From Art Play Club to Your Kitchen Table: Why I Created Bundabubs Create at Home DIY Art Kits
The story behind two new DIY art kits for kids — and what 20 children taught me while testing them.
For the last few years, I've spent a lot of time watching children create. I've watched children arrive at Bundabubs knowing exactly what they want to make. I've watched others hover for a little while, looking around the room before deciding where to begin. I've seen children carefully follow an idea, completely change their minds halfway through, mix colours they definitely weren't supposed to be mixing according to any colour chart, and proudly hold up something that looks nothing like what they originally planned.
And I love all of it. Because for me, creativity has never really been about producing the "right" finished piece of art. The doing is the most important part.
That idea sits at the heart of everything I do at Bundabubs, and it's also where the idea for my new Create at Home range began.
I wanted to find a way to take some of what happens in a Bundabubs session and put it into a box that families could open at home. Not just art supplies, not a craft where every child is expected to produce exactly the same thing. But an actual creative experience.
And, as I discovered, putting that experience into a box involved a lot more thinking, testing and tweaking than I initially imagined.
Bringing a little bit of Bundabubs home
When children come to a Bundabubs session, I'm there with them.
I can demonstrate something, answer a question, notice when someone is unsure and change the way I explain it. I can offer a little help when it's needed and step away when it isn't. At home, I'm obviously not going to be standing beside them. So I started thinking about how I could create something that offered children that same feeling of support while still giving them ownership over what they were making.
That eventually developed into two quite different creative experiences: Bundabubs Paint Along and The Bundabubs Art Play Kit.
Paint Along is the more guided of the two. Children choose from one of my paintings — currently Turtle, Butterfly or Sunset — and work through illustrated step-by-step instructions to create their own version. But I didn't want it to feel like a traditional painting tutorial where the goal is to copy my painting as closely as possible. The instructions give children enough information to understand what to do next, but there is always space for their own choices. Change a colour. Add something. Leave something out. Make your turtle look completely different to mine if you want to. Follow along. Make it your own.
The Art Play Kit sits at the other end of the spectrum. There is no painting to recreate. Instead, children open a collection of carefully chosen art materials and decide what happens next. Open it up. Explore the materials. Create your way.
They are different experiences, but the thinking behind them is exactly the same. I want children to enjoy creating.
But would it actually work without me?
This was the big question. It's one thing for me to look at a set of instructions I've written and think they make perfect sense. It's another thing entirely to hand them to a six-year-old.
So before I was comfortable turning these ideas into products, I needed children to actually use them. Around 20 children aged between six and ten helped me test different parts of the Create at Home range. That included my own children, children from Art Play Club and a group of six and seven-year-olds at a birthday party. We tested the paintings. We tested the materials. We tested the instructions. And eventually, we tested the experience as a complete kit. I learned a lot.
Lesson one: excited children do not calmly examine the contents of an art kit
I probably should have predicted this one. The kits were put in front of the children and they were VERY ready to get started. Everything came out. Immediately. Paints were grabbed. Brushes were moved. Materials ended up everywhere. Things got mixed up. There was very little of the calm, methodical "first I shall examine the contents of my kit" behaviour that might have existed in my imagination. But this is exactly why testing with actual children mattered. I wasn't designing something to look beautiful sitting on a table. I was designing something children were actually going to use. Their excitement showed me where I needed to make the experience clearer and easier to navigate. It also reminded me of something I already know from running Bundabubs sessions: what adults think children will do and what children actually do are not always the same thing.
Lesson two: simple isn't always simple enough
This was probably the biggest change that came from testing the Paint Along instructions.
There were moments when children needed me to explain what I meant. Nothing major. But enough to make me realise that some of the language I thought was simple could be simpler. So I went back to the instructions. I changed the wording. I looked at them from the perspective of a child rather than an adult who already knew what the next step was supposed to look like. Then we tried again.
I didn't want the instructions to rely on a grown-up standing beside the child translating every step. Younger children may still need help with reading, setting up or colour mixing, of course, but I wanted the actual painting process to feel as accessible as possible.
And once I had refined the language, something surprised me. The children understood far more than I expected them to without my help.
Watching them Paint Along
Most of the children were quite happy to follow the painting instructions.
Some changed colours. Some added their own details. Others simply enjoyed working through each step and watching their painting gradually come together.
Creative freedom doesn't always have to mean doing something completely different. Sometimes a child wants to follow instructions. Sometimes there is confidence in knowing what comes next. Sometimes the enjoyment is simply in painting, mixing colours and watching a blank canvas slowly turn into something they recognise.
The freedom comes from knowing that the instructions are there to help, rather than to judge. Their painting doesn't have to look exactly like mine for them to have done it "properly." The tutorial provides the starting point. What they do with it belongs to them.
Nearly an hour of painting, creating to their favourite songs - maybe I should add a link to our playlist?!
One of my favourite things to watch during the testing was how absorbed the children became.
With their favourite music playing, they painted for almost an hour. They talked. They painted. They checked the next step. They mixed colours. They looked at what everyone else was creating. And they kept going.
There didn't need to be constant adult entertainment or another activity waiting five minutes later. They were engaged in the process.
That calm, absorbed creative time is something I see regularly at Bundabubs, and I really wanted the kits to create an opportunity for that at home too. Put on their favourite playlist, set everything out and give them time. You might be surprised by how long they stay there.
Then we tried the Art Play Kit
Testing the Art Play Kit was different because there was nothing for the children to follow. This one was completely open-ended. They had paints, brushes, paper, colour-mixing pots, glitter, gems and other materials in front of them, and the invitation was simply to create.
They loved it. There is something very different about watching a child realise that nobody is about to tell them what their picture needs to look like. They can explore. They can experiment. They can follow whatever idea appears.
This is the kind of art play Bundabubs has always been built around, so finding a way to bring some of that freedom into a kit was really important to me.
And there was another very popular part of the Art Play Kit — the frame. Once they'd finished, the children could choose a painting to put into their frame and show it off. I loved seeing that little moment of pride at the end. The frame isn't there because the finished product suddenly becomes more important than the process. It's there because after all that experimenting and creating, children deserve the opportunity to say: look what I made.
Putting the complete kit to the party test
One of the final and most useful tests was seeing the kit used for an actual birthday party. This mattered because I wasn't the one running it. A parent needed to be able to open the materials, understand what to do and confidently facilitate the experience herself.
The group was made up of six and seven-year-olds, and afterwards I received this feedback:
"The set was so well organised, instructions very clear, there is nothing I could fault! I'm so glad I stumbled across you during my search to host an art party. I've had many friends reach out asking who supplied the materials and have happily passed on your details."
She also shared:
"Gabbie at Bundabubs supplied me with a complete art kit to host my daughter's birthday party at home, and it was a huge success for the group of 6 and 7 year olds. Everything was perfectly organised with clear instructions and everything I needed. Gabbie was incredibly responsive and accommodating throughout the entire interaction. I would highly recommend reaching out to her if you are looking for an art themed party."
That feedback meant a lot because clear and organised was exactly what I had been working towards. I know what it's like trying to organise activities for children. If you buy a complete kit, I don't want you discovering halfway through that you need another six things from the shops. I want the creative part to be the fun bit for the children without creating another huge job for the grown-up.
Tested by children, changed because of children
I think this is one of the things I love most about how these kits eventually came together. They weren't created entirely behind a computer. Real children used them. They got overexcited. They mixed everything up. They misunderstood some of my wording. They showed me which parts made perfect sense without any help. They changed colours and added details. They followed instructions when they wanted to. They created completely independently when given the Art Play materials.
And I watched. Then I changed things.
That process is actually very similar to the way I facilitate Bundabubs sessions. I can plan an experience, but the children always tell me something once they're actually in it. Not necessarily with words. I watch what they reach for. Where they hesitate. What they understand immediately. Where they need support. What holds their attention. Then I adapt. The children who tested these kits helped shape the finished versions simply by using them.
So, which Bundabubs DIY Art kits are right for your child?
I've intentionally created two different ways to experience Bundabubs at home because children don't all want the same thing.
Some children love having a starting point. They enjoy being shown how something is made and then having the satisfaction of watching their own version come together. For those children, there's Paint Along. Choose Turtle, Butterfly or Sunset and follow the illustrated tutorial step by step. If you already have plenty of art materials at home, you can choose the digital tutorial and use your own supplies. Or, if you'd rather have everything organised for you, choose the complete Paint Along Kit.
Then there are the children who would rather see a collection of materials and immediately start deciding what they're going to do with them. For them, there's The Bundabubs Art Play Kit. No particular finished painting to aim for. Just beautiful materials, time and the freedom to explore their own ideas.
And plenty of children will enjoy both.
Creativity doesn't have to be complicated
I think sometimes we make creativity at home harder than it needs to be. We search for the perfect activity. We save complicated craft ideas. We worry about whether we have the right supplies. We think we need to know how to teach it.
But children don't necessarily need us to have an elaborate plan. Sometimes they need a starting point. Sometimes they need interesting materials. Sometimes they need a bit of guidance. And sometimes they just need someone to give them the space to get on with it.
That's what I wanted to put into these kits. Not just paint and brushes. An invitation to spend some time creating. To try something. To follow a tutorial or follow an idea. To put on some favourite music and become absorbed in making something for a while. And, hopefully, to finish thinking: I made that.
The Bundabubs Create at Home range
The new Bundabubs Paint Along Kits, Digital Paint Along Tutorials and Art Play Kit are now available through the Bundabubs online shop.
Paint Along Kits and Bundabubs Art Play Kit are available for pre-order and for DIY parties, Digital Paint Along are available now!
Paint Along Kit — everything you need to paint a Turtle, Butterfly or Sunset at home. Pre-drawn canvas, easel, quality paints, brushes, mixing palette, water jar, rag and step-by-step illustrated instructions. Collect from Duncraig, Perth. Suitable for ages 5–12.
Digital Paint Along Tutorial — download and print the illustrated step-by-step instructions and use your own supplies at home. Available anywhere in Australia. Suitable for ages 5–12.
The Bundabubs Art Play Kit — a curated collection of open-ended art materials for children who love to create from their imagination. Paints, brushes, paper, gems, glitter and more.
Collect from Duncraig, Perth, or available as a postal kit Australia wide. Suitable for ages 3–12. Follow along. Make it your own. Or open it up. Explore the materials. Create your way.
Happy creating, Gabbie x
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Bundabubs Paint Along Kit? Each Paint Along Kit includes a pre-drawn canvas on an easel, quality acrylic paints in larger pots, brushes, a mixing palette, water jar, rag and illustrated step-by-step instructions. Everything is included so your child can start painting straight away.
What age is the Bundabubs Paint Along Kit suitable for? The Paint Along Kit is designed for children aged 5 to 12. Younger children aged 3 and 4 may enjoy it with adult support for reading and colour mixing.
Can I buy a Bundabubs kit if I don't live in Perth? Yes. The Digital Paint Along Tutorial is available as a download anywhere in Australia. Simply purchase, download and print the illustrated instructions and use your own art supplies at home. Full kits are only available for collection at this time.
What is the difference between the Paint Along Kit and the Art Play Kit? The Paint Along Kit is a guided experience — children follow illustrated step-by-step instructions to create their own version of one of three paintings. The Art Play Kit is open-ended — children are given a collection of materials and decide what to create themselves. Both are designed around the same Bundabubs philosophy of child-led creativity and process over perfection.
Is the Bundabubs Art Play Kit suitable for a birthday party? Yes. The Art Play Kit and Paint Along Kits have both been tested at birthday parties and work beautifully as a party activity. If you need a kit for a larger group, get in touch and I can help you work out what you need.
Where can I buy a Bundabubs Create at Home kit? Kits are available through the Bundabubs online shop at bundabubs.com.au. Paint Along Kits and Art Play Kits are available for collection from 26th October 2026 from Duncraig, Perth. Digital tutorials are available for download Australia wide.
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