It is pouring with rain today as I sit in my studio and ponder what arts and crafts I can make with the kids. I’m looking around at…
Schools tend to host a cocktail of disease, infection and fungal spores, just waiting to infect your child! A mixture of developing immune systems, close contact and low…
Gutter board is one of the most underrated games to come out of the 80s. Sure Skip-it was all the rage for a bit, slip-n-slide was cool and…
The noughts and crosses game is such a great game for kids, and all ages can play it. It’s one of those games that just never gets old.…
Easter is just around the corner so I’m making these cute little Easter bunny and Easter chick terracotta pots for our Easter Hunt this year.
Most parents are equipped to get through the inevitable tantrums and meltdowns of little kids. As children grow they gain patience, develop more skills, learn problem solving and…
This little colourful terracotta plant pot will brighten up any corner of the garden or home. These can be made for both inside or outside display. They also…
Often parties and special occasions are a real challenge with a child who is a picky eater. It’s one of those times when a spotlight can be shined…
This is a great little activity that you can do with kids of just about all ages. I just took a group of 5 year olds through a…
I am loving playing with stencils at the moment. They are pretty easy to use and you normally end up with a fairly good result. I found a…
This is a super-simple craft that you can do for Halloween, or if your kids are studying spiders. The thing I liked best about making these paper plate…
We have quite a few paper plates left lying around from children’s birthday parties gone by. So I thought I’d share a few more paper-plate-create ideas for your…
It’s the school holidays, so what better way to entertain the children than by getting our craft on. My son is loving boats at them moment, and we…
It’s getting close to halloween so my thoughts are on dressing up just now. Although my own daughter is pitching for a scary bunny mask, not every child…
I just love using driftwood for art and craft activities. It can be used for so many different projects and has the added benefit of getting to spend…
I have been looking around for an option for my daughter’s necklaces and brackets, which often just get left lying around on her dresser, or fallen on the…
These Paper Spinner Toys are great fun to make and once your kids know how to make them they will enjoy experimenting with different patterns and designs.
Making sure your child eats the foods that give them energy to grow, flourish and concentrate is one of the core components of taking care of the family.…
Mother’s Day is right around the corner so here are two different ways to make a Mother’s Day card that your kids will love. These would also make…
We are busy home schooling at the moment while the country and the world is trying to contain COVID-19. This week the theme is Pirates, so what better…
Egg Cartons are great for crafting. Kids can make so many fun and simple crafts with them. I love the simplicity of this egg carton flower idea. And…
With Easter just around the corner I thought I would take the kids through a step by step drawing of an Easter bunny popping out of an egg.…
Terracotta clay pots are my new favourite material to work with. There are soooo many craft ideas using clay pots. Here’s how to make terracotta clay pot Christmas…
Christmas is a time for giving, not a time for receiving. The magic of gifts comes from holding the thought of a person in your mind, while you…
Air drying clay has to be one of my favourite materials to use with kids young and old. This Christmas I’m thinking about doing a bit of a…
Well it’s that time of year again! Halloween, it’s really creeped up on me this year. I’m running an art class for a group of kids aged 6-9, and…
Find out how to make your own masquerade mask from an egg carton. This egg carton craft is perfect for kids of all ages. And there’s no end…
Kids love robot crafts! This craft activity is one I run in my art class during the school holidays. Find out how your kids can make their own wooden…
Nani. Introducing yet another amazing party set up from the very talented and lovely ladies at The Pretty Baker.
A fairytale party! With a basket full of toadstool biscuits, ruby red apple cake pops, and some of her very best friends, Little Red Riding Hood…
The Secret Garden. I love nothing more than receiving an email asking me if I would be interested in featuring a real, New Zealand based, homegrown party.
There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home… Check out this amazing Wizard of Oz inspired party theme.
If you go out in the woods today. How delightful would a stroll in the woods be if you came across this? Be surprised by little Annabell’s Enchanted…
This activity is inspired by a session I ran with my afterschool art class. The kids were aged 8 to 13 and they had a wonderful time exploring…
Scandi style is taking over our living rooms, so why not let it take over our kids parties too? An amazing party set up from Thetis of Little Sooti,…
Paper Mãché Volcanoes are such a fun activity for children of all ages to make. But they’re especially fun for young kids, who’ll love playing with the goop…
I don’t think painting stones and rocks will ever get boring! There’s just something fun about painting on a surface that isn’t paper and is found in nature. These…
With Matariki readying itself to re-enter our skies, I thought it was timely to make some lanterns. These upcycled tin can lanterns with LED lights are easy for…
I’ve been wanting to try out acrylic pours with my kids for a while now. So with Matariki about to enter our skies I thought it would be fun to make…
Toilet rolls are a crafty way for kids to make a French knitting loom. It’s also a great way to introduce your kids to knitting and getting them…
My daughter has been interested in mermaids lately, so for these school holidays we decided to make a mermaid peg doll. They are super-simple to make and kids…
I’ve started running art classes for kids and decided to give puppet making a go with my 5 – 7 year olds. I was looking for something economical…
Supporting kids isn’t just about cheering from the sidelines, it’s also about making sure they’ve got the right gear to back up their active lifestyles. The sports that…
Today we spotted a fire engine parked up at the supermarket. The kids were so excited we headed over to get a closer look at it and take…
This faux cactus stone garden is a great project to do with your kids, whatever their age. They are just perfect to brighten up an empty windowsill in your home.…
If you’re looking for a super-quirky Christmas decoration project, this one is for you. These candy cane wooden Santa’s are so much fun. You can just rest them…
Over the past few weeks I’ve been creating and making fun Christmas decorations to make my home feel more festive. With the right tools these whimsical wooden Christmas…
Using air drying clay to make Christmas decorations is so easy, and so much fun! It really is an activity the whole family can join in on. Here’s…
This year I decided to starting decorating my home early with Christmas decorations. You see for the past 2 years we haven’t had the tree and decorations up…
With Halloween just around the corner my mind has been on creating fun and spooky crafts. You’ll love these upcycled Halloween craft ideas.
We love working on Halloween crafts at this time of the year, it really gets us into the festive spirit of it all. Here’s how to make a…
The first, and most important, learning in a child’s life happens within the family. Children learn from the way people treat them and from what they see, hear…
It’s Spring, the flowers are starting to bloom, the birds are singing and the butterflies have begun fluttering! With the welcoming of Spring, I decided to create these…
Well it’s Spring the perfect time to bring the birds into the garden. And what better way than with a bird bath. Here’s how to make one from…
I know I went a little against the grain with this one. In a time where very structured dessert buffets are at the height of fashion, I mixed…
Holy-quacamole Father’s Day has crept up on me fast this year! I truely feel like it was just yesterday that it was the 1st of August. Time just seems…
From toddlers to teenagers, every parent knows that not getting enough sleep can make our kids grumpy and prone to tantrums. But what’s less well known is that…
The kids and I love heading to the beach to go scavenging, and always bring home a bag full of beach treasure. Find out how we turned our floatsome…
I got the inspiration for this great little family craft project from my school, where the kids were making something similar for wood-working. These bright and colourful bird…
This little art project is super simple and easy to re-create. Your kids will love making this Matariki and Southern Lights-inspired art piece. You could start this project but…
This recycled bangle pencil holder is a neat little project for your older kids to make. One that not only looks cool, but is super-useful in keeping the study…
My 4 year old has just discovered the joys of puppetry. She’s really into it. So I thought what a great idea to create a shoe box theatre for…
I’ve just discovered the joy of making my own DIY bottle necklace. The initial idea to make one was because I was thinking about creating some more craft…
Toilet Roll craft is so inexpensive and easy to create for all ages. The kids and I spent half a day building toilet roll rocket ships with all…
If you’re looking for a fun, and easy, Easter craft to do with your kids, try this out. This Easter bunny silhouette craft is suitable for all ages.…
With Easter just around the corner, I thought it was time to focus my attention on some fun and cute Easter crafts. I couldn’t go past this idea…
I don’t know about you but we are always losing my daughters hair clips! So in a vain attempt to create some organisation I decided to make this…
This is a great little growing experiment that you can do with children of all ages. It’s lots of fun for a rainy day activity, there’s lots of tending…
The shaving cream rain cloud is a great little experiment, that takes no time at all to set up. It’s a simple way to teach kids about clouds…
I thought it was well overdue for my preschooler and I to get on the slime band wagon! I’ve been meaning to make slime for so long. I’ve…
I’ve always loved making robots with kids. As a school teacher I used to love letting my kids go crazy with a bunch of recycled items to create like…
Both my children love flowers! There isn’t a walk we can go on without them stopping to pick a flower. Anything with an interesting looking leaf, or simply…
I’ve been wanting to do some peg craft for a while now. Since December’s just around the corner, what better idea than peg craft Christmas decorations.
This craft is a great one for all ages. All you really need to do is lay out a bunch of materials and let your child’s imagination run…
If your kids are into painted rocks, find out how to make a painted rock photo holder. The painted rocks craze has made painting on rocks pretty popular…
Howling cats and big black spider, Flying Bats, some doughnuts and cider, Smiling pumpkins can be seen; The time is here for Halloween. – Karen McGuigan Brothers
I was having a look on Pinterest the other day to come up with some toilet roll craft ideas, when I saw toilet roll wool wrapped monsters. This inspired…
The other day my daughter and I made a butterfly toilet roll craft. Today my daughter decided our butterflies needed some flowers! So we created this cool toilet roll…
Toilet rolls have to be one of the best crafting materials around. The endless possibilities with the humble toilet roll never cease to amaze me and they’re free.…
Here’s a super-simple and effective craft idea. The DIY jewellery hanger on painted driftwood is perfect for your teenager’s, or older kid’s room, to organise all that jewellery…
With Matariki having just entered our skies the thoughts in our household have all been pointed toward space. So with thoughts focused on planets and stars, of course…
If your household is anything like ours, you’ll accumulate toilet rolls at an alarming rate! But before you throw out that next toilet roll, consider adding it to your…
In response to a reader comment on our What is eczema article, Kiwi Families reached out to our wonderful Facebook community for advice. We had such a great…
We really can’t cope without our Mums can we? They’re always there for us, when we need a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to bend. And…
If you have a child who finds it difficult to pay attention, you must first consider how the brain functions. This plays a vital role in the reasons your…
I’d just been thinking about making a cool decorative wall clock, when I was going through the aisle at Spotlight, only to see all the elements I need to make and…
I love concrete planters and I’ve been meaning to make some for a while now. So with Mother’s Day just around the corner, I thought what a great…
Play dough has to be one of the best inventions for children! We use the easiest no cook play dough recipe you’re likely to find on the internet. Our…
This year, I made it my mission to start creating a set of quality dress up’s for my kids that don’t cost the earth. We have a special…
We’re really loving painting on rocks at the moment and after creating our 3 little pig story stones little miss 3 decided we should make the 5 little ducks…
I love this paint art project for kids, as it’s suitable for all ages. I did this art project with a class of 5 and 6 year olds…
I discovered story stones a little while back and decided it was time to share them with the Kiwi Families community. These story stones are inexpensive to make…
I have to admit I’m pretty addicted to Pinterest! I can waste many an hour scrolling through, looking for fun and fresh crafts to do with my kids…
W-sitting is a position in which you are sitting on your bottom, with knees bent, legs splayed out to each side, and inside of the foot pressing on…
In my experience of being a teacher and raising children of my own, I’ve discovered that kids love painting on all types of objects. In fact my daughter prefers…
I just had to share this great craft that’s so easy to make with your kids. And you can find most of the things you need for it…
My daughter loves to challenge me. Last week she had me making her a rainbow shelf and this week it’s a pompom cactus. I’d been looking online for some…