by Susan Hibberd

Created on: November 29, 2008   Last Updated: May 04, 2011

It's great to do craft activities with your children. You both get pleasure from creating something, and you both get pleasure from being together it's a win-win situation!

Sadly, some crafts can get very messy, especially if you have younger or very excitable children. Containing the mess can be quite a challenge if you don't plant carefully.

Here are some tips for making sure your house doesn't end up looking like a paint bomb's exploded in your living room after a craft session.

CHOOSE THE ROOM

Firstly, choose a room in your house that can stand up to a little bit of mess. Don't do gluing in your living room, for example! If you have room in your kitchen to sit up at a table, then that is the best place for crafting.

If you don't have a work surface that you can comfortable sit up to, choose a room that has a hard floor if you can. This is much easier to clean than a carpeted floor.

Choose a room that is large enough for children to move about it without touching furniture or walls. If you have a conservatory or large breakfast room, choose one of them. You want to be able to grab a child that wanders off before they touch the woodwork with paint on their hands!

DAMAGE CONTROL

Make sure that anything you value is moved out of the space you are using. This includes expensive rugs. Cover what you can with plastic sheeting (available from home improvement stores in the paint section) or an old blanket.

PREPARE FOR WASTE

Work out before hand how much waste there is likely to be. Think about used paper towels, cut paper, painty scraps, glued fabric, the newspaper you were protecting the surface with etc, and provide a waste bin big enough to get it all in. If you don't have a bin, just use a large plastic bin bag in a big cardboard box and place it next to your child. Train your children to throw any messy bits into the bin before moving off their seat.

APRONS

Give your child an apron before you start. An old man's shirt is a good alternative. Put it on your child backwards, and button it up down his/her back. Roll up the sleeves, and they are effectively covered. Make sure you take it off them before they leave the crafting area, and all mess should come off with it. If you pick up a shirt from a thrift shop, the whole thing can just be thrown away if it is too messy to wash.

WASHING

If possible, work in a room with water. Run a sink full of warm soapy water before you start crafting, so that your child can just walk across the room and wash at any time, keeping clean as you go. If you don't have a sink in the room, think about having a large bowl of water to hand.

TOWELS

Keep a set of old towels for drying your hands after crafting. In this way, any odd bits of glue or paint that are missed in the wash can be wiped off on the towel without anyone worrying. Keep them to hand when you are working with any liquids so they can be pressed into emergency service in case of spills.

COVER YOUR SURFACES

Cover all the surfaces you are going to be working on. This saves cleaning up afterwards, and avoids any possible damage. If you are going to be cutting, cover the whole surface with a thick sheet of cardboard AS WELL AS your cutting mat. If you are using liquids (paint, glue, dye) use a large sheet of plastic you could use a dustbin bag split down the sides for this.

Crafting should be a happy occasion, so try not to get too stressed. If you plan ahead you should be able to relax and enjoy spending time with your child, not worrying about the mess that might be made.

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