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You’ve been at home with your family all day everyday for a few weeks now. The weather is changing quickly — rain one day and snow the next or heat with pollen everywhere. If you’ve watched all the animated movies you can handle and have done every puzzle in the house multiple times, you are probably looking for more activities to keep you and your kids busy and productive.
The good news is that most homeowners have a list of home projects they want to tackle, that can also be fun and educational for the whole family. To help get you started, we’ve put together 10 DIY home projects for you to do with your kids.
The ABCs of DIY With Kids
Let’s start with some ground rules for home projects involving your children. Safety is always the number one thing to keep your kiddos free from injury. Let their skill level determine what you think they can handle.
Patience is key to making this a fun experience for everyone involved. Things that may be obvious to you, are probably new to them and may take a little longer to complete.
This is experiential learning at its finest. Figuring out how to do it yourself takes mathematics, physical science, and even reading, so turn each part of the project into a lesson without the lecture. At the end of the day, you are helping your children develop life skills that can make them more independent!
1. Building Blocks
A lot of children’s favorite toys involve building or making something; it makes sense to take those skills to the next level and build something together.
Start simple with a bird feeder or a small toy. Once the basic measuring, cutting, and hammering is done, you can go further with bigger home projects, such as a bookcase or a playhouse. Leave the home additions to a skilled contractor and stick with things your children can do.
2. Mr. Fix-It
Your child can make a great handyman’s apprentice. Tackle those small home projects that fall under upkeep and maintenance. You can include tasks such as oiling hinges, tightening hardware, and unclogging drains. Believe it or not, these all fall under do it yourself because you aren’t hiring a contractor or work crew to do them for you.
3. Small Spaces
A simple home project to test out a child’s skills is redoing a bathroom. Again, stick with the cosmetic updates that you know how to do and leave the big-ticket items like replacing a toilet or installing a new sink and countertop to your contractor. Small bathrooms are a great space for new wallpaper or paint; have them help hang sheets of paper or use a paint roller while you brush the edges and trim.
4. Outside Activities
When the weather cooperates, head outdoors for a wealth of home projects waiting to be tackled. Planning or planting a garden is a natural project for you and your kids to do together, and you can reap the rewards over time.
Pick plants that are easy to grow and offer a decent yield without too much work, such as radishes, peppers, or cucumbers. As your skills improve, you can plant tomatoes, melons, or lettuces that may need a bit more attention.
5. Horticultural Home Projects
Even on bad weather days, you and your children can still dig in the dirt while taking care of your houseplants. Your kids can handle watering duties or add soil to houseplants with supervision. If you have gardening supplies on hand, set up your own terrariums or arrange fresh herbs along a kitchen window that you can harvest and add to recipes, with your kids’ help of course.
6. Snail Mail
Another fun, creative home project is painting or decorating your mailbox. Before you get started, check with your homeowners’ association to see if they have restrictions. If there is no limit, you can have a lot of fun designing and painting your mailbox to freshen it up or make it stand out. Imagine your children telling their friends how to find your house by looking for your unique mailbox on the street.
7. Tile Talents
Tiling a floor or bathroom wall may be something to save for a contractor, but smaller tile DIY home projects, such as a backsplash or around a fireplace, may be something you and your kids can handle together. A dated fireplace can look fresh with new tilework or a mosaic that your family works on together.
If you want to master basic skills before you take it to the walls, start with a small piece of furniture, like an accent table or your children’s set of table and chairs.
8. Stepping Lightly
Go back outdoors for a home project creating a pathway with stepstones for a side yard or through a landscaped space. Even younger children can help paint or decorate pavers or stepstones that you can lay out together when the weather is nicer, and you can get back outside and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
9. Artists in Residence
Instead of painting a whole room, why not create an accent wall in a child’s bedroom or bonus room? Here again, the options are endless for decorating possibilities.
You can do something simple, like use chalkboard paint on one wall, or get more creative with a geometric pattern that you measure out and tape before painting. Let your kids share their ideas and if you have a surplus, take a vote on which project to do.
10. Do-It-Yourself Gaming
Do you and your family love to play cornhole or other yard games on vacation or at a local hangout? Make your own! Find a simple pattern online, gather up your materials, and get creative together. You can build it and let the kids give it a custom paint job.
Best Pick Reports Can Help
Hopefully this list of DIY projects with kids can inspire you to get creative and involve your family. For more ideas on home improvement projects you can do yourself or with a contractor, check out our website. We can put you in touch with the best and brightest in your area to bring your vision to life.