I think most moms would admit that sometimes the mess of arts and crafts can be overwhelming. I’m no exception, but I do love to see my girls create! Gere are 6 tips to make messy arts and crafts a little bit less intimidating and a lot more enjoyable:

Lower Your Expectations

When I was in high school, one of our youth leaders at church gave a message that has always stuck with me. It was about putting our expectations on other people. She said that almost every time she got irritated with her kids, it was because she set her expectations too high and then when they failed to meet them, she reacted in irritation. I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely true for me as a mother, as a wife, as a friend and more.

While it was a life lesson that I’ve carried with me, I think it’s particularly applicable to arts and crafts. If you set out expecting that the mess will be kept to a minimum, chances are someone’s going to make a mess, leaving you frustrated and irritated. However, if you expect it to be a complete and total disaster zone by the time your kids are done, you may just end up pleasantly surprised (just don’t expect that to happen!).

Cover the Area

Whether you’re talking Play-Doh, paint or stamps, the simplest way to cut down on the mess is to simply cover the area. I love The Neat Sheet, and we use them for everything: to cover the floor and sit on when using Play-Doh or to cover the table or counter when we’re using markers or paint.  Other alternatives include tarps, shower curtains, trash bags or newspaper.

Move Outside

When the weather’s nice, take full advantage of it and move your messy arts and crafts outside as well. We love to set up our easel outside, paint rocks right on the grass or cover the table with a mat and work there. You can simply shake off the mat when using Play-Doh or spray everyone off with the hose after a really messy painting project!

Cover the Kids

Of course, one of the biggest frustrations for a lot of parents probably stems from ruined clothes and messy hair. This is one of the easiest frustrations to avoid with a little preplanning. Have a set of clothes designated for messy crafts. We often use either an apron, smock or one of daddy’s old t-shirts to cover up as well, but they never seem to catch all of the mess, so I think it’s important to think about the clothes the kids are wearing!

Another thing I’ve started doing is making sure I pull the girls’ hair back from their face before they begin. Since we do a lot of crafts in the kitchen, I often end up grabbing a chip clip and making a quick ponytail, but it works!

Use the Right Materials

Almost all children’s craft supplies come in a washable version these days, and I think they’re worth the extra expense. Choosing supplies that are easy to clean up and won’t ruin the surfaces they come in contact with (because that’s still bound to happen!) will make you more likely to pull out the projects again and again.

Have Fun!

Remember that the goal is for the kids to be able to explore a new medium, use their senses and have the opportunity to create something of their own. Try not to worry about the end result or the mess along the way because it will just take away from the experience!

Bonus Tip: Think About Future Projects

As a bonus tip, try paying attention to the things that do frustrate you when doing messy projects and — more importantly — what you could change to eliminate some of those frustrations. Maybe doing them right before lunch is hard for you because there never seems to be enough time to clean up when they’re done. Or maybe using many different color paints at once is just too much for your kids’ ages and you need to scale back to just 2-3 colors.

What’s your best tip for making messy crafts more fun and less frustrating?