Craft projects for the school holidays work best when most of the materials come from things already in the house. Egg boxes, cereal packets, flour and a few spare paints cover most of what’s needed, and children are happy with whatever turns up in the recycling bin.
Holiday budgets look different in every household. Parents and grandparents usually pay for materials and days out themselves, and for some foster carers the foster care allowance also goes towards clubs, activities and days out alongside food, clothing and transport. Projects that cost almost nothing leave more of any budget free for outings.
1. Salt Dough
Making salt dough takes three ingredients most kitchens already have, namely one cup of plain flour, half a cup of table salt and half a cup of water. Mix, knead and roll the dough, then cut shapes with biscuit cutters. Bake the shapes on the lowest oven setting for a few hours until solid, then let children paint them once they’ve cooled. The dough isn’t edible, so keep an eye on younger children while they work.
2. Painted Pebbles
Smooth stones from the garden or a walk make a free base for painting. Wash and dry them, paint a plain base colour in acrylic or poster paint, then add patterns with felt tips once it’s dry. A coat of PVA glue brushed over the finished pebble helps protect the paint outdoors. Check local signs before taking stones from beaches or nature reserves, because some places ask visitors to leave them where they are.
3. Plate Masks
Paper plates are cheap, and the back of a cereal box works just as well if there are none in the cupboard. Cut out eye holes, then decorate with wrapping paper offcuts, wool for hair, bottle tops and felt-tip patterns. A strip of card or a lolly stick taped to the back makes a handle. Once a few masks are finished, children can use them for a puppet show or a guessing game.
4. Egg Boxes
Egg boxes are free if you save them from the weekly shop. Whole boxes can be turned into buses, masks or treasure chests, while single cups cut apart make caterpillar segments, flower centres or ladybird shells. Pipe cleaners or scraps of card make legs, antennae and wings. Younger children can paint while an adult does the cutting, which keeps scissor work safe and still leaves the child in charge of the design.
5. Leaf Collages
Fallen leaves, petals and twigs cost nothing and stick to card with a glue stick or PVA. Children can arrange them into animals, faces or patterns. Placing a leaf under thin paper and rubbing over it with the side of a wax crayon gives a leaf-shaped pattern that works well as a background. Collect leaves on a dry day, and press any that curl flat under a heavy book overnight before gluing.
Offcuts, spare card and leftover paint from all five projects can go into one box, so the next holiday starts with materials already to hand. Keeping the box within children’s reach lets them start a project on their own, and tidying away afterwards takes minutes.
