My favourite memories from my childhood have always included creating something. My childhood best friend and I kept a shoebox filled with homemade gifts we made for each other. Of course, we have upgraded since then and can finally use our own money to buy much-needed and appreciated gifts, though I can’t help but think about our old gifts every time a birthday or holiday—which we celebrated without fail—has passed. Maybe that’s why I always leaned towards the creative side of life. Below is a list of my favourite childhood creations and hobbies I tried out as a kid; some of them I can still remember how to make and do by heart.
Origami
I was an absolute fanatic for origami—aside from making a crane. As cool as it was, I could never get the technique down, but I have made my peace with it. My go-to origami piece was either a swan or a heart. I remember how exciting it felt when I finally mastered my first origami piece and when I received coloured origami paper as a gift. I remember finishing the booklet within a few days and giving everyone who invited me to their birthday parties a mountain of origami creations. Every time I grab a piece of paper, I feel myself wanting to fold it into a square almost immediately.Â
Paper Flowers
This creation was more recent rather than something from my golden childhood days (back in 2020). While I’m sure there are proper origami methods for making flowers, I didn’t rely on my origami skills to create these. Looking back, this was inevitable. I love flowers and need to take pictures of them whenever I see one, no matter where I am. They are so pretty. I’ve also proven to be quite skilled with paper, given my background in origami. I made so many—both out of boredom and enjoyment—that my mom has an entire vase of paper roses on display on one of our dining tables. I’m sure there is a paper trail surrounding my friends and family in the shape of flowers.
Slime
I know that slime has blown up within the past decade, but my childhood best friend introduced me to it years earlier. The first time we tried making slime, we did not have the right ingredients; the result was a green, floury mess. But that didn’t stop us. We tried over and over again until we found our perfect slime recipe. It was green, slimy, and not too sticky. Now and again, we bring up the topic of slime even though we haven’t made it in years.
Friendship Bracelets
While it is easy to assume that I used beads on a string to make friendship bracelets, it is not how I made them. I created paper flower twists to put onto a stretchy string. It began as an accident while I was trying to make paper stars. A wrong fold led me to twist two paper strips together, and when I glued the ends, I unexpectedly created a pretty flower. No one really understood how I did it, but everyone loved them, and they were easy to make. It was a win-win situation.
Beaded Lizards
Somewhere along the lines of making friendship bracelets and other creations on this list, my childhood best friend introduced me to beaded lizards and showed me how to craft one. From that first day and final knot, I knew it was something special. The lizards were where my beads were going, but I didn’t mind. I had my own way of making friendship bracelets, and the beaded lizards were cool. I brought them to school, and everywhere I went, they were the one accessory I had that made me feel confident back then.
Handwritten Notes
It probably comes as no surprise that ever since I learned how to write in complete sentences, I never stopped. I hadn’t started handwriting notes for other people until high school, but every time I finished writing a note or a card, I was so excited to give it to the recipient. There was a brief moment in time when I would think so hard and spend so much time writing these notes and worry if I was being too much, but I’d let go of that stress because I realized that hardly anyone writes by hand anymore, let alone caring notes. Having friends whom I could write about was too rare to give up, and sometimes I needed to let them know how much I appreciated their presence in my life. Writing was easier than speaking the words out loud since I was never good at conversing with others on a deeper level, not to mention, it made things much less awkward. I still love writing notes to people, but having grown since high school, I no longer give my notes so freely.
If I haven’t made it clear, I absolutely love arts and crafts. To me, there is beauty everywhere, especially if something is handmade. This past summer, I was more connected to my artistic side, making many of the creations on this list. It wasn’t until I started that I realized how much I missed making them. All of them have a piece of my heart and will forever be such a pivotal part of my memories.