Since a few of you seemed like you may be interested in starting your own kid's craft club, I decided to summarize (as much for me as for you) how to get one going. We've done it as a summer activity, but you could definitely keep one going during the school year if there was interest. You can do this with boys or girls and any age 4-11, as long as the crafts/activities were appropriately picked for the right age.
It does take some organizing and a bit of benevolent dictatorship to get moving with this, but it's been so worth the effort to see the kids trying fun, creative ideas and developing friendships at the same time. We made participation in the craft club free of charge, other than the supplies you provide when it's your turn to host.
Here's how to get started:1. Make a
general plan of how many kids you want to include and how often you want to meet. (My suggestion is 6-8 children of similar age and meeting once a week).
2.
Invite people. Tell them what your plan is and give them a deadline to respond. This is also a good time to ask them what days/time will work out best for them.
3. Based on who wants to participate and the days/time that they're available,
pick an official day, time, and length. (We ended up with Wednesday afternoons for 3 hours). Please note that it may not be possible to accommodate everyone's preferences. Go with the majority and if it doesn't work for someone, they'll either need to change their plans or they may not be able to participate.
4.
Make a calendar of the dates (we had 8 participants, so I just calendared 8 Wednesdays in a row) and have people sign up for a day to host. I did this by email and had everyone "Reply All", so that they could see which days were taken. There was some trading around that happened later, but that was much easier to do once it was on the calendar initially.
5. Have people
submit their craft ideas as soon as possible to be included on the calendar. I did this so that 2 people did not plan the same craft unknowingly. I think it also was inspirational to see other people's ideas.
6.
Be realistic. Keep in mind the ages of the children when planning the crafts. Younger children may have difficulty with some fine motor skills (like detailed cutting or tying knots).
7.
Be flexible. Be prepared for time fillers should the craft take less time than you'd expect. ( I often planned a secondary craft while other moms would have them play outside). Also expect that each child has a different threshold for attention. While it's fine to encourage a rushing child to slow down and take their time or remind a more detail oriented child that craft club is ending soon and they will need to wrap up, just don't criticize. Kids are different and that's okay. If two kids finish quickly and run off to play, it's okay. Remember it's all about friendships and fun, which brings me to my next point.
8. Keep it
lighthearted and have fun. Remember that fun and developing friendships is what it's all about. One of my crafts was really difficult for some of the girls, in particular my own daughter. As her frustration level rose, I found myself starting to get a little irritated. I had to remind myself why I was doing this in the first place and it helped me to be more patient with her and the others who were struggling.
Coming soon a post filled with cheap, easy, fun craft ideas.
. Make sure you get a kit that includes the beads, a pegboard or two, and the ironing paper. Here are a couple I like (here
and here
(by Debra Leventhal): This cute book came with a cassette tape with the words of the book set to music. We haven't had a cassette player in our house in years, but my younger kids still know the tune to the song because we (me, Spencer, and Cami) remember it so well. This book follows the journey of a little boy who travels around the world and hears the word, "Yes" in all the different languages. It's a quick read, but fun and educational too. (Si, Da, Hapana, Oui...)
(by Peggy Rathmann): This hilarious book follows the adventures of Officer Buckle and his boring safety speeches. Boring, that is, until Gloria the dog comes along and livens things up a bit. 
(by Vivian French): This book is a cute story about a little girl and her mother who find some frog eggs in a pond and take them home to take care of them and watch them grow from tadpoles to frogs. It's very detailed and informative, but also very appealing and fun for the kids. 
(by Margie Palatini): This book cracks us up. It's all about a little boy who has a serious case of bedhead and it follows his adventures as he tries to get rid of his bad hair day. This book is great for lively, animated storytelling. 
(by PD Eastman): I think this book has been one of the first "real" books that my kids have read by themselves. The story is cute and the words simple. Since it is a little long, we usually take turns reading every other page. 
(by Michael Rosen): This repetitious book is great for toddlers because it's so easy for the kids to chime in during the reading. I think every single one of my kids has had this book completely memorized at one point. Even still when faced with a mud puddle, my kids will yell, "Squelch, Squerch..." as we trudge through it! 
(by Tomie de Paola): { Fair warning--the last page of this book has a naked bum in it. It's whimsically drawn and has perfect comedic effect, but I thought you should be warned.} Having said that though, this book has taken its turn as a favorite with all 5 of my kids. My kids sing out the alphabet has Bill learns it in crocodile school and when the "bad guy" (as he's actually referred to in the book) jumps out of the bath and runs "all the way to Cairo" with his naked bum running off into the distance, my kids (and me) laugh hysterically. 
(by Kevin Henkes): This book is all about a little girl named Chrysanthemum who absolutely loves her name. Too bad everyone at school thinks it's too long. It goes through her struggle of wanting to change her name and then eventually coming back to acceptance that her name really is wonderful. It sounds funny, but my girls, in particular, have loved this book. It's a little on the long side for a picture book, but at one point Cami had the entire thing memorized word for word. 
(by Sheena Knowles): This silly book has some rhythm to it that makes it fun and easy to memorize. I'm fairly certain that at any given time, I and a bunch of the kids could recite this book on demand. 
