I am a huge lover of creative pursuits and getting boys involved in crafts and arts. In today’s digital age I think that being creative is even more important, but do acknowledge that sometimes it can be hard to engage your children. I have lots of arts and craft materials at home but love great craft kits. So in conjunction with Bright Minds here are my top five from Djeco.
Between me and my Best Friend, we have six boys aged between thirteen and five so these kits have been put through the ringer. These are great for Birthday Gifts or just to get your children creative juices flowing. Now I have said these are for boys, but girls will love them too. The brilliance with each of these kits is they have everything you need to complete them.
Great Craft kits for Boys
Not everyone has a cupboard full of art materials and that is where great craft kits come in to it. Even with a big arts and craft cupboard, sometimes I just want to take the easy option of giving the boys a kit and letting them get on with it. Each of these kits comes with everything you need and is great value for money and they are also the perfect craft kits for engaging boys.
This was a big hit with the older boys in the group. The kit teaches basic styles of graffiti art with examples of two types of lettering and a set of double ended felt pens. This really captured the boys imagination, they used the sheets included in the kit before moving on to tagging their books and making name labels for their rooms. At around £20 this is a good price for a birthday gift and the pen are a fantastic quality with one fine tip and a larger tip on each of the pens.
Djeco Around Arthur Foil pictures
Around Arthur is a brilliant Foil Art kit from Djeco that’s perfect for children aged between 7 and 13. Designed for Djeco by David Sala, once you have finished this activity you are left with four beautiful pieces of artwork to gift or display. This magical activity works by uncovering parts of the picture and applying foil to the sticky areas using the supplied tool. Once the foils paper is removed, the gilding remains to create glistening, boldly coloured pictures. This was a great fine motor craft that all the boys really enjoyed. The age range is 7+, but as long as you are on hand it is great for slightly younger children too. At £10 these are great value and something completely different to anything that I have in my craft cupboard.
Djeco Silk Scarf Printing Peacock
This is a fabulous creative activity for older children. Maxi claimed this and made if for his Nana for Christmas. Everything you need to produce a beautiful silk scarf is contained within the clever box which extends to act as a frame to hold the scarf taught whilst it is being decorated. This is the upper end of the price for a kit at around £30, however, you are left with a beautiful usable silk scarf at the end of it. This took Maxi around 4 hours to complete over a week and I for one can not believe how professional and wearable the scarf is. Everything you need to make this scarf is included in the kit, even the pins to tack the silk craft to the box frame.
This is a fab take on the traditional paint by number kit with double ended pens instead of paints designed by Steve Simpson, an award-winning illustrative designer. This is a great kit for giving children a little bit more confidence. For ones that are a little scared by a blank page and unsure of what to do next. You get 4 beautifully designed working sheets, 7 artist quality double ended felt tip brushes and a detailed illustrated instruction book. This kit ar £15 was perfect for Mini, who loves to colour, but can sometimes need a little more support.
This kit makes a beautiful 60cm giant leaping Jaguar to make and display. This is a fab inexpensive kit that is perfect for anyone who hates mess. All you need is the kit, no glue or scissors are needed. This is aimed at children nine and above and it about right agewise as it can be a little tricky to assemble.
Djeco Kinoptic Moving Art Vehicles
These are just such a mesmerising creative activity. Children must use all of their skills of creation, construction and imagination to get the best out of this eccentric and unique pack! They have to create futuristic vehicles by piecing together a selection of wacky illustrations and watch them come to life. It was so much fun watching the kids with this kit. Initially, it appealed to the youngest in the group, but it was interesting to see the older children get involved and enjoy it too.
