Home activities: Building for kids

Stuck for home activities to do with the kids? Building for kids or DIY is a fantastic way to train little hands to do useful jobs around the house. We take a look at what DIY could offer your child.

If you find offering the kids an everlasting supply of fun home activities to do over weekends and school holidays a bit of a struggle, then perhaps it's time you looked to your home to provide a little inspiration. Encouraging the kids to try some simple DIY and craft activities around the house, can go a long way towards teaching a huge variety of invaluable, practical skills and is an excellent way to approach all manner of curriculum areas.

With more of us doing up our homes rather than selling in the current financial climate, there's never been a better time to get your little builders trying a bit of handy work around the home.

DIY for kids - what does it teach?

DIY encourages children to use many everyday skills to problem solve and think about tasks carefully and analytically, exploring potential outcomes. It exercises the mind, encouraging lateral and logical thinking, choosing from a range of solutions.

It also taps into children's creativity enabling them to use their imaginations and put their artistic skills into practice.

In terms of movement and dexterity, DIY also helps develop children’s fine motor skills, as they often will be using smaller, more sensitive movements which require concentration and patience in order to achieve the desired outcome.

In her book Toxic Childhood, Sue Palmer highlights some of the life-skills your child should learn by the age of 12:

• Sew on a button
• Change a plug
• Change the bed
• Mow a lawn
• Change a fuse
• Use a washing machine
• Use a screwdriver
• Use a potato peeler
• Unblock a sink
• Defrost a fridge
• Change a light bulb
• Sort the recycling

Any of these activities will help your child’s DIY skills whilst equipping them with some invaluable practical skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

Always supervise your children when handling electric equipment, and ensure that they are fully aware of safety rules.

Home design activities for kids

If you are stuck for DIY ideas for your child, there are loads of ways you can encourage your child to safely try new activities:

• Ask your child if they would like to redesign an area of their bedroom. They can discuss what they would like in their room and suggest ways to change things. They can draw up plans and help in each process of the design and construction
• For younger children, there are plenty of construction kits available. These will help them to build up the skills needed in real-life DIY
• Provide plenty of opportunities for your child to help with DIY around the house. For example, if the garden needs mowing and weeding ask them to help, or if a light bulb needs changing, let them have a go
• Painting – if there are any areas of the house which could do with a lick of paint, allowing your child to help is a great experience for them, and will help their creativity 
• Eco-DIY – encouraging your child to help with some environmental DIY is a great way to help them think about the world around them, and how their actions affect things. Ask them to help sort recycling, build a compost heap, and create a bird table/feeder.
• Involve your child in any craft projects you may be working on. Whether it's rennovating some old shelves or knitting some coasters, letting your child have a go can really help inspire a lifelong interest in home crafts.
• Recycling and upcycling - Junk modelling, upcycled crafts, repurposing old objects, all can go a long way to preventing unnecessary household waste and finding new and innovative ways to use the items in the home. Encourage your child to think about alternative uses for a variety of everyday things and how they could be repurposed and remade into something new.