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Starting an Arts and Crafts Box

Arts and crafts boxes are an easy, fun way to encourage a child's artistic creativity and let their imagination, not the television or a video game, entertain them. If you're babysitting, why not make a kit for your child to play with during an afternoon together? Include a few trinkets to get them started, and some supplies to decorate the box. Wooden boxes are best for painting and decorating because they are the most porous, and fabric sewing boxes can easily be decorated by an older child with a needle and thread. 

What To Put Inside

Useful Household Items

* Egg cartons and milk cartons (washed and dried). * Shells, rocks, leaves, pine cones. * Broken crayons can be melted to make wax stamps or scratch art (with parental supervision, of course). * Pasta noodles for necklaces and bracelets, potatoes and sponges for stamps. * Old magazines can be cut up for making collages. * Save holiday bows and ribbons, old buttons, socks, and clothes. * Popsicle sticks build houses, paper plates turn into masks, brown paper bags double as puppets.

Pre-Made Art Kits

If you're pressed for time you can also purchase a box that comes equipped with paints, pencils, markers, and more. Just be sure to stay in the proper age range and always supervise any arts and crafts time. 

Related Guides

* Arts and Crafts for Kids * Painting Supplies * Scrapbooking * Creative Toys