I find that over the summer, I have more time to spend with my children doing things we like. Often this is outside but on rainy or cold days, we play games or make things together. Both my children love arts and crafts but usually they need help to get going on them, so I sit down and we work together for a few minutes before I leave them to complete their craft.

I know this to be true for other Irish families, as arts and craft kits sell really well over the summer months on my website. Here are my top ten craft kits for children aged 3-5 years.

1. Collages for 3-5 Year Olds

This gorgeous box from Djeco has everything your child needs to complete four different animal collage pictures.

2. Stamp Sets

Often toddlers are given stamps to play with but it’s ideal if you can hold out until your child is a little older. Then they will really appreciate the pictures they can make from stamps. I stock four different stamps sets –  A Butterfly and Heart Stamp Set, Happy Handle Stamps, Ocean Stamps and Garden Stamps.

3. Mosaic Sticker Kits

These kits are brilliant for helping your child to sit still and concentrate on an activity. Peel the stickers from the sheets and place them on the pictures to make 3D colourful cards. I stock lots ranging from the small Mini Box of Mosaics (pictured above), Jungle Mosaic Masks,  Dinosaur Mosaics and Galt First Mosaic Pictures, which all would be suitable for this age group.

4. Jewellery Making Kits

Threading beads and making jewellery is very popular with this age group as they love to wear their creations. If you just have one child, then these small bags with wooden beads would be enough but if you have several, it’s more economical to buy the 400 wooden bead box or the the 450 wooden bead set. Melissa and Doug also have a lovely little box of beads, which I stock and a design your own Bracelets Kit, which is a sticker kit.

5. Stencils

Children this age are starting to learn pencil control but it’s still hard for them to manage to draw characters. Buying them some stencils will teach them how to draw around the edge of a stencil to have a shape to make a picture out of. I stock Dinosaur ones

6. My First Handprint Pictures

My First Handprint Pictures is a messy craft option, so make sure you have time to do this with your child. The results are pictures you will keep forever as a reminder of how little they once were!

7. Play Mais

PlayMais are little balls of colourful corn. They are 100% biodegradable. You can choose to have open creativity with the big drum of them where you can stick them together using the tiniest amount of water to create 3D items or you can make 3 pictures by following the patterns on the pictures. I stock the Zoo and Forest ones.

8. Crafts that encourage Scissor Skills

Collages with Small Loops is a really nice craft box for kids that like cutting and pasting. Cut the paper into strips and then roll them and stick them to complete the pictures. The Scissor Skills Kit is also a fun way to learn how to use safety scissors.

9. Stickers 

You can never have enough stickers for children this age and I have tons of sets to choose from! The Djeco ones featured above  come in Princess, Dinosaurs, Animals, Horse, and Knights versions and these sets contain 160 fun stickers for your child to craft with. I also stock Puffy Stickers in Princess, Pirate and Farm versions. I love the reusable sticker books from Galt. I stock the Animals, Funny Faces and Maps ones and they would all be suitable for this age group.

10. Colouring Velvet Pictures

It’s hard for children this age to colour within the lines. These colouring velvet pictures from Melissa and Doug enable your child to do this, as the borders are raised velvet. The one above is the Animals one and I also stock a Butterfly one.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of art and craft kitss for this age group. Now might also be a good time to stock up on some individual arts and craft bits and bobs too. I stock crayons, chunky crayons, safety scissors, zig zag safety scissors, paints, paint brushes and chalks.

If you haven’t found an craft kit suitable above, you can see my full range of craft products here. I plan on writing follow up blogs with craft kits for older children, so if you have older children that love crafting, keep an eye out for that one!

xx Suzie