Handicraft Ideas for Boys

Handicrafts have been a source of delight over the years for our boys, but I well remember the panic feeling of trying to figure out what to do, or how to do it, or how to get them to take the initiative themselves. Currently the boys are 14 and 13, doing years 9 and 8 with Ambleside Online, and I thought I would share a list of handicrafts they have tackled over the years as a source of inspiration for other mothers.

This neither an exhaustive list nor is it a comparison list. I could write a longer list of all the things we have not done, but that isn’t the point, either.

Some helpful guidelines on handicrafts from Charlotte Mason herself, taken from page 315/316 of Home Education;

The points to be borne in mind in children’s handicrafts are:

(a) that they should not be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like;

(b) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do;

(c) that slipshod work should not be allowed;

(d) and that, therefore, the children’s work should be kept well within their compass.

In other words, we want their handicrafts to grow useful skills, including excellent workmanship, and that they should do work within their ability.

When considering handicrafts I have found it helpful to determine if the end result is gift worthy – this is why I consider, for example, my son’s pepper gardening, dehydrating, and hot pepper powder making endeavors a handicraft instead of a life skill. So many of these things overlap and “count” for many categories – I think it mostly a waste of energy to try to be so consumed with what counts and what category it falls into – it is far better to live a purposed and rich life. But I do know those questions are there as you sort these things out. Be kind and patient with yourself and your precious children and enjoy the journey.

None of this is a tutorial, just a gathering place of ideas that our boys have done. I am happy to answer questions, but google will be your friend for tutorials, templates, and other such details.

Handicraft Ideas

(starting upper left and moving clockwise)

• Hot pepper powder  (the picture below it and beside it are included in this handicraft) – my oldest has taken to growing his own hot peppers, dehydrating them, grinding them and then mixing them to make his own hot pepper powders. It is actually onion in the glass jar as he dehydrated and ground that to mix with his hot peppers.
• Finger knitting – a great tragedy of being a military family is that we don’t live near family, but my mom has done a wonderful job of intentionally engaging the boys when she visits and sometimes that looks like her teaching them a skill, like finger knitting. This was more popular when they were in the 8-10 age range, but they were pretty obsessed with it. I put out a request on FB to local friends to inquire if any had unused yarn we could have and we were gifted an abundance of it.
• Acrylic molds – my youngest started with acrylic molds, making necklaces (he made me that one for my birthday!), paper weights, and even impractically thick bookmarks. He was 9 when he made the necklace, but the skill grew into the wood and acrylic art you will see below.
• Tea Towel Art – we spent a season using the boys hand drawn art to trace onto tea towels and then paint and gift to family members.
• Hand rolled Candles – we were gifted a large quantity of beeswax sheets, wicks, and other pieces needed to make candles and spent a season making them. They were probably 5-7 when we did this.
• Forge work – this is their current area of interest (with no true skilled item to show from it yet), but it all started in Pigeon Forge, TN, which is where this picture was taken. Iron Mountain Metal Craft offers a lesson for those 12 and under on how to turn a nail into a knife – and walks you through doing it! The lesson is $15 per child and is so worthwhile. My boys still carry their knives around three years later. For older kids there are other (and costlier) things to do. So while they are still playing with and figuring out the forge, their interest was kindled three years ago when they first encountered this concept.

Wooden Handicrafts

(starting upper left and moving clockwise)

• Nail art – there are templates online, but any clear outline will work. The boys were 5 and 6 when they did this handicraft (I did the painting!) The only picture I took was of the horse head nail art, and I LOVED it for decor in our home.
• Pen turning – this was one of my favorite handicrafts! We found a wood store (in Columbia, SC) that would teach wood turning and walk you through how to make something. We chose to do pens. One is all wood, one is a mix of wood and acrylic, and the third is just acrylic. Sadly we didn’t discover this gem until just before we moved so we only visited once, and haven’t found anything like it!
• Wooden swords – our oldest really took to sword making for a season, he was probably about 9 or 10. Over the years he has sold them or gifted them to younger children. And, of course, stored up quite the collection for him and his brother!
• Wood and Acrylic Art – the experience with the acrylic pen turning my youngest became more interested in acrylic and wood crafts. He made this rose for me when he was 11, carving down the wood around the rose and then filling it in with acrylics. He surprised me with it for Christmas. (I will add here, he attempted to make me a lamp base with wood and acrylic for this past Christmas … it’s mostly finished but is still sitting in the garage project pile as he got stumped with some part of it. Just wanted to share full disclosure.)
• This wooden sign was made this summer by my oldest for my birthday. It is very similar to the wooden tree you see, so I will share about both. The tree was also made by my oldest, but about 4-5 years ago. We left the tree in GA when we moved, but the quality has increased which is super fun (and encouraging!) to see! I did the painting of the words on the tree, and plan to do book locations on the street sign.
• Wooden shield – my oldest made this shield for me (the picture shows how he gave it to me and how I then painted it.) It now hangs in our dining room. He has made several varieties of the shield over the years and it has led to him starting to create cutting boards (which I forgot to photograph). But it is special to see his interest and skills growing!

A couple other items I did not have a picture of but the boys have worked on for handicrafts:

• Paper marionette – my oldest watched a marionette play and then used a book on marionette building and attempted to build his own. He devoted hours and hours to this project. It didn’t end up working, but he keeps considering picking it back up now that he is a bit older and trying again.
• Paracord bracelets – neither boy has ever shown a true interest in learning various knot ties. These paracord bracelets are the closest thing we have done to “knot tying” (haha).
• Baking – while it is a confusing line between “life skill” or handicraft, I will include this in here as there have been seasons where this is all we had the energy to work on.
• Embroidery – this was an attempt in a season that didn’t grow into anything, but they had fun with their needle and thread and made a couple cute pieces I hung on my wall.
• Wood burning – my oldest is the one who has done most of the wood burning, putting designs on some of his wooden swords.
• Apple Sauce and Cinnamon ornaments – this was something we did for several Christmas’ in a row when they were young (4-7 is my best guess!) they LOVED it, but don’t remember it! It’s very simple and they enjoyed cutting out the shapes. I enjoyed the lovely fragrance.
• Bath bombs – we have made these a few times and they’re SO fun. I make lip balm each year and plan to teach them how to do it soon, too.
• Fire starters – we go hammock camping often and have learned that having our own fire starter is super helpful. We have looked at a lot of ideas but have only made cotton dipped in wax. There are lots of ideas out there for different ways to make them though.
• Bird feeders – this was another handicraft we did when they were little (6-8 maybe?). The most memorable feeder was using a pinecone, some sort of nut butter, and then dipped in seeds.

I hope this offers some inspiration for handicraft ideas. Some handicrafts that we did when they were young were an obvious solid foundation for what it grew into when they were older, others turned out to not inspire them further and seemed to fizzle away. But we don’t truly know – for when a wide and generous feast is spread who is to say that an item not returned to was a waste instead of just a delightful exposure, right for just that moment?

Another thought I feel compelled to add is that neither my husband nor myself is concerned about messes. Messes can be cleaned up once the project has reached its end, and neither of us stress about the mess that occurs during the project itself. I mention that only because I have gotten the sense over years of conversations with others that the mess – or the thought of the mess – is a stopping point for many. Certainly my home is not the model of a perfectly organized and clean home. So take what I say with a grain of salt. However, elevating the cleanliness of my home over the practical needs of encouraging and growing creative skills in my children, has never been a struggle for me, and if it is for you I would encourage you to consider why that is and how you could address handicrafts peacefully. Our homes are our tools – they work for us – they are not our idols.