13 Crafty Tips for Not-So-Crafty Moms

March, I’ve recently discovered, is National Craft Month. There’s a month for everything these days – hello, it’s also National Frozen Foods Month – so I probably shouldn’t be all that surprised to find out that we’re devoting an entire 31 days to getting our national craft on.

I do, however, want to know where along the way we decided that doing craft projects with your kids is officially synonymous with being a mom. You can’t turn the cover of a parenting magazine or visit your favorite blog these days without learning things like “how to turn leftover toilet paper tubes into hours of endless fun.”

I sort of get it, I guess. Some mothers are genuinely crafty, possessing both the mad artistic flair and the insane amounts of patience that are essential when helping a preschooler fashion a model airplane out of a milk jug.
 
But others of us are, well, seriously lacking in these departments.   
 
It’s tough being a mom who isn’t crafty in a Pinterest-crazy world – especially when you have kids who actually enjoy creating “masterpieces” out of toilet paper tubes. And though I’m no good at creating them and pretty much despise doing them, even I have to admit that you can’t beat a good craft project for keeping your kids entertained on a rainy day.
 
So what is a not-so-crafty mom to do?
 
Even if you break out in hives at the thought of your dining room table covered in glitter and glue sticks, you can still get crafty with your kids -- you just need to take a few shortcuts. A few of my favorite tips for embracing family craft projects without losing your sanity in the process include:
 
1. Adjust your expectations. Doing crafts with your kids isn’t about achieving picture-perfect results; it’s about learning and exploration and quality time spent together. Try to remember this.
 
2. Aim low. If you don’t have a creative bone in your body, do yourself a favor and skip the projects from Martha Stewart. Nobody really needs Tissue Paper Pom-Poms anyway.     
 
3. Keep it simple. Stick to a few basic crafts that you know you can handle, and that your kids enjoy doing over and over again. We make a lot of homemade play-dough at our house – and I’m okay with that.
 
4. Use reliable resources.  Attempting crafts when you're not-so-crafty requires more than just a pretty picture on Pinterest. Do yourself a favor and don't get started until you're armed with a good set of directions. A few of my favorite (and I use that term loosely) craft blogs include The Crafty Crow and Make and Takes.
 
5. Set up a mess corner. Hate crafts because you hate the mess? Try setting up a small corner of your home where it’s okay to get messy. Cover surfaces with vinyl tablecloths or newspaper for easier cleanup.
 
6. Pour yourself a drink. You won’t care nearly as much about the play-dough crumbles ground into your carpet or the orange handprints on your new white sofa if you indulge in a nice glass of Merlot while your children are busy channeling their inner creativity.  
 
7. Create a craft co-op. Have crafty friends? Suggest a craft playdate! Let someone else plan and oversee the project; you offer to bring the cotton balls.
 
8. Find a craft you enjoy. Maybe you dislike crafts because you haven’t found the kind you love. They aren’t all milk jugs and toilet paper tubes – knitting, painting, quilting, scrapbooking, jewelry making, and tons of other artistic pursuits all qualify. (Although, full disclosure, I still haven't found a craft I really like yet).
 
9. Take a class. Think of it like an airplane, where you have to put on your oxygen mask first before helping the child sitting next to you. If you take a class to sharpen your skills, afterwards you might find that you enjoy sharing your new talents with your kids. Or maybe not. No pressure.
 
10. Buy craft kits. There’s no shame in heading to Hobby Lobby and stocking your closets with pre-made craft kits. They offer instant crafty entertainment for your kids – without the hassle of all the thinking and planning for you.
 
11. Throw things away. Yes, I said it. Craft projects can easily become overwhelming if you feel compelled to keep every last treasure. Make them, (try to) enjoy the process, and then toss them. Feeling too sentimental to throw things away? Check out 8 Ways to Create Create a Photo Book Time Capsule of Kids' Artwork.
 
12. Be lazy. Who says you have to follow step-by-step instructions anyway? Arm you kids with a nice stash of art and craft supplies, and then let them use the materials to make anything their little hearts desire. Added bonus: You don’t have to participate in any way.   
 
13. Outsource it. Sometimes, as busy moms, we just don’t want to mess with crafts at all. And fortunately, we live in a city with lots of opportunities for our kids to do crafts that other people get to plan. Hands-on crafts activities can be found routinely at Storytelling at the Missouri History Museum, Creation Station at the Museum of Transportation, and at many local library storytimes, among others.  
 
We can't all be the mom who plans the perfect craft for the class Christmas party year after year, but even the not-so-crafty moms among us can still get crafty with our own kids. Even if we have to take lots of shortcuts and drink plenty of wine in the process.  
 
Do you like doing craft projects with your kids? Or are you a not-so-crafty mom like me?

By Alyssa Chirco, SmartMama blogger for SmartParenting

Alyssa Chirco is a St. Louis freelance writer, mother and margarita lover, not necessarily in that order. In addition to writing for St. Louis Kids, she is Contributing Editor for Parenting Squad, writes regularly about parenting and family for Lifetime Television's The Balancing Act, and firmly believes there are few problems in life that cannot be solved with a good margarita.