Why Mums Need Craft Time Just As Much as Kids - Mouths of Mums

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Article Why Mums Need Craft Time Just As Much as Kids

February 5, 2026

17 Comment

As mums, we’re so good at making sure our children have time to play, create, and explore. We sign them up for art classes, set up craft tables, and encourage them to get messy. But somewhere along the way, we stop giving ourselves that same permission.

As adults, there’s still a part of us that loves to play, laugh, dream, and be silly. That part never goes away. It is our inner child.

I was reminded of this last December when I took my girls to Disneyland Paris. It was our first white Christmas in Europe, and at the end of the day there was a big parade where all the Disney characters came out, waving to the crowd.

Before the parade started, everyone squeezed into position. Mums lined prams up to the side. Kids gathered at the front. And then full-grown adults stepped right in front of them.

At first, I thought it was rude.
And then I saw their faces light up.

One by one, the characters we grew up with came to life. Mickey. Minnie. Donald. These adults weren’t just watching a parade. They were fulfilling a childhood dream.

My girls have only known Disneyland for four to six years. These adults had waited 20, 30, even 45 years for this moment.

That is when I realised our childhood dreams don’t die. They grow with us. When you honour your inner child, when you see her, delight her, and give her the experiences she always wanted, it brings a next-level kind of joy.

That trip inspired me to start Inner Child Joy. There is so much joy in doing the things we used to love, or always wanted to try. The same way we feel a little nostalgic thrill when we see a Peaches ’n’ Cream Barbie, smell scratch-and-sniff stickers, or can’t help twisting a pipe cleaner when we see one.

So I thought, why don’t we do those things again? Who says adults can’t play?

Inner Child Joy is about honouring your inner child. Being present. Giving yourself permission to play and have fun. In the same way you would do anything for your child to feel fulfilled and happy, Inner Child Joy asks you to offer yourself that same grace.

Many of us grew up being the “good girl.” The ones who listened, who didn’t speak back, and sometimes didn’t even speak up. Who stayed neat, polite, and sensible. Who coloured inside the lines. Who never used the special stickers.

Those good girls became women who wake up thinking about the to-do list. Women who put themselves last. Who carry the mental load of making sure everyone is okay and everything gets done. The list never ends.

We are human beings, not human doings.

As mothers, especially when we are raising little girls, something else is awakened in us. We are given the chance to reparent ourselves, to care for our inner child while we care for them. How beautiful it is to give our daughters the opportunities we never had, and to say the things we always wanted to hear.

There is a little piece of us inside our daughters. They remind us to look for magic in unexpected places and to find joy in the small things.

Play is not frivolous. It is medicine.

Honouring your inner child doesn’t have to mean therapy or deep emotional work. It can be simple, everyday moments like:

  • Asking your inner child to pick your clothes for the day
  • Sitting on the floor and playing Barbie with your kids
  • Colouring in while they do
  • Letting things be messy without stress
  • Going on the swings, skipping, running, or dancing

Every time you do one of these things, you are letting your inner child know she matters.

When women come to an Inner Child Craft workshop, I invite them to leave their to-do list and worries at the door. It is a safe, relaxed space where nothing is expected of you. I ask women to bring a photo of themselves as a child, a reminder of who they were before the world told them who to be.

We sit together and create. We make a beautiful mess. We colour outside the lines. We play with stickers, pipe cleaners, ribbons, trinkets, gems, fabric, and hot glue guns. The joy comes from using our hands to get out of our minds, from allowing things to be messy, and from creating without pressure or purpose, simply for the joy of it.

Everyone leaves with a little goodie bag, the way kids do after a party. There are sweet treats, laughter, and space to breathe. Something special happens when women sit side by side creating. We connect.

We talk. We realise we’re not alone in what we carry.

This isn’t about being creative or productive. It is about joy.
You can come on your own to a women’s workshop, or share the experience and quality time with your daughter at a mother-daughter workshop.

It is just as important to show our kids that adulthood isn’t only about work, bills, and laundry, as it is to show them that there is a part of us that never grows up. A part of us that still loves to play, imagine, and have fun.

Honour that part of you. It may just bring you a little joy.

Inner Child Joy is hosting a Galentine’s Day Workshop on Saturday, 14th February, you can check out all of the details here.

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Comments

  • I’ve always said that everyone needs a creative outlet…or three! We were born creative and there are so many benefits of creating. It’s therapeutic, we can gift our creations to others or enjoy them ourselves, we can have friends visit and have fun doing creative things & we can share our creative hobbies with our children and show them that there’s more to life than a screen!

    Reply

  • 100% agree that mums and dads need some craft time too to get in touch with their inner child. How else are they gonna be able to relate to their kids more? Adulting is joyless–most of the time–robbing us of that precious childlike perspective. The more parents do “silly” things with their kids, the more they are able to know what truly makes their child happy and moments memorable.

    Reply

  • I love this! I love doing arts and crafts with my children and I know plenty of other adults who would enjoy this. The mother daughter workshop sounds like something my daughters would enjoy. They are always looking for a girls day out. I will definitely checking this out in the near future.

    Reply

  • A lovely article. You’re never too old to learn a new craft or revisit an old hobby that once was a favourite. I really enjoy sitting with my daughter while she sews on her sewing machine my parents gave her. Im not confident using the sewing machine. Nowadays, she actually teaches me how to sew. Priceless!

    Reply

  • Oh man I just found a new hobby !
    Recently my eldest was given 3 Conja birds from the secret Santa at work. She was so upset because she already has a bird and now she has 3 extra lives to take care of whilst she also works and goes to uni and extra cost for a good sized bird cage and bird toys.
    I felt for her and started making bird toys and now I’m addicted, honestly I can’t stop and have so many ideas

    Reply

  • I love sitting with my daughter and colouring in and painting, it is a great way to relax and have some down time together doing a fun activity. It isn’t often that we can get time to just stop and bring out our inner child so moments like that can be so great.

    Reply

  • We were lucky enough over the weekend to come across some terrific clearance bargains. We purchased paint and stickers and craft board and paper at a bargain price. We will be engaging in creative time over the coming weekend and making Easter cards and Easter craft which is always such fun!

    Reply

  • I agree with all this article (accept the adult standing in front of those already lined up lol). I always tell myself that I do craft with the grandkids for them but maybe it is not so. We all have a great time together. I love having a girlfriend over for sewing day as we are great encouragement (and help) for each other.

    Reply

  • Ohhh i love this!! My inner child absolutely loved craft and art but never had that outlet growing up. Now i love watching my kids do it as i get to live through them and watch their creativity blossom and grow in ways that make me so proud! Its definitely one that brings joy

    Reply

  • This sounds like my kind of nightmare! I despise messy play for myself! So much that I have to delegate the messy play to my husband. I like the idea in theory of letting yourself acknowledge your inner child. I can definitely agree with that and like the alternative suggestions to messy play for it.

    Reply

  • I have always loved messy play and have never ever fit the stereotype of being quiet. I still love messy play and love being creative and always explore new mediums for being creative. I have tried and still engage in a variety of arts and crafts projects both inside and outside of the house.

    Reply

  • A very well written article. So often as mums we think about everyone else first and put ourselves last. We are the caretakers, always doing the responsible thing. Sometimes it’s fun to just let loose and be a kid. I love climbing on all the play equipment with my kids. I know they appreciate it too.

    Reply

  • My absolute favorite way to wind down is to be artistic and paint or draw. It has become a hobby that has gotten a bit out of control because my house is full of beloved paintings now!
    I encourage the kids to be bored and find creative outlets through art.

    Reply

  • I used ot scrapbook. Now I am more focused on handmade cards. I make cards for people’s birthdays and also for people if they want a card. I find it so much fun and a great stress reliever. It is fun doing crafts. Awesome idea! So muich fun!

    Reply

  • Yes totally agree with most of this article. I always loved and still love creating things. As a child I loved to draw and paint and I’ve been sewing, knitting and crocheting since primary school age. As a young adult I did some hat making and jewelry too. I loved doing crafts & draw with te kids when they were young. And when me my mum, sisters and our kids meet we always organise a crea-day, which most often is painting together.
    I can’t appreciate adults standing in front of the children as much neither

    Reply

  • I agree with most parts of this article, except standing in front of kids. As a short girl, I find it hard to see past taller people, let alone a child. I know it’s not the main point here, but they could sit at the front easily and see it all.
    But I absolutely agree with letting yourself find joy in things that can be looked at as for children. I love all things crafty and finding time to indulge in it

    Reply

  • Well honestly I do think it’s rude for adults to stand in front of kids- they can see over their heads, after all! Yes, I know that’s not the point of this article. I don’t know that I’d call it inner child, but I do agree that relaxing and letting the playful side of you loose is a good thing for you.

    Reply
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