Crafts can be a fun pastime for families, especially children who always want to make something unique. However, sometimes you also want your crafts to mean something. Crafting is also a great opportunity to learn something and teach children about subjects like math, geography, distinctive traditions, and the identity of the country.
Luckily, you can have fun with your family and teach them something with these Dutch inspired crafts. These DIY ideas are fun and cheap, so you only need goodwill from family members. Let the imagination run wild.
1. Tulip Craft
The first Dutch inspired craft on our list is a tulip craft. This craft reflects on the absolutely gorgeous tulip season that occurs in the Netherlands. In Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands, from mid-March and through May, flowers bloom in droves and make the landscape even more colorful and beautiful than it normally is. For tulip blooms specifically, look starting in mid-April up through the first week of May.
For the crafted tulips, you’ll need construction paper, some scissors, and some glue. At the most basic level, you can cut out your tulips and glue them onto a piece of blue construction paper to represent the sky behind them.
However, for a more fun finished product, you could always make your tulips 3D. For this effect, you should create multiple copies of your tulip buds and fold and glue them so they pop up off the page. You can also fold the ends of your tulip’s leaves upwards for the same effect throughout the picture.
2. Lighthouse Craft
If you travel around Netherlands, you will see that not only are there plenty of working lighthouse but that there are many that have fallen defunct after decades or more of use as well.
These are so abundant because the Netherlands is located right on the North Sea. So, there are plenty of port towns and ships coming in and out of the area. Lighthouse, over time, have been constructed and used as tall towers with bright lights in them to signal land to ships and guide them to port.
With this craft, though, you can make a lighthouse of your own. For the main tower, your easiest option is probably to stack two styrofoam cups – a smaller one on top of a larger one. On these, you can paint your lighthouse as you please: designed intricately or just white with windows and a door, it’s up to you!
Around the bottom of your lighthouse, you can hot glue rocks into place to represent the rocky shores that lighthouses often sit on. Finally, though, no lighthouse would be complete without a light. You could always paint one on the top or, if you want to go the extra mile, you could glue a battery-powered candle with a clear holder to the top of your lighthouse.
3. Wooden Shoe
A wooden shoe is what is otherwise known as a clog. Fitting with the theme of these crafts, clogs are traditionally Dutch. There are a few differing stereotypes about clogs that are incorrect. For instance, clogs aren’t only for dancing, they aren’t worn daily, and they aren’t simply for the lower or working class.
The earliest versions of clogs are pretty much exactly what you’d expect – a wooden shoe shaped to fit your foot when you wear it. However, there are also modern, more high fashion version of these shoes today. They keep the same basic gist as traditional clogs but might be painted differently or have added details such as heels.
Creating your own clog is a little difficult for the average crafter. What is much more family-friendly, though, is painting a clog. Once your clog is decorated you can use it for anything you like. Using it as a planter is a great and unique touch! Note: You can also make this craft from paper. Check some samples here.
4. Windmill Craft
Much like lighthouses, there are plenty of windmills to be seen throughout the Netherlands. Some of these windmills are even famous for how picturesque they are such as Kinderdijk or the mills of Schiedam which are a few of the largest windmills in the world! There are over a thousand windmills over the Netherlands, making them an iconic piece of imagery.
To create your own windmill, you will want to start with a cardboard tube. You can use this as the main building of your windmill. For the windmill sails, you can use construction paper and popsicle sticks.
5. Bike Paper Craft
Bicycling is a big part of life in the Netherlands. In fact, it is one of the most common modes of transportation in the Netherlands, ranking just underneath using a car. The amount of people who chose to ride bikes as their mode of transportation rises in cities like Amsterdam as well, making it a crucial part of daily life.
Luckily, with a simple pattern and some basic origami skills, you can create a paper bike of your own. When you are attaching the wheels, try using brackets instead of gluing them in place. This way, the wheels will be able to spin even after they are secured into place.
6. Lion Craft
There are a couple of symbols that represent the Netherlands. The easiest to recognize is probably their flag with red, white, and blue stripes respectively from top to bottom. Another symbol of the Netherlands, though, is the Dutch Lion. This symbol, which decorates the Netherlands coat of arms, is often used when representing the Dutch football team.
In this vein, you can make an orange lion for yourself. All you need for this craft is some construction paper or foam sheets and a couple old CDs. The two CDs will make up the face and body of the lion and all you need to do is to build your lion around it. Don’t forget to give your lion an interesting face too!
7. Anchor
As we mentioned when we were talking about lighthouses, the Netherlands borders the North Sea. So, not only can you create a lighthouse as a symbol of guidance for boats, you can also make an anchor.
To complete this craft, you’ll need blue felt, white thread, and some stuffing. You will want to cut out two anchor shapes and sew them together. Before you sew your anchor shut, though, remember to insert the stuffing to give your anchor some extra shape. To make this more special, you can attach custom made tag or ribbon with your child’s name on it. That way you can make a nice pendant and you child can hook it on school backpack.
Crafts can be a fun pastime for families and, especially, for children who always want to make something unique. However, sometimes you also want your crafts to mean something. Crafting is also a great opportunity to learn something and teach children about subjects like math, geography, distinctive traditions and identity of country.
Luckily, you can have fun with your family and teach them something with these Dutch inspired crafts. These DIY ideas are not only fun but also cheap, so you only need good will from family members. Let the imagination run wild.
