Parents' Toolkit: Arts and crafts activities

Welcome to the Parents' Toolkit

Arty ideas to help your kids think creatively - and maybe keep them busy for an hour or two. Featuring easy and imaginative crafts to try at home - like spy code wheels, beetle buckets and personalised cork pin boards - that you can share with your child, and even join in with yourself.

Creating a comic book - tips to help your child get started

Check out these free drawing tutorials with Beano Studios to help your child improve their comic art skill-set.

Filmmaking at home - how your child can learn the basics

How parents can help their little ones get started with filming and editing their own films at home.

Stop motion animation for beginners

Help your child learn how to make an animation at home using a phone or flip book.

Make a mini stage with the Royal Opera House

Help your child make and design their own 1:100 scale performance stage.

Create a mix-and-match character maker

Using just a few paper cups and some pens, your child can make an awesome mix-and-match character maker in six easy steps.

Make a pinball machine at home

A cardboard box, some ice lolly sticks and a bit of creativity is all your child needs to make their own pinball game.

How to make a secret spy code wheel

Help your child make their own cipher wheel so they can create and learn their very own secret code!

Bubble geometry experiment to try with your child

Try out this fun science experiment with your kids and discover the geometry secrets behind bubbles.

Fun ideas to bring more colour into your family's everyday life

Brighten up the winter months with colourful activities for all the family.

How to turn a walk in the park into a colourful craft activity

Colour and crafts expert Momtaz Begum-Hossain shares ideas for making a walk in the park or the countryside even more fun for kids.

How to make a DIY animal vase with your child

Sophie, aka DIY Blonde, shows how you can help your child to develop a green thumb with a DIY animal vase.

Up-cycling at home: ideas to get crafty with your kids

Crafty ideas for turning everyday objects, destined for the recycling bin, into fun activities for kids at home.

Build a beetle bucket for your garden

Try this outdoor activity with your child or teenager to help them learn about the kinds of insects and ecosystems that exist all around you.

Rob Biddulph's five tips to help you confidently draw with your kids

Rob Biddulph, author and official illustrator for World Book Day, has some great tips and tricks to share to help you draw with your kids.

How to make a DIY cork pin board

Sophie, aka DIY Blonde, shows you how to make a colourful alphabet cork board to add sparkle to your space!

Top tips for making portraits in lockdown

Expert advice from a photographer and details on how to contribute to ‘Hold Still’, a photography project spearheaded by The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the National Portrait Gallery.

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