50 Easy Crafts for Kids to Boost Their Creativity
That’s right — a list full of easy craft projects that’ll save you from hearing “I’m bored!” every five minutes.
21 Easy Kids Craft Ideas Using Stuff You Already Have at Home
With everything going on in the world right now, there’s one thing all of us parents are in need of (aside from a stiff drink, that is) — activities that’ll keep our kids busy while they’re away from school…enter kid crafts. That’s exactly why this weekend, I started pulling together a long list of easy crafts for kids, knowing that my two will be home for a while.
Because I don’t want to constantly be ordering oodles of craft supplies on Amazon or venturing out to find a certain color of glitter for a project, every single easy kids crafts idea I added to my list uses stuff I already have around the house.
Sure, I love doing kid crafts with my kiddos, who are 8 and 4, but you know what else I love?
Easy projects that don’t require me to do tons of planning or spend a lot of money.
And every single one of these easy craft ideas for kids fits my criteria.
Let’s raise a glass of your favorite mom beverage to that, shall we?
Easy crafts for kids: The supply list
Nope, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: Every project on my list requires minimal supplies, and I’ll bet you already have most of the stuff needed sitting around in a craft closet.
That’s right — a list full of easy craft projects that’ll save you from hearing “I’m bored!” every five minutes.
We’re working one craft project in every day during their regular “school” time — think of it as an art class-type break.
Here’s the list of supplies you’ll need. If you have these, you and your kids can make every single project on my list.
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The must haves:
- White paper plates
- Toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- Colored construction paper
- White construction or printer paper
- Popsicle sticks
- Glue or tape
- Scissors
- Kid-safe paint, crayons or markers (some projects call for paint while others use markers, but the reality is that you can use any of these three with ANY of the projects below)
The optional stuff:
- Googly eyes (optional — you could easily draw eyes on instead of purchasing these)
- Assorted pom poms (optional — again, this won’t make or break your project)
- Tissue paper squares (optional — you could easily cut colored construction paper into squares, too)
If you’re like me and don’t want to physically drive to the store to pick up these supplies, the good news is that they’re all available on Amazon:
50 Easy Crafts for Kids to Boost Their Creativity
Fun, quick and creative art projects to keep little ones entertained at home or at school.
Crafting is one of the best ways to boost a child’s creativity. Whether you’re looking for spring crafts, summer crafts, fall crafts or winter crafts, there’s a DIY project out there that’ll keep them entertained for hours. Think toilet paper frogs, yogurt animal cups, craft stick airplanes, cardboard suns and more! To make it easy to sort through the endless list of DIY art project ideas online, we’ve rounded up the best easy crafts for kids right here.
Every age group can benefit from an amazing day of crafting at home or at school — working with their hands can help preschoolers and toddlers develop fine motor skills and increase their confidence with sensory activities like making hand drums and filling bottles with colorful glitter. They can paint to their heart’s content, crayon and draw smiling faces on their craft stick octopuses, animal bookmarks and pom-pom monsters (one of the Halloween-inspired crafts on the list). Many of these ideas are straightforward enough for little ones to try with supervision — however, some projects may require more hands-on assistance. But the good news is you can find most of the supplies (buttons, glue, tissue paper, coffee filters and paper plates, for instance) right in your craft box, ready to be put to use.
On our list, you’ll find the best craft project options for kids from popular DIY blogs as well as a few of our favorite holiday-specific crafts, including options for Earth Day and Father’s Day. And since it’s never too early to plan, we’ve also included some crafts for the holidays, since Thanksgiving and Christmas are always great times for kids to get crafty. Say goodbye to boredom!
Embellished Bow
Mike Gaten
Here’s a quick way to take a basic straw basket to the next level! Kids can embellish bows with iron-on patches and stenciled monograms. Help them create their own bows using a 3″ wired ribbon or purchase a large one to design. Then, use fabric glue to attach the decorative patches.
Monster Windsocks
Crafts by Amanda
This is a great group project for the kids. Let the kids cut, fold and draw on cardstock to create wide-eyed monster windsocks for the backyard.
Paper Flowers
Mike Garten
They’ll enjoy making these colorful paper flowers to decorate their bedrooms. They’ll first fold dyed cupcake liners in half and cut out petal and fringe shapes. Have them fold a piece of floral wire in half and twist it around the faux flower stamen. Poke the wire through the center of three to four paper liners. Finish it off by wrapping floral tape around the base of the liners and bringing it all the way down the stem.
Paper Bag Kite
Typically Simple
Spring is the perfect time to fly a kite. Luckily, kids can make their own with paper lunch bags. Let them embellish the bags with stickers, washi tape, paint and any other accessories. Then, work on attaching the yarn and streamers so the kite will be ready to fly.
Carrot Treat Cones
Mike Gaten
Easter may have passed, but that doesn’t mean this carrot treat cone craft should too! To make, you’ll need to print out our carrot template. Then gather the essentials: coffee filters, orange paper, double stick tape, green craft paint, twine, a clothespin, a wire hanger, paper towel and scissors.
- Mix a few drops of green craft paint with water until it reaches the consistency of milk. Soak coffee filters in the paint mixture until fully saturated (you can do this simultaneously).
- Squeeze out excess paint and lay the filters flat to dry on paper towels or hang them from a hanger with a clip or clothespin. Download our template and trace it onto orange paper.
- Cut out and roll the template into a cone shape, adhering the sides with double stick tape. Cut out the center of the painted coffee filters.
- Attach the remaining paper to the inside edge of the cone with double-stick tape. Fill the “carrot” cone with small treats and tie twine around the top to close.
Dinosaur Nightlife Terrarium
Crafts by Amanda
Transform mason jars into terrariums fit for mini plastic dinosaurs. It also makes a creative nightlight for kids who are still scared of the dark.