It seems anytime we try to leave the house with our kids lately, it ends up costing a fortune. But if we stay home, we’re subject to constant calls of ‘I’m bored’. The truth is, boredom can be good for kids! And, if you’re looking for a creative option to gently push them in the direction of, for less than you’d spend on all going to Kelly Tarlton’s for an hour or two, you can set yourself up with a kit that’ll keep them busy for many, many more hours…
Capsule x Warehouse Stationery
I dunno if your household is anything like mine, but if so, you may hear a few of these statements or questions on a very regular basis:
The classic:
“Muuuuuuuuum! Mum! Mum! Mum! MUUUUUUUUM!!!”
As well as:
“But I’m booooored”
“What should I doooo?!?!”
“Can I watch TV now?”
“Can I have screen time?”
“But what am I supposed to do?! I have nothing to do!”
Look, the idea of having nothing to do and feeling bored actually sounds heavenly to me, but apparently it is absolutely agonising hell if you’re a kid.
The hours/weeks/school holidays are long and so yes, I absolutely do let our kids have screen time, but I also want to keep that time limited, having them outside playing, or doing something creative.
Sometimes they just need a little push. Or, a go-to boredom buster.
Thankfully. a good few years ago – during the deepest darkest days of lockdown actually – I came up with something that has been a godsend during the ‘I’m bored/I have nothing to do hours/days/school holidays’.
That one lifesaving thing has been: a craft drawer.
“You’re bored? Go have a look in the craft drawer!” has become one of my favourite things to say.
This works in our house, because our two boys do like to draw and do arts and crafts. But you don’t have to have a little artist in the house for it to work. The drawer is packed full of supplies, with plenty of weird and wonderful things, that just require a bit of imagination (and some prompting from you if they do get stuck?). Whether it’s making slime, a card for a friend, a comic book, a little shoe box home for a toy (this one has been HOURS of entertainment in our house – panting walls, making beds, artwork for the walls…), an abacus (seriously) decorations for Halloween/Easter/Xmas/the cat’s made-up birthday, or a racetrack for their Hot Wheels car – there’s endless possibilities.
It required one decent shop for it all and then little top-up visits to Warehouse Stationery. But for the amount I would have spent on movie tickets, a drink each and a tub of popcorn, I’ve ended up getting many, many more hours in entertainment/creativity/peace and quiet.
Boredom is GREAT – it’s where Creativity is born
Kids today have it pretty darn lucky – I don’t know how many times I remind our kids that when I was their age there were three TV stations and if they weren’t playing what you wanted, that was it. Now, the world is at their fingertips and generally, kids are living busier lives. There’s also much more pressure on parents to make plans with and for our children.
But, the truth is, it’s totally okay for kids to be bored, and can actually be good for them. Clinical psychologist Stephanie Lee says, “Boredom might not be super distressing, but it’s not fun. Life requires us to manage our frustrations and regulate our emotions when things aren’t going our way, and boredom is a great way to teach that skill.”
Boredom is also the state that kids can be in, right before creativity strikes. It’s true for adults too – like if you find yourself coming up with good ideas or solutions to problems while you’re in the shower. It’s because your brain has time and space to wander, and think up new possibilities.
If your kid is feeling bored, steering them in the direction of a craft drawer can be a great tool to unlocking some true creativity and magic.
What to stock in your Craft Drawer
Ok, first up, this doesn’t have to be a drawer – maybe you have a craft box (Warehouse Stationery has a selection of storage boxes, including Sistemas – my fave for this job is the Sistema 27L at $24) that you can pull out in cases of boredom emergencies.
I have stored mine in a drawer, because it’s easy to access and doesn’t require as much rummaging around – but I have used a storage box within mine to separate all the different bits and bobs. I’ve used the different compartments of the Uniti Craft 3 Layer Handle Box & Tray ($19) as trays – and, the great part of this is, you can just stack them all together and take them with you to play outside, in the garage, or even on the go.
Here’s what I recommend stocking it with:
Coloured Cardstock
Uniti Value Cardstock Smooth 180gsm Brights 48 Sheets A4 ($9.99) is my go-to for this one. There’s so many uses for cardstock, but it’s perfect for making homemade cards. We live a good 20 mins from a supermarket that’s open late, so if it’s suddenly announced at 7.00pm that we need a card of some description for the morning, I thank my lucky stars for the craft drawer. People love to receive a homemade card. (As a side-note, this is why I also now have a weird dress up box of basics for when it’s dumped on you that tomorrow is actually ‘wear yellow’ day or ‘oh, that’s right, I have to either be dressed as the Easter bunny or an Easter Egg tomorrow’ !?!?! WHYYYYYYY).
Paints
The Crayola Washable Paint Sticks (6 pack, $11.99) are one of my toddler go-to’s. Normal paint can get messy as hell – which I don’t always have the time/patience for. Paint sticks have that painting effect, but you can draw with them more like a crayon. Mess-free, and they do wash off surfaces pretty easy. Phew.
For those who can be more trusted with paints, I’d recommend the Uniti Watercolour Paint Set (there’s 12 colours in there) for $5.50, for little artworks and a few big Uniti acrylic paints for bigger jobs – the individual 125ml paints are $4.49 – I recommend getting the Uniti Acrylic Paint 75ml Metallic 4 Pack for $9.98 (kids LOVE metallic paint). Be sure to pick up a Uniti Brush set 5 pack too for $5.
Coloured Pens/Pencils/Crayons
My toddler is a big fan of crayons, so for him we have Crayola Assorted Crayons 24 pack (only $5). Then, I only trust Crayola Super Tips Washable Markers (20 pack for $12.99) because they’re the only ones I’ve been able to actually wash out of their clothes, my clothes and the couch.
My Personal MVP
I picked up a pack of Crayola Sidewalk Chalk (Crayola Sidewalk Chalk Assorted 12 Pack, $6.99) and a month later upgraded to the bigger box (48 Pack, $20). If it’s not raining outside, this is where you’ll often find us. We live on a cul-de-sac and, particularly in summer, spend hours every day on our driveway drawing towns, intricate race tracks for my pre-schooler’s Hot Wheels, zoos, airports (for his planes to take off). We’ve drawn entire Radiator Spring recreations – or from Minecraft. People on our street stop by to see what we’re drawing that week. It’s honestly so many hours entertainment and it’s $7.
Crafty Bits
A MUST have are googly eyes – I recommend Kookie Adhesive Googly Eyes (34 pieces!) $4, but you can also get a great set (the Kookie Craft Essentials Kit) that includes eyes, pipe cleaners and a bunch of different sized/coloured pompoms – there’s 270 pieces, and it’s only $7.
I’d throw in some modelling clay (Kookie Light Clay Tub 10 Colours $10) too – there’s so many different uses for them, and for getting at least 30 mins of respite.
Next, you need stickers. It may seem boring, but I always have alphabet stickers in the drawer – they come in handy for school projects, making greeting cards and so many different uses that you discover once they’re handy (Uniti Alpha Stickers $4).
And now some fun ones. We have been going for YEARS on this one pack of foam shape stickers (Kookie EVA Foam Shape Pack $4.99) – there’s 78 pieces in there, with cute suns, trees, bees, clouds and birds.
Fun Extras
If you’ve got a bit more to spend, I’d put in some more basics, like coloured pencils, (Crayola Coloured Pencils 24 Muti-Coloured, $14.49) or I’d recommend beads (Kookie Beads Set in Flower Case $7.49)
Honestly, I’ve barely ever used ours, but some families (and Sally Ridge?) swear by a glue gun (this one is good – and cheap! Uniti Mini Glue Gun 10W $9)
What I do swear by though, is slime ingredients. Kids love actually making the slime – and then, playing with it for weeks later? At first I didn’t understand the appeal and then I had a little pot of it next to my laptop one day and I get it – it’s relaxing! If you want everything you need in one hit, this Elmer’s Slime Starter Kit 4 Piece ($29.99) has it all.