box full of paper rolls, egg cartons, cardboard, newspapers, bottle caps, Mason jars, etc. All of these items make amazing free craft supplies for kids. Natural materials are another free craft source I love to use. Next time you go on an outdoor adventure, collect leaves, branches, driftwood, shells, rocks and more. Save all the materials in a box in the garage and pull them out whenever you need them. The outdoors and the recycling bin are excellent sources of craft materials and a great way to teach your child about recycling and reusing.

If the mess stresses you out, cover the table with a newspaper or a tablecloth to catch bits of paper, paint and glue. When finished, roll up the newspaper and discard the mess quickly. Use washable materials like markers and paint; it’s OK if they get paint on their hands. Give your child an apron or old shirt when painting.

Photo: Courtesy of Marlon Rozemond

Crafting is supposed to be fun. There will be times that the craft won’t go according to plan. Try to encourage keiki to create something else. Make them feel good for what they were able to make. This will enable future participation and make them strive to do even better next time. Last but not least, participate! If your child sees you enjoying yourself, they will too.

For more tips, colorful craft ideas and printables, visit oceanchildcrafts.com and @oceanchildcrafts.