5 Crafts to Do with Your Foster Children
This is a collaborative post
There were a staggering 82,170 children in the UK foster system in 2022, with around 57,540 of these living with foster families. Every one of these children deserves the opportunity to grow healthily, which can be facilitated through many things, but arts and crafts are often overlooked. Below, you will find inspiration for crafts and insights on how they can help your foster children.
Rock Painting
Rock painting is a fun and inexpensive craft that children and adults of all ages can enjoy. Start by heading to the park for a healthy dose of fresh air, but pick up some suitable rocks along the way. Then, you’ll have to wash the stones with warm water and soap, which will kill germs and remove debris.
When your foster children have finished and the rock is dry, you can spread a little cheer around the neighbourhood by leaving them around for other people to find.
Friendship Bracelets
Whether you’re fostering in Bristol or anywhere else in the UK, you’ll learn about how important socialisation is during childhood development. As a foster carer, you may need to teach those in your care how to make friends, and then encourage them to feel confident enough to build meaningful connections.
When your foster children have a best friend, it may be a good idea to make friendship bracelets together. You can make one for your foster children and they can make one for their close friend. Not only will you all have something meaningful, but the activity will strengthen your connection.
Handprint Tree
Making your foster children feel like they’re part of your family is essential, and the best way to do this is through group activities like doing drafts. One of our favourite group craft activities is the handprint tree, which involves getting messy with paint and creating a tree made up of handprints.
When all members of the family have placed their mark on the tree, you can hang it up on the wall once it’s dry. Whenever your foster child sees the piece of work, they’ll feel like part of the family.
Slime
Most children enjoy playing with slime, which is why this is one of the most popular crafts you can do. As well as having some fun slime to play with at the end, this craft can be turned into an opportunity to learn some science. All you will need is shampoo, cornflour, water, and a dash of food colouring.
Paper Bag Puppets
For a simple craft that won’t cost too much, you can make paper bag puppets with your foster children. All you’ll need is a brown paper bag, coloured pens, scissors, glue, and other accessories like googly eyes. After making your puppets, you can get even more creative by putting on a show. Crafts are a simple way to bond with your foster children while creating lasting memories. They will also help with childhood development including problem-solving, fine motor skills, and creativity.
