Our Family World

A blog about you and your family!

  • Pregnancy
    • Conception & Fertility
    • Labor & Birth
    • Pregnancy Announcements
    • Pregnancy Tips
    • Teenage Pregnancy
  • Baby
  • Family
    • Childhood Obesity
    • Family Entertainment
    • Family Health
    • Family Pets
    • Family Technology
    • For Mom
    • Gift Ideas
    • Health
    • Kids Entertainment
    • Parenting Tips
    • Relationships
  • Travel
    • Places to visit
    • Travel Tips
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Resources
    • Easy Recipes
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Low-Calorie Desserts
    • Recipes for kids
    • Reviews from Kitchen
  • Holidays
    • Back to School
    • Christmas Ideas
    • Easter Ideas
    • Father’s Day Ideas
    • Halloween
    • Holiday Gift Ideas
    • Mother’s Day Ideas
    • Summer Ideas
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day Ideas
  • Bullying
    • Bullying Causes
    • Bullying Consequences
    • Bullying Prevention
  • Money
    • How to save money
  • For Home
    • Crafts
    • Home Organization
    • Home Tips
    • Parties & Holidays
    • Vehicles
  1. Home
  2.  > 
  3. For the Home
  4.  > 
  5. Crafts
  6.  > 
  7. Don’t Squish My Creativity! Open Ended Art That Is Practically Free For Kids

Don’t Squish My Creativity! Open Ended Art That Is Practically Free For Kids

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Check out the creative kids art we created and tips for how to do open-ended arts and crafts with your child. Even better these ideas are almost free!

You would not believe all of the treasures I have been finding lately. I am currently packing my house to move which means you uncover everything you forgot you had. While I have been spending some of my time daydreaming about redesigning my living room into a chic West Elm style, I have also unearthed mountains of craft supplies. I had no idea we had so much glitter, pipe cleaners, and foam stickers. No joke, what I have kept fills three boxes and does not include what I have donated elsewhere.

Creating is a big part of my family life with my daughter. The trick is sometimes just to go in with materials in hand and not a specific plan. Sure, sometimes it is nice to make detailed scenes or sculptures with your kids for a particular season. Making art is just as much about the process of creating as the finished product. Not only does it get their creativity flowing, but it also can help to learn problem-solving skills and improve your child’s fine motor skills.

So now dear readers, it is time to raid your craft supply drawer or closet. This is an excellent way to use up some of those bits and pieces left over from other crafts. You can add or subtract based on what you have, but here is what my daughter and I collected.

  • Paper plates
  • Disposable cups
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Foam Stickers
  • Feathers
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Here is what she made! We are currently decorating our dinner table with this piece.

creative craft kids art

I also had included dried pasta, glitter glue, and a few other cardboard boxes from the recycling bin that my daughter choose not to use this time. I also found some fun colored duct tape, but my daughter was interested in creating a separate Duct Tape Craft with that. You can also include decorative items that are for a particular holiday or season. Free-form creativity is a great way to incorporate some of those fall leaves, acorns, flowers, rocks, sticks and other natural items. We have a spot in the backyard for my daughter’s “rock collection” that includes a handful of nature items perfect for the unstructured creative time.

I sometimes fall into the rut of saying my daughter’s artwork is nice or pretty. I have been working on trying to ask her more critical questions about her artwork both to help me understand more and to encourage her creative thinking. Here are a few questions I have started asking when she shows me art she has made.

  • Tell me about what you made…
  • Where did you get the idea for your art?
  • Why did you choose the color….?
  • What did you use to make this artwork?
  • What should we do next with this piece of art?

For more ideas to get your kids talking, you may want to check out this post from the Huffington Post. 25 Ways to Ask Your Kids ‘So How Was School Today?’ Without Asking Them ‘So How Was School Today?’ This article has some great ideas to help you get a conversation rolling with your kiddo. While this post is not art specific, I have found that while my kid is making crafts is a great time to talk to them more about their day at school.

What is your favorite question to ask your child about their artwork?

Looking for an easy summer craft for kids that also encourages imagination beyond the crafting table? Check out this fun mask craft for kids!

Inspire Creative Play with an Easy Mask Craft for Kids

Design and decorate your fall mantle using our fantastic fall and thanksgiving home decor ideas. Create a chic look in minutes!

Decorate Your Fall Mantle In Minutes (Two Different Ways!)

Crafts with kids are a blast, but there is not always time for detailed prep work. Check out these six fall crafts for kids that are ready in minutes.

6 No-Prep Fall Crafts For Kids

Anti Bullying Craft

Anti Bullying Craft: Say No To Bullying Ribbon

About Kristy R

Kristy was a museum educator for 12 years who taught in both science and natural history museums. She turned to blogging when she moved to Canada with her family and officially became a US expat. She has a loving husband, a young daughter in preschool and a cat who now hates suitcases. When she finally sits down you will find her writing, pinning on Pinterest and connecting with friends online

Comments

  1. Jeannette says

    I really love this article. When my stepdaughter was 6, I started noticing she’d get really down on herself when the craft we were doing didn’t look like the sample in the instructions. So, we started doing open-ended crafts instead. She not only enjoyed herself more, but we got to bond over our imagination. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Shirley Wood says

    Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us at Merry Monday. Fun ideas for the kiddos.

    Reply
  3. Teresa says

    “Open ended art” is my granddaughters favorite kind. Even when I plan the project, she always wants to make hers unique and different from what was planned. Thank you for sharing this idea, I’m sure we’ll be adventurous soon and try something like this!

    Reply
  4. Michelle says

    I love this! Thanks for sharing your creative process 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kim~madeinaday says

    Very cute and easy crafts for kids! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Sharing on G+! Have a great week!
    Kim

    Reply
  6. swapna says

    I’m big on “open ended” anything for little kids!

    Would love to see your posts in the Practical Mondays Link Up:)

    Reply
  7. Aisha Kristine Chong says

    Sounds like fun in creating this <3 – I wish I can be more creative myself so I can work on arts and crafts all the time.

    Reply
  8. Jeanine says

    How fun we love doing stuff like this. My daughter has just started homeschooling yet again so we will be doing lots of arts and crafts!

    Reply
  9. Pam says

    Now that is some art that I would love to feature on my mantle or table. Really very pretty and creative and I love how inexpensive it is to do.

    Reply
  10. Ann Bacciaglia says

    Arts and crafts are a great way for kids to use there imagination. I like letting them create whatever they want to make.

    Reply
  11. Theresa says

    My daughter is taking it upon herself to start her own art project. I have to bite my tongue with the messes she makes in my craft room because I am really excited that she is taking such an interest in creating art.

    Reply
  12. Gingermommy (@Gingermommy) says

    My daughter is very creative. I usually ask her to tell me more about her work.

    Reply
  13. Heather D. (@GirlGoneMom) says

    It is so important to let kids be creative and not intervene. It can be hard not to!

    Reply
  14. Ryan Escat says

    This is very smart idea, my nieces and nephews always wanted to create a unique crafts, they would totally love this.

    Reply
  15. Amber Nelson says

    That looks like a great way for kids to express themselves. My kids love art.

    Reply
  16. Pam says

    It is so much fun to see what kids can come up with using supplies from the craft closet. My daughter was always making things like this for me.

    Reply
  17. Catherine S says

    That came out so cute. I always asked my son why he picked certain colors. Even when he was just coloring he always made it look like a rainbow.

    Reply
  18. Liz Mays says

    I really like this idea. It’s always great seeing what sorts of designs the kids can come up with. They always surprise me.

    Reply
  19. Sarah Bailey says

    What a great idea, there is something great about allowing your creativity to run wild what ever your age. x

    Reply
  20. Terry says

    My Grandson really likes having an arts and crafting day, but he doesn’t seem very creative yet. Maybe when he is a little older.

    Reply
  21. Diana Villa says

    So cute, I love the final result! I bet my little girl would love this 😀

    Reply
  22. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says

    My kids have gotten pretty creative over the years. I love some of the cool stuff they’ve made.

    Reply
  23. Victoria Ess says

    That looks pretty creative and fun!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Related Posts

Fall Craft DIY Napkin Rings

Frugal Fall Craft: DIY Fall Repurposed Napkin Rings

Merry Marking Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward During the Holidays #BICMerryMarking #StoneGrey

Fall Craft Paper Bag Pumpkin

Frugal Fall Craft: Brown Paper Bag Pumpkins

St Patricks Day Craft

Thrifty St. Patrick’s Day Craft: Luck of the Irish Candle Holder

9 Snowy Winter Crafts For Cold Days

9 Snowy Winter Crafts For Cold Days

About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us


Our Family World ©2018 - All Rights Reserved

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases