Get Kitted Out for Crafting

As any fan of crafting with kids will know, having a supply of craft essentials on hand is a must for when your little ones cry, "I want to craft!" or "I'm bored!"

This is where craft kits can come in very handy. My personal favourite craft "kit" is our own haberdashery box of recycled household junk, bits of ribbon, material offcuts and so on, that we can delve into and use to create something new and wonderful. However, you do need a few things to help you turn the junk into gems - and for kids, you need to be thinking googley eyes, pom poms, pipe cleaners, sequins and sparkles (along with a set of paints and pens, of course!). We love this jumbo craft jar pictured left - Santa brought it two Christmasses ago and it's still going strong!

Recently I've been asking craft-loving folks to review the best kids craft kits for the under-fives. If you have a favourite kit, whether it's shown on this list or not, please share a review with us!

I've been enjoying the reviews of everything from basic kits to paint your own sets, and adding a few reviews of my own, including this one of our favourite kit to dip into, the Mister Maker Doodle Drawers.

Groovyfinds reviewed the fabulous "My Crafty Kit" by Alex Toys, which not only comes jam packed with lots of crafting goodies, but also comes packed in a handy case with a handle, so perfect for little crafters on the go!

Another great-sounding kit is the Faber Castell Big Fun Crafts Kit, reviewed here by tonyleather after it proved a big hit with his granddaughter. 

Once you've got your basics covered, you can delve into more specific kits, such as paint-your-own models, sequin and mosaic designs, decorate-your-own kits, first sewing kits, stamping sets, cutting sets and many, many more. One such kit which my little girl would love is the Breyer Paint your Own Horse Kit which has been reviewed by KarenTBTEN.

So, if you have a craft kit at home which your preschoolers adore, please share! Or if you make your own kits up, why not write a how-to on making your own craft kit?

Tips on Reviewing Craft Products:

• Tell your readers an overview of what is in the kit
• Review the quality of the items, whether there is value for money, the variety inside
• Share photos and descriptions of some of the things your child made using the items
• Did your child like it? 
• Would you recommend it to others, or buy it again? 
• What could be improved, or was it just right? How does it compare to other kits you've used? 

In the meantime, happy crafting! If you're stuck for ideas, why not stop by the Little Crafty Kids community on Pinterest?

There are several great themes to explore crafting this month - we'll be:

• Making Brighid crosses and paper spring flowers for Imbolc (2nd February)
• Making heart-themed crafts for Valentine's Day (14th February) 
• Making friendship bracelets to celebrate International Friendship Day (and sending them to my daughter's penpals) 
• Crafting little bird houses and feeders for National Wild Bird Feeding Month

How about you?

Photo Credit: Our Jumbo Craft Set before we started delving in and having fun with it!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Let's Get Creative! I'm the "Little Crafty Kids" Contributor on Squidoo

Hello! I'm Louise - author, freelance writer and home educating mum from England - and I'm delighted to be writing here on Review This!

I'm the Little Crafty Kids Contributor on Squidoo, where you'll find me under the name of MissMerFaery. As a proud mama of two wonderful children, I am super excited to be sharing our crafting adventures with you, and will be asking you to share yours, too!

It's my job to showcase craft ideas, resources and reviews for crafting with the under-fives. So if you love getting creative with babies, toddlers and preschoolers, I want to hear from you! Parents, grandparents, teachers, and anyone who lives, works or spends time with children - that means you! Even if your little ones have all grown up now, perhaps you have memories and past craft ideas that you can share?

When I'm not busy crafting with my own little ones (I have a 4-year-old daughter and baby son), I'll be busy sharing our craft ideas and resources, reviewing our favourite craft kits and materials, providing craft tutorials, and much more. There will be some crafts for grown-ups too, for making toys, learning tools and other items for small children to play with!

But it's not all about us - I'll be looking for stellar craft ideas from everyone else, too! I'll be promoting top notch lenses on Squidoo, finding the best ideas from around the web, and inviting you to review your favourite products or create fun how-to's to share with other parents, caregivers and preschool teachers, so that we can spread the crafting bug everywhere!

I caught the crafting bug in my twenties, and it seems to have rubbed off on my little girl, too. She delves into her craft jar most days, eager to make something new! So if this all sounds familiar, why not share your knowledge and expertise?

Arts and crafts help little ones to develop their creativity and imagination, fine motor skills, artistic ability, and so much more. It's also great for recycling a wealth of materials, creating your own toys and games on a budget, and providing kids with fun activities that create good memories and teach them new skills!

So, I hope you will join me in creating a network of craft ideas for under-fives. To find out more, please stop by my Little Crafty Kids Contributor page. You can also follow and enjoy all our ideas and inspirations on the Little Crafty Kids Network on Pinterest.

If you're not already on Squidoo, and would like to try your hand at sharing your passions (kids crafts and otherwise) then you can join Squidoo for free, and enjoy a wonderful creative platform for your writing!

I'm a roving poster girl for Review This! so I'll be popping up now and again between the lovely regular writers here! I shall leave you with an invitation to review the best kids crafts kits for under-fives, and look forward to seeing what you come up with! 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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