Handicrafts in Homeschooling {Encourage Your Creative Kids!}

Hey, just so you know … This post includes affiliate links. That means if you use them to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

Even if you don't realize it, you are homeschooling a creative genius.

I'm a firm believer that we are all creative in some way, each with unique skills and talents we can use to bring new ideas to life. Your kids might be creative writers, thinkers, musicians, or makers. There are many different ways creativity can be brought to life.

Handicrafts are one way your kids might like to express their creativity, and arts and crafts projects may fill your kitchen table day in and day out.

But what if this type of creativity doesn't come easily to you? Have you ever said the following:

“I'm just not creative.”

“I can't stand the mess of arts and crafts!”

“I don't even know what to buy or what skills to teach my kids.”

You're not alone, friend. But be encouraged that the truth is, creativity can be learned. It can be taught, even if you don't think you are capable – you just need the right tools in your back pocket!

And I can't wait to share our new secret weapon with you.

Think that you're "just not creative" or struggle with including handicrafts in your homeschool? This resource will help you ramp up the creativity in your homeschool, and empower your kids with some life-long, meaningful skills!

** This is a sponsored post. I received this product or compensation for review purposes only and was compensated for my time. I was neither asked nor required to share a positive review; all opinions are my own. READ HERE for more information.

Crafts with a purpose

I have firsthand experience that you never know where your creative skills may take you, or where they'll take your kids someday.

For me, my creativity took me to a place where I was able to start a handmade jewelry business, quit my full-time teaching job, and now, homeschool my kids.

There is certainly a place for more “laid-back” arts and crafts in our homeschools. But teaching our kids handicraft skills needs a bit more intention.

When you teach skills like hand sewing, jewelry making, calligraphy, or clay sculpting (to name a few), you are teaching your kids valuable skills they will carry with them throughout their lives.

Learning a handicraft takes time, focus, and careful work (which are valuable in themselves). When these skills are learned and fine-tuned, your kids are equipped to create meaningful, beautiful, and useful projects and even be more resourceful in their daily lives.

Maybe they'll even begin their own business someday!

Elevate your crafting

When I heard about the Makers Club membership from Elevation Handmade, I just knew my kids were going to love it. We currently take quilting lessons once a month from a wonderful woman who runs the ministry out of her home; but I've been itching for an easy way to teach more handicrafts to my kids.

Chelsie, the founder of the Makers Club, is an elementary school teacher of 10+ years, and has created a unique and safe place on the internet for kids to grow their crafting skills and explore their interests at their own pace.

The membership is perfect for kids 8-years-old and up. You'll find projects that will have your kids sewing (by hand and using a machine), knitting, and using different mediums like yarn and clay, paint and more. They'll earn badges as they build their skills (fun motivator!) and have opportunities to collaborate with other kids who are crafting right along with them.

Your kids will also never get bored or run out of options, because new projects are added each month.

A peek inside

The Makers Club membership really does have everything a beginner would want to get started learning a new handicraft (aside from the actual supplies!), and there are lots of options for many different interests.

My kids and I have found the format very easy to navigate (my 9-year old girls completed a project from start-to-finish completely on their own!), and the video lessons break down foundational skills for each project into step-by-step instructions. Not only does each lesson contain a video walk-through, but many also have written instructions if you prefer, and any printables you may need are included (for example, we had to print out some patterns for a sewing project).

Here's a quick behind-the-scenes walk-through so you can see exactly what the format of the courses look like and what they include:

As you could see from the list of craft options, there are many different mediums to work with and several projects to work on within each medium…which means your kids will have lots of ways to practice their new skill!

Our Makers Club crafts

The very first project my girls chose to complete was the “Polymer Clay Charms – Summer Edition” (it's the dead of winter here, so I think they had some wishful thinking going on!).

This was a completely new medium for us – we had never used polymer clay before, and to be honest, I probably would not have thought to try it if I hadn't been introduced through the Makers Club! That's definitely one of the benefits of having all of these options right here in the club, just enticing you to try them out. My daughters were drawn in by the cute little clay charms: a donut, lollipop, sun, watermelon, burger, pizza, and a popsicle.

First, they had a lesson on what polymer clay is and some things they needed to keep in mind while working with it. A supply list was given, and we could print it out if we wanted. The supplies were clearly and thoroughly talked about, and we felt confident as we dove into the project!

Each lesson was fairly short – the video showing how to make each charm was about 10 minutes.

They were also very easy to follow, and my girls and I literally spent the entire afternoon creating! I know something that gets them off of their screens for the entire day (willingly) must be a winner.

I couldn't resist creating with them, too!
Our finished charms (and a few extra creations), ready to bake.

Inspiring crafting creativity

One night, my girls were talking about wanting to learn how to make a “stuffie” toy. They wanted to make gifts for two of their friends for Valentine's Day.

Knowing that Makers Club had sewing tutorials, I logged in to see exactly what the projects were. And they just so happened to have an Animal Stuffie project (I was pleasantly surprised!). I also noticed that two new projects specific to the Valentine's Day holiday had been added (friendship bracelets and cards).

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the project used felt (which I typically have on hand), and gave 9 different pattern options, so they could choose which animal they wanted to make.

The next morning, I walked downstairs to discover that my girls had been up early, diligently working on these projects on their own! I was kind of shocked – and impressed – by what they had created.

I will say, they weren't completely new to sewing…they knew the basic stitches used in the craft (back stitch, running stitch and whip stitch). But, they had always asked me to thread their needles and tie their knots. Makers Club taught them some tricks to accomplish this on their own.

They weren't just “doing crafts” – they were learning skills. Sewing skills, yes, but also how to navigate this online program, and confidence that they could create something beautiful from start to finish. And the more they learn these types of skills (and know how capable they are!), the more they will be inspired to create and continue learning throughout their life.

Teaching handicrafts in your homeschool

I was talking to a friend as we ran last weekend about the discipline of running. Out of the many sports one could choose to participate in growing up, running is one that is not only useful for many other sports, but also one you can typically enjoy for many years.

In the same sense, teaching our kids handicrafts gives them useful, purposeful, and transferrable skills, something they can take with them into adulthood.

I will also add that although I've talked a lot about my girls using this program, boys in your homeschool are not excluded! My son learns sewing and quilting with us, and there are many projects in Makers Club that both girls and boys will enjoy.

With the Makers Club from Elevation Handmade, you could easily incorporate a short lesson into your homeschool each day, or choose one day a week to tackle an entire project.

Why not just use YouTube to learn these skills?

If you want your kids to learn a handicraft that you don't know how to do, you might be tempted to simply go to YouTube and look up tutorials for a project. And you certainly could do so! I'm not saying that Makers Club is the only way to go about this, but, there are a few reasons why you might prefer it:

Organization

If you love organization as much as I do, and thrive when everything is all in one place, you'll love this platform. I really appreciate the step-by-step structure and knowing exactly where to go when we want to try a new project or learn a new skill.

Community

Your kids will love the option to participate in live social calls with other kids, where they can share and celebrate the projects they have created.

Safety

No ads within the Makers Club, and I don't have to worry about my kids being exposed to (or tempted by!) any content I don't want them to see.

Progress Tracking

If you don't finish a video or project, your progress will be kept inside the club so you can finish it at a later time.

Badges

What kid doesn't love earning badges? I know mine do! As they work their way through their projects, they'll earn badges which will appear in the sidebar of the website.

Take 50% off your first month of Makers Club

Techie Homeschool Mom readers, you can take 50% off first month of the Makers Club using the code MAKERSCLUB50 (expires July 31, 2023). I hope you'll give it a try – and love it as much as we do!

Do you have a creative kid?

We all do! And what a blessing we have to nurture our creative geniuses in our homeschools.

CLICK HERE to take advantage of all Makers Club has to offer, and get started on helping your kids learn their next new favorite skill.

Try the World’s Best Homeschool Planner for FREE!

Have fun elevating your crafting!

Want some techie homeschooling tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for weekly-ish emails from me.

Techie Homeschool Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.