The best craft kits for kids to keep them entertained for hours (or three minutes)

Spending time at home gives you a great excuse to get those creative juices flowing with your little ones. Whether your kids love colouring in or painting, pom-poms and glitter, or creating jewellery, there are countless crafting kits online to spark your imagination and keep the family occupied for hours.

(Or, just for three minutes while you make yourself a cup of tea but not long enough to drink it while it's hot - we know those days too).

But, don’t worry, we understand that crafts can often mean making a dreaded mess. Thankfully, we’ve found a whole range of craft kits for kids, most of which come in a handy little box for tidying away after the fun.

Related: The benefits of crafting with children

That doesn’t mean you have to colour within the lines, though. Get ready to break out the felt tips, feathers, stickers, tissue paper and get creating. Soon you’ll have your own personal art show that you can show off to the grandparents on FaceTime. Here are the best craft kids for kids you can buy online today...

How does crafting help your child develop?

Playing games and crafting with your toddler may just seem like a bit of fun, but according to a senior lecturer in the Psychology of Education at Cambridge University, it is far more beneficial than teaching them to read and write at a young age.

Speaking to The Times at the Lego Idea Conference in Denmark, the developmental cognitive psychologist and former primary school teacher said:

'There's a big job to be done in terms of parental education. If you want your child to do well at school, then spend time with them in early life.

'They need episodes of shared attention, doing puzzles, reading books or playing with building blocks.'

Research shows that play leads younger children to become ‘self-regulated learners’, instilling an enjoyment of solving problems. Furthermore, children are better equipped with dealing with failure.

Although reading is valuable, it is not the ‘key’ skill for toddlers. ‘Instead, the parent can share something they love, such as making cakes or tinkering with engines; the key is partly sharing the enthusiasm but mainly the conversations you have with the child while doing it.’

‘The best advice is to play with them and have fun - anxiety is the killer of learning,’ he added.

Which craft kits would you recommend for children? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!