If the thought of glitter and glue makes your stomach turn, these mess free crafts will keep the whole family entertained without the stress!

Whether it’s raining outside or you’ve just had enough of park playdates, there’s nothing like a craft activity to keep little ones entertained. That being said, there is also nothing like a craft activity for making a mess that you will still be cleaning weeks after all the fun has ended. Glitter in the carpet anyone? To take the stress out of at-home activities, we’ve put together a list of our top mess free crafts that don’t compromise on the fun!

Macaroni Bracelets

Classics are classic for a reason and macaroni jewellery has stood the test of time as a foolproof craft activity for all ages. We love this bracelet option which provides a safe and easy alternative – your kids can make as many as they like!

You Will Need:

Tubular Pasta (a mixture of types if possible)
White Vinegar
Food Colouring (a variety of colours)
Soft String/Twine
Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer

Instructions:

Bring a small amount of pasta to the boil and once partly cooked, allow to sit for half an hour. Drain, run under cold water, and then pat the pasta dry. Prepare a mixture of 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and a couple of drops of food colouring in a cup or jug. Using tongs or a thin skewer, gently place the pasta pieces into the mixture to coat in the colour. Set aside to dry.

Our tip is to prepare a big batch of coloured pasta in advance so you always have some ready to go! Your kids will have a blast and be able to practice their fine motor skills as they thread the colourful pasta onto the soft string or twine, particularly if you have a range of colours to choose from. Mixing things up by choosing different size pasta types including macaroni, penne, and rigatoni also adds an extra challenge!

Even though we love this mess free craft idea, if you find yourself faced with a food colouring spill, a quick wipe with a damp Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer will do the trick and any stray pasta pieces can be quickly collected with your Oates Space Saver Dustpan Set in a matter of minutes.

Wind Chimes

We love a craft activity that can also double as a sweet gift for a grandparent or friend and these wind chimes do just that. Best of all, you can collect the sticks while out and about in the park with your little ones, and decorate with leftovers from other crafts. No need to buy any new materials!

You Will Need:

6 – 8 small sticks of similar size + 1 longer stick for the top of the chimes
Coloured ribbon/string/twine
Craft Paints
Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer
Oates Triple Action Flat Mop

Instructions:

Wash the sticks in warm soapy water, using the Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer to remove any stubborn dirt or flaking bark. Allow the sticks to dry in the sun. Let your kids personalise the sticks by wrapping them with string and ribbon, painting on designs with craft paints, and decorating with any other leftover craft materials (we might even allow glitter for this one because it looks so pretty!).

Once the sticks are decorated, leave to dry overnight. Taking the longest stick, wrap a long piece of string around each end to create the hanging string and top of the wind chimes. Using some additional string, attach the remaining sticks to the long stick in a perpendicular pattern to create the chimes. Make sure to place them close enough together so they will bounce off each other in the breeze.

While the goal is for a mess free craft activity, there’s bound to be some paint and glue around after this one! It wouldn’t be fun without a little mess, right? Even so, it’s a good idea to set up in a non-carpeted area so you can give the space a once-over with the Oates Triple Action Flat Mop and be able to sweep, mop, and dry floors in one compact unit!

Container Paintings

This might be our favourite mess free craft of all! What better than all the joy of painting and creating without the need to destroy your table in the process?

You Will Need:

Paper
Containers (slightly larger than paper size)
Paints
Balls (different sizes and weights)
Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer

Instructions

The best part of this craft is that there are very few instructions. Simple place paper in the bottom of the container, give your kids paint and balls, and watch them go! As your kids move the containers around, the paint-covered balls will roll across the page making unique artworks each and every time. You’ll definitely get some fridge-worthy pieces out of this mess-free craft! Once finished, you can simply wipe your container with the Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer and set it aside for the next rainy day.

Have you got a super fun mess free craft that your kids love? SHARE it in the comments!

We are proud to be working closely with the Oates team to bring you this article. We love that Oates is Proudly Australian with quality products and prices that mean all of us can make light work of every mess. Whatever mess you’ve got – big or small – clean up is easy with Oates.