Simple, Fun Arts & Crafts Projects the Family can do Together

Stuck indoors with the kids when they’re on a school break? Can’t make it to the beach? There are plenty of fun arts and crafts project you can work on together. Don’t let the older kids just sit around texting or playing PS4 all day - get them involved in some good ole’ fashioned family fun.

Here are some ideas on simple projects everyone can participate in:

Create a family tree - This is a project that will require research and crafting materials. While this may not be as simple as the other projects on the list, you can reduce the amount of work and time by getting everyone involved and assigning every member of the family a particular task.

The older kids can help do research at sites like Ancestry.com. The younger kids can prepare the actual tree with crafting materials. The parents can take the research information and organize the names and dates.

Make a “balloon family” - The younger kids will love this one. Every member of the family can make their very own balloon out of pieces of yarn for hair and markers for the eyes and face. Don’t forget the little things too, like ribbons for the girls’ yarn hair, freckles, eyelashes, etc.

Drawing or painting a family portrait - Let everyone decide what kind of materials they want to use to create their own family portrait. You might even want to have a contest and let everyone vote on the best drawing! The prize could be a picture frame from Frameology, which will be used to display the portrait that gets the most votes.

Create a family collage - Grab the old albums are start going through pictures. Scan and print out copies of the ones you want to put on the collage. Let everyone pick out a few of their favorite pictures, as well as spots on the board for placing them. Pick out a few of the best photos that feature the entire family and have everyone vote on which one they want to place in the center of the collage. Once everyone is satisfied with the layout, begin gluing each picture in place. Hang the finished board on the wall.

Honor relatives who have passed on with Christmas ornaments - A family project should include everyone - including those who have already passed on. Print out copies of their photos and glue the photos onto the ornaments. Any ornament will do: ball ornaments, tree-shaped ornaments, heart ornaments, etc. One neat idea is to fit the picture into a small metal tart bin or candle tray.

Bead crafts - There are so many neat things you can do with bead crafts. Beads are available in all types of colors and sizes at any local crafts store or on the internet. Use anything from yarn to pipe cleaners for threading. Education.com offers how-to guides on how to make bead jewelry, backpack charms, Christmas ornaments, and more.

FamilyFacts.org calls family bonding “a wise investment”. Tampa families do need to spend more time together. Just spending an hour or so a day with the family with no distractions is beneficial to parents and kids of all ages.

Sam Jones is a digital marketing expert, social media and branding consultant and guest blogger for various publications, including Business2Community, Inbound.org and EZSiteBuilders.

In her free time, Sam is an avid traveler, foodie and lover of all things technology. She's also a fitness fanatic (in the making). ​