Rainy Bank Holiday Crafts: How A Cricut Machine Keeps Kids Off Screens

After months of unbearable heat, it looks like we’re set for a long weekend of rain and thunderstorms. Boo!

If you’ve been planning a barbecue this weekend, you might want to rethink, because you’re going to have a lot of indoor time to fill.

If you have children, having the entire family cooped up inside for three days is probably the last thing you called for to end the summer holidays.

Don’t worry, though, because not all hope is lost. You don’t have to hide in separate rooms to get through the weekend, or pop the kids in front of a movie.

While recent research by Playmobil shows that 28% of children turn to screens when they’re bored, we have a better idea: crafting.

What better way to get them in the right headspace and soothe those back to school jitters than by getting their creative juices flowing?

I recently got a Cricut machine, which can print and cut your very own custom designs on your choice of paper, and it sent my imagination into overdrive.

There is so much to be made, and it’s easy enough to use with kids so that they can customise all their worldly possessions before they return to school. Stickers for their notebook? Check. A custom book mark so they don’t have to dog ear library books? Check.

Once you have a Cricut machine (I went for the Joy 2) all you have to do is open the Cricut design space and then the world is your oyster: you can design anything you want together, and they’ll be able to make as much as they want as long as you have the right materials.

If you want to keep them away from their phones this weekend, it’s the ideal tool to play with, and you can even plan ahead to Halloween or Christmas by making custom decorations or cards while you still have the time!

To get your mind whirring, here are five craft ideas to make with kids this back holiday weekend:

If your kids aren’t quite old enough to use a Cricut machine themselves, you can always make fun and customised craft materials for them.

Upload a family photo to Cricut Colouring Pages, and the app will instantly print your photo as a colouring page.

You can even choose the design – from manga, to caricature, or a simple line drawing.

Get your hands on some iron-on Cricut fabric, and you’ll be able to make your very own stickers for your kids’ backpack.

Every kid at school is going to have a brand new bag, but no one will have one quite like theirs.

There are thousands of designs to choose from, from their name (so they don’t lose everything) to flowers, dogs, or your own custom design.

The puzzle books you buy in shops are nice and all, but if you’ve ever wished you could get one personalised exactly to your kids’ interests, this is your lucky day.

You can use the Cricut design space to make an entire activity book with word searches, crosswords, and puzzles that include hints about their favourite interests and activities.

Here’s another idea for little ones: you can make matching cards by cutting out pieces of card using your machine, then cutting out a few symbol designs.

You’ll need to make sure you cut two of each symbol, so you have a set of matching cards, and it’ll be great for their concentration and memory retention.

It’s not just their backpack and water bottle that mark the new school year, refreshing their bedroom might give them a renewed sense of inspiration, too.

Space junkies will love stars, planets, and aliens cut out from glow in the dark vinyl, or you could go for flowers or trees for a more woodland-inspired look.