How to try diamond painting with your family: 5 best tips
COVID-19 started spreading worldwide over 8 months ago, being under quarantine is no longer news - and chances are you're running out of activities to do with your family at this point! Nature walks? Done. Board games? Done. Movies? Done.
Well, we have some good news. You're not quite all used up. Why not try diamond painting?
Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking - diamond painting may be great, but it's not really a family activity. But that's where you're wrong!"
While arts and crafts are great for solo activities, they're also fun to do with a group. Diamond painting is a great way for kids (and adults) to compare designs, encourage each other's creativity and work as a team. It's also one of the few activities suitable for all ages, ranging from 6 to 120!"
If you still have doubts, here are some tips to keep in mind.
1. Plan everything in advance
We don't like to put people in boxes - but if we did, we'd say there are two types of people in the world. Those who plan everything, and the others.
Depending on which type you are, we have good news or bad news: you're going to need a plan to get started on diamond painting as a family.
This doesn't mean you have to set the exact time you're going to start and finish and what chair everyone is going to sit in. But if you want to avoid arguments, it's probably best to decide ahead of time who does what, especially if you have young children.
There is a simple option here and a difficult one. You can either save yourself the stress of any drama by giving everyone their own kit, or you can arrange to work on a kit together.
Both methods can work well, but if you go with the second option, make sure you all agree on who will paint which part. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that deciding who will handle the unicorn's mane and who will handle the unicorn's body is a trivial matter!
2. Make sure everyone is on board with the kit
Perhaps even more important than deciding who covers which part of the kit is knowing which kit you're going to work on. You need to choose a design that motivates everyone!
This can be tricky if your kids are of different ages and genders, but you can always reach a compromise by agreeing to work on one child's favorite kit today and the other child's favorite kit tomorrow. It's worth it, right?
If that doesn't work, you can always give everyone their own kit.
3. Work together, not separately
This may contradict some of our previous suggestions, but we'll say it anyway. Diamond painting really is a lot more fun when you work together as a family on the same kit!
Even if you start using different kits, you should definitely try at least these. Just make sure you buy lots of extra pens and choose a larger kit to make this possible.
4. Relax
"Relax" may seem like the simplest possible tip in theory, but many people find it the most difficult to implement. Sitting back and smiling while you watch your child mix colors, spill diamonds or not paint the pattern "correctly" will be a challenge for some people. But it's a challenge you're going to have to overcome.
Forget the manners! The point of it all is fun, you'll have great memories.
5. Play music
This might help you relax. Instead of sitting there in silence and feeling the tension rise, put on your favorite songs (or rather, the kids' favorite songs) and start grooving.
Better yet, why not let everyone pick some of their favorite songs and create a playlist dedicated to "diamond painting"? That's why it always pays to plan ahead.
What are you waiting for?
As you can see, it really doesn't take much to start having a great time with diamond painting. Once you've found a design that everyone agrees on and created the right atmosphere, the hardest part (somewhat ironically) is simply relaxing!
Trust us; once you persuade everyone to start diamond painting for the first time, they'll all get hooked immediately. You might as well start clearing wall space now, because soon you'll have more finished paintings than you know what to do with!