31 Arts and Crafts for Kids to Make at Home
By: Highlights Editorial
Grab your scissors, glue sticks and a sprinkle of imagination—it’s time to get crafty! These 31 arts and crafts ideas are perfect for any occasion, from a rainy day to a sunny weekend, and sure to inspire big smiles and even bigger ideas.
Crafting isn’t just about making cool creations—it helps kids build important skills like patience, problem-solving and fine motor coordination. With a little help from you, kids can enjoy these easy art projects that mix fun and learning. Best of all, it’s a great way to spend time together, playing and laughing along the way.
We’ve gathered some of the most exciting craft ideas that will spark curiosity and creativity while keeping little hands busy. Gather your supplies and get ready for an adventure in art and fun!
1. Pompom Ice Pops
Craft pretend ice pops using colorful pompoms, craft sticks and glue. Kids can get creative and come up with their own "flavors" while practicing their fine motor skills. Bonus: no sticky mess, but all the fun of “ice pops”!
2. Homemade Clay
Make your own clay with simple kitchen ingredients like baking soda, cornstarch, water and food coloring. Kids can mold and shape the clay, learning basic math and science while letting their creativity shine. This DIY clay is chemical-free, making it safe for even the littlest hands. The baking process adds an extra layer of excitement, and kids can keep their creations as treasured souvenirs or gifts for family members.
3. Dinosaur Feet
Be the first to roam the earth—or the first to roam the house in the morning—wearing these three-toed dinosaur feet! You’ll need craft foam, scissors, glue and paint to create this prehistoric art project. Perfect for costumes, parties and themed playdates.
4. Flower Pens
Transform a simple pen into a vibrant flower using plastic flowers and floral tape. Kids can tape flowers around the pen, boosting their motor skills and sparking curiosity about nature. This creative, functional craft adds a personal touch to everyday items!
5. Ooey Gluey Suncatchers
Using glue and food coloring, kids can create beautiful suncatchers to hang in a sunny window. This activity allows kids to experiment with colors while practicing patience and hand-eye coordination. This low-mess activity produces cheerful results kids can be proud of.
6. Mail a Hug
Help your kids send "hugs" to loved ones far away. Use our free printable pattern to create a paper hug and assemble using glue, markers and scissors. This heartwarming craft combines creativity with an important lesson in empathy and connection.
7. Goofy Robots
Cardboard boxes and a little imagination can turn into amazing robot creations. Kids can decorate their robots with stickers, foil and buttons while learning about shapes, coordination and problem-solving. It’s also perfect for family teamwork, as everyone can contribute ideas to build and customize their rootin’-tootin’ robots.
8. Homemade Finger Paint
Make safe, non-toxic finger paint at home with sugar, water, cornstarch and food coloring. This is a great sensory activity that lets kids experiment with colors and textures while exploring their artistic side.
9. Water Microscope
Turn recycled materials into a simple water microscope! Build this water microscope with your child using items like a large googly eye, paper cup and water. This hands-on project is perfect for curious kids who love science and exploring the tiny details of everyday objects. Using a water pool to create a convex lens, the microscope bends light to magnify objects like leaves or flowers.
10. Create a Castle
Build a castle fit for royalty! Download a castle template and use scissors, glue, and markers to create your own royal realm complete with two dragon friends. Kids can add their own details to personalize it while improving their fine motor skills.
11. Cardboard Tube Telescope
A paper towel roll becomes a telescope with a little paint and creativity! This easy craft helps kids explore and notice their surroundings differently. By decorating the roll with colorful paints or stickers, kids can personalize it and make it their own. Younger kids can use it for bird-watching adventures. Meanwhile, older kids can use it to stargaze at dusk, observing distant stars and planets.
Make a Cardboard Tube Telescope
12. Recycled Guitar
Turn a shoebox and some rubber bands into a working guitar! This activity teaches kids about sound and music while letting them decorate their instrument however they like. Younger children can use scraps from leftover crafts to add a personal touch, while older kids can add a tube neck and tuning pegs to explore how string length and thickness affect sound.
13. Paint with Bubbles
Enjoy creating bubble-paint masterpieces outdoors by mixing dish soap, water and non-toxic paint. Kids will love experimenting with colors and learning about bubbles while creating beautiful abstract designs.
14. Paper Plate Spin Art
Turn a simple paper plate into a canvas for spinning art! Kids create mesmerizing patterns by spinning a paper plate with washable paints. Spin art introduces basic physics concepts like centrifugal force while encouraging creativity. Kids will love the element of surprise as each spin creates a unique design. For younger kids, discuss changes in the paint pattern before and after spinning. For older kids, challenge them to create a maze on the spun plate. The spin art can become a keepsake or gift, inspiring artistic pride.
15. Easy Sidewalk Paint
Turn your driveway into a giant canvas with homemade sidewalk paint. Mix cornstarch, water and food coloring, then let kids create murals, write their names or draw shapes. This activity is perfect for outdoor play, and cleanup is a breeze with water.
16. Decorate a Time Capsule
Create a family time capsule to remember this moment. Include photos, letters and small mementos that represent your child’s interests today. Seal the capsule and set a date to open it in the future, making it a fun and meaningful project.
Make and Decorate a Time Capsule
17. String Puppet Plane
Make a marionette-style airplane using cardboard, string and paint. Kids can decorate their plane with markers, stickers or glitter. Then they can use it for play or as a unique room decoration. This craft introduces basic engineering concepts like balance and motion. It’s also great for improving hand-eye coordination as kids manipulate their plane using strings.
18. Make Your Own Block Prints
These prints delight young artists and parents with simple materials like foam sheets and paint. Cut shapes out of the foam, and press them into paint to stamp unique patterns onto paper. Block printing is an introduction to textile art and pattern design. It encourages kids to think creatively and experiment with repetition, symmetry and color.
19. Colorful Butterflies
Turn folded paper into vibrant butterflies with watercolors, scissors and ribbon. Let kids explore distinct patterns, colors and textures as they create their unique designs. This craft builds fine motor skills and teaches symmetry. It’s also a fun way to spark interest in nature, as kids can compare their creations to real butterflies.
20. Toy Camera
Make a pretend camera using cardboard, markers and stickers. Add a small box or roll for a "lens" and let kids personalize their cameras with designs or even a pretend "flash." This craft encourages imaginative play and storytelling. It’s also an opportunity for hands-on learning about basic photography concepts, like perspective and framing.
21. Paper Filter Flowers
Transform coffee filters into beautiful flowers with food coloring, water and waxed paper. After decorating the filters, press the filters between waxed paper to blend the colors. Once dry, shape them into flowers and secure them with chenille sticks. This craft combines art and science as kids experiment with color mixing and creates a lovely decoration for the home.
22. DIY Sidewalk Chalk
Making your own sidewalk chalk is easy and enjoyable. Mix powdered plaster with water to create custom sidewalk chalk. Add liquid tempera paint to the mixture for colorful chalk. Once dry, let kids unleash their creativity outdoors. This activity teaches kids about the chemistry of hardening materials while allowing them to create a useful art tool. It’s perfect for encouraging outdoor play and large-scale creativity.
23. Monster Puppets
Maybe the monster under your child’s bed is just an old sock ready for transformation! Turn socks into playful monster puppets using googly eyes, yarn and fabric scraps. Let kids invent personalities and backstories for their puppets and use them for storytelling or puppet shows. This craft encourages recycling and helps kids see the creative potential in everyday objects. It also supports social-emotional learning as they develop characters and express feelings through play.
24. Beachy Creature Feet
Kids can design their own funky flip-flops, incorporating art and creativity by using plain flip-flops, colorful craft foam, scissors and glue. This craft adds flair to their wardrobe and helps practice precision as they assemble their designs. Wearing their custom footwear, kids can imagine themselves in an underwater adventure.
25. Green Gobbler
Create a jointed green gobbler creature using cardboard, paper fasteners and paint. Add moving parts like arms, legs, or a mouth to make the gobbler interactive and fun. This craft introduces kids to mechanical concepts like joints and hinges. It also fosters problem-solving skills as they figure out how to assemble the moving parts.
26. DIY Building Blocks
Cut sturdy cardstock or recycled cardboard into interlocking shapes to make custom building blocks. Kids can create houses, towers or even abstract sculptures by slotting the pieces together. Building various structures helps develop fine motor skills and creativity, offering endless possibilities for imaginative play and learning. It’s also an eco-friendly activity that turns recycled materials into hours of creative fun.
27. Bubbles and Bubble Wands
Witnessing bubbles capturing sunlight is magical. Make your own bubble mix by combining dish soap, water, and either glycerin or corn syrup. Create wands from household items like plastic lids. This activity encourages creativity and teaches basic science, promoting outdoor play and enhancing motor skills through playful learning.
28. DIY Mailbox
Turn a cardboard box into a personalized mailbox with paint, stickers and markers. Use it for writing and delivering "letters" to family members or as a fun way to organize small items. This craft is a wonderful way to nurture emotional connections by exchanging thoughtful notes or drawings.
29. Paper Bag Village
Transform paper bags into a miniature village with free printable pages of houses, shops and more. Kids can color and customize them, then tape onto bags to create a vibrant town. This activity encourages imaginative play and introduces basic urban planning concepts. It’s also a fun way for kids to practice fine motor skills and organization.
30. Paint Up a Storm
Let kids brighten a rainy day by painting a storm! Gather brushes, sponges and paints to create vibrant art. This activity allows kids to express emotions through art while learning about weather patterns. They can also paint themes like "A Sunny Day After the Storm" to illustrate brighter moments and learn weather concepts that produce beautiful results.
31. Pool-Noodle Village
Kids can unleash their creativity by constructing a vibrant pool-noodle village, using foam pieces to create houses, bridges and characters. This activity explores architectural concepts and encourages teamwork and storytelling. The soft nature of pool noodles makes it safe for all ages and promises hours of fun!
Crafting is more than just a way to pass the time—it’s an opportunity to create, learn and grow together. Each project in this list offers kids the chance to explore their imaginations, develop new skills, and even learn a little about science, history or art along the way. Whether you’re building castles, painting with bubbles or designing a time capsule, these activities are sure to bring joy to your home.
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