Fun and Easy Crafts for Kids

Kristy Pepping said:  If you are stuck inside on a cold, rainy or hot day, make this fun rainbow window craft. Instead of paint, which some suncatcher projects call for, this uses tissue paper or cellophane and dish soap. The prep work is minimal and when you clean it up, you may just have cleaner windows from when you started. From Hands On As We Grow

Kelly R. said:  Homemade stress balls are a satisfyingly squishy sensory toy, and so easy to make with balloons and a filler like flour, cornstarch, play dough or water beads. These ninja ones are such a cute upgrade to the plain balloon version! From Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Kristy Pepping said:  All kids can use some inspiration for sweet dreams, no matter how fast they fall asleep. That's why creating a dream catcher to hang above their beds is a great idea. This craft uses simple household items that can be customized depending on what the child likes. Once assembled, simply hang it up for unique room decor. From The Suburban Mom

Kelly R. said:  Kids can hunt for cool rocks in the backyard or on a walk around the neighborhood, and paint them to look like the veggies you're growing in the garden. Label each one with the name of the plant for adorable homemade plant markers. From Repeat Crafter Me

Kristy Pepping said:  Whether it's planting season outside or not, a fun arts and crafts project is painting terracotta pots. Use an outdoor acrylic paint for extra ease, or just be sure to protect your creation from the elements by coating it with a sealer once you are done. Then, fill your art project with dirt and some seeds and watch it come to life!

Kristy Pepping said:  Little kids love to get their hands dirty during art projects. With this simple painting project, your child will create a butterfly from both their hands. Decorate with beads, feathers, cotton balls or really anything else you have laying around the house. Plus, it acts as a teaching tool for beginner spellers. From Crystal and Company

Kelly R. said:  Kids can cut and link colorful strips of paper together to create a cool snake for an easy paper craft. If you have Very Hungry Caterpillar fans in your house, try making one that looks like him! From Raising Little Superheroes

Kelly R. said:  Thread colorful pony beads onto cord or string to make these fun lizards that can be clipped to backpack zippers or shared with friends. Once kids understand the technique, they can experiment with inventing their own custom pony bead animals! From Sugar Bee Crafts

Kristy Pepping said:  When you have school-aged children, chances are you have brown paper bags. These can double as puppets for an easy craft. And this site even makes it more simple with templates you can print out to create various characters. Simply print out the pieces, cut them out and kids can glue them to the bags to create their puppets. From Aunt Annie's Crafts

Kristy Pepping said:  If your child loves animals and you have a few paper plates laying around, then your kiddo can easily create this craft. They offer step-by-step instructions to making several animals from bears to birds to cows. Simply select your child's favorite animal and start creating! From DLTK

Shila said:  Next time you receive a medium to large-sized Amazon box, reserve the opportunity to make a DIY piñata. Fill the box with candy and seal it back up a few times with duct tape and around the whole box again one time more for good measure. Have the kids glue small pieces of tissue paper on the box in whatever design they wish. Hang in your back yard and whack it safely!

Kristy Pepping said:  Kids will love this fun project. It uses ingredients that you most likely already have in the house like glue and salt. Then you paint over it with watercolors to really bring it to life. The cool part is the colors blend together to create an ombre effect.

From I Heart Arts N Crafts

Kristy Pepping said:  For a fun and unique art project try creating with colored salt. Simply take plastic bags and fill them with salt. Then add a few drops of food coloring to each bag. Shake up until the salt is coated. Once you have all your colors created in separate bags, use glue, and draw a picture on a piece of paper. Then have kids shake the different salt directly onto the glue. This creates colorful works of art!

Kristy Pepping said:  For little ones learning to tell time, this simple art project involves making a watch out of a toilet paper tube. Several watches can be made; each with a different time to learn. Then kids can enjoy decorating the different watches to wear. From Red Ted Art

Kelly R. said:  This cute DIY kite is assembled using a paper bag, string, and a popsicle stick, and decorated with any art supplies you have on hand. It doubles as a fun outside activity on a nice day! From Somewhat Simple

Kristy Pepping said:  Art is part of S.T.E.A.M so why not combine craft time and learning together? This simple art project just needs a piece of paper, pen and some stickers. It will help kids learn to spell their name and use fine motor skills to trace the letters. From Busy Toddler

Kristy Pepping said:  What's more fun than blowing bubbles? Well, creating an art project out of it! For this simple recipe, add three tablespoons of bubble solution and about 8 drops of food coloring. Use can also you two tablespoons of tempera paint for more vibrant colors Mix these two together in separate jars. Then, using straws or bubble wands, simply dip in the solutions and blow them onto paper of your choice.

Kristy Pepping said:  Paper plate tambourines have been a favorite for years and for good reason! This project is simple but can also provide a fun way to add an instrument to a movement video for kids. A couple of plates and something to make noise inside the plates like beans, uncooked pasta or beads and you have an instant homemade instrument! Kids can also decorate the tambourine with stickers, markers or whatever else you have around the house. From Creative Family Fun

Kristy Pepping said:  This is a super fun craft that is also a game! If you have some fridge magnets laying around the house, glue pieces of cardboard to them and create tic tac toe. Kids can decorate the pieces and then they can play on the fridge while you are making dinner! From Make and Takes

Kristy Pepping said:  Stamps are a fun way to make art projects. And really, they don't have to be bought from the store and half the fun is making these from scratch. Look for wine corks, soda caps or water bottle caps around the house. Then you can glue foam shapes to the tops for easy stamps. If you have some leftover foam stickers these can work quite well to create these stamps as well. From Happy Hooligans

Kristy Pepping said:  Who doesn't have cardboard boxes laying around the house headed to the recycle bin? Instead of tossing these out, save them for this fun kid's art project. Pieces of cardboard in this craft are used to create a hanging work-of-art. From Artful Parent

Kristy Pepping said:  A fun project for kids of any age is using tape and paint together. Simply map out a design using tape, paint over it and once dried, remove the tape. My kids like doing this by taping their name and then painting over it. It makes for a nice bedroom piece of art. From Artful Parent

Kristy Pepping said:  If you have some empty tin cans from cooking soup or canned veggies, wash these out and use them for this fun kids' project. Kids can make an easy windsock from a can, some paint and ribbon. Plus you can further decorate it with stickers, gems, cotton balls or whatever else you may have laying around the house. Once it is complete, hang it outside or even on a bedroom wall. From Happiness is Homemade

Alexandra F. said:  Sewing is a great hobby for kids, as well as a practical life skill, and this adorable felt purse is the perfect beginner project for your budding crafter. Not only will kids feel proud to have made something on their own, but they can even use it to keep their pocket change or allowance earnings, too. From The Crafty Needle