47 Easy Crafts for Kids to Do at Home
Rain or shine, these crafts will keep your kiddos busy for hours.
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Whether it's summer break and you need an easy craft project to keep the kids busy, you have a kiddo at home who is not feeling so great and needs some entertainment, or it's raining cats and dogs outside, these fun projects for kids are guaranteed to keep them entertained, happy, and away from the TV (but if you need need a summer movie idea, we have some suggestions)! And during the summer months crafting can keep little hands entertained while you go about your life and do the things you need to do!
There are projects here that will help with their fine-motor skills like the Stitched Paper Cards and Stitched Embroidery Hoops and ones that are just downright fun to make such as Paper Roll Dragons, Seed and Nut Flowers, and Clothespin Dragonflies. If you're looking for something useful, try the grilling apron, picnic blanket, or bandana-covered pots. Need ideas using materials you have around the house check out our ideas for toilet paper roll crafts.
And if there is something or someone to celebrate, we have plenty of gift ideas kids can make, like DIY gifts for grandmas or Father's Day gifts. Dad will certainly appreciate that the kids spent time making them something heartfelt and sentimental, and don't be surprised if they end up on the refrigerator or mantel!
Younger kids may need a bit of help and supervision, especially when hot glue guns or sharp scissors are involved. But there are options here for all ages and abilities, so don't be intimidated by the skill level. Let the kids imaginations run wild and you are sure to love what they come up with!
Check out our Camp Country Living program, too. We guarantee everyone will be competing to get the most badges!
More Fun Crafts for Kids
Make Friendship Bracelets
Whether your kids love Taylor Swift or just making a million little knots with embroidery thread this is the craft for them!
Press Flowers
A jaunt through the yard for pretty colorful flowers will provide the supplies the kids need to get started with this project.
Hand-Penned Garden Stakes
Kids will love writing the veggie names and maybe even drawing a cute picture of the fruits and vegetables.
To make: Drill a small hole in the wood handles and tie hand-penned wooden tags through the holes with twine. Insert the pointy tips into the soil so the markers stand upright. *Coat wood with clear varnish to protect the handwriting from the elements.
Watermelon Pinwheels
This is the ideal craft for kids who love to chomp on sweet, crisp watermelon all season long!
Get the instructions here.
DIY Tic Tac Toe
Kids will have so much fun crafting this game and then playing with their friends once it's complete!!
To make: Use craft glue or Steam-a-Seam to attach lengths of ribbon to a small burlap bag. Gather button to use as the game pieces.
Cardboard Tube Binoculars
Whether your child loves bird watching or spying on the neighbors (kidding!) these cardboard binoculars will keep them occupied for hours.
Pillow Remote Control Pocket
With a clever DIY pillow remote pocket everyone in the house will know exactly where to stash the remote. No more "Mom, where's the remote?!"
To make: Hand-stitch or use Steam-a-Seam to attach a rectangle of fabric to a pillow.
Pool Noodle Ponies
Kids can go as crazy as they want decorating their pool noodle ponies. Once finished don't be surprised if the living room turns into a paddock.
Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Kids will love watching all the birds that these pine cone feeders will bring to your yard! Let the fluttering begin!
To make: Wrap a length of string around the top stem of the pine cone. Fill the opening of the pine cone with peanut butter then roll the whole pine cone in bird seed. Hang outside from a tree branch. Remove and refill as needed.
Printed Dishtowels
Kids will have fun searching around the house for objects to stamp on dishtowels or napkins.
To make: Spread a thin layer of fabric paint, or an acrylic paint mixed with a fabric fixative, on a paper plate. Dip found objects, such as flower-shaped cookie cutters and oversized paper clips, in paint and stamp on dishtowels.
Straw Wreath
If you are having a summer celebration, have the kids help you make a welcome wreath. Use red, white, and blue straws if you are celebrating the 4th or a variety of colored straws to make a wreath that works anytime of year.
To make: Attach different lengths of red, white, and blue straws to a craft ring with low temperature glue gun; layering them until the craft ring is fully covered.
Painted Wooden Bracelets
The kids will show up to school looking like a million bucks with their hand-painted bracelets.
To make: Use acrylic paint or paint pens to paint designs on wooden bracelets. Finish with a layer of Mod Podge if desired.
Cookie Tin Banjo
This DIY banjo is constructed from an upcycled cookie tin (or box) and a few junk drawer staples. Get ready for a singalong!
Painted Terracotta Pots
Hand-painted flowers add color and help elevate a hardware store terra-cotta pot. Once they've painted their pots kids will love planting flowers, ferns, or herbs in their artwork.
To make: Use acrylic paint pens to draw and paint flowers on a terra-cotta pot. When dry fill with a fern or an herb.
Mason Jar Ice Cream
The kids won't need any special equipment, just a little elbow grease, to make this super simple and delicious sweet treat.
Seed and Bean Flowers
Take the kids for a quick trip to the kitchen and a stroll around the yard to gather the materials needed to make these perky beans and seed flowers.
To make: Cut flower shapes from cardboard. Use craft glue to glue beans and seeds to the cardboard. Once dry, use hot glue or tape to attach a thin branch to the back of the flowers. Fill small pot with beans and insert sticks.
Handprint Dish Towels
Celebrate the kids through their growing years by memorializing their little hands on a dishtowel.
To make: Sew or use fusible bonding web to attach ribbon to the bottom of a flour sack dishtowel. Spread a thin layer of fabric paint, or an acrylic paint mixed with a fabric fixative on a paper plate. Have kids press their hands into the paint and then onto the towel. Iron to fix the paint per the manufacturer's packaging instructions.
Coffee Filter Poppies
These DIY flowers are made from dyed coffee filters and pipe cleaners. So easy!! Tip: Make these outside—dye can be quite messy and get into and onto unexpected things.
To make: Dip paper coffee filters in Cherry Red Rit Dye. Lay flat on a cooling rack fitted in a rimmed baking sheet or hang over a drying line. When dry, kink and fold the filters so they have a little movement. Use a dab of hot glue or a glue stick to glue the centers of two filters together to create petal layers. Cut a 6-inch piece of black pipe cleaner and roll into a flat circle; use hot glue to glue to the center of the poppy. Twist three green pipe cleaners together; use hot glue to glue to the back of the poppy. Arrange poppies in bud vases.
Mini Umbrella Wreath
Let the littles help you decorate the house by having them put together a super simple paper umbrella wreath.
To make: Push open cocktail umbrellas into a Styrofoam wreath form. Note: You can use all the colors in the pack of umbrellas or limit the palette like we did.
Celery Print Cards
When you slice the bottom off the head, the shape mimics that of garden roses! (File that under: "Who knew?!") When dipped into a stamp pad, kids can use it to make everything from stationery to pretty tea towels.
To make: Cut 2 to 3 inches off the bottom of a head of celery. Pat the cut end dry with a paper towel. Press the cut end on a stamp pad—choose a classic rose color like yellow or pink, or opt for a personal favorite shade. Place the cut end onto the blank note card, tapping the root side to help make an even print. Once dry, add a sweet greeting.
Courtney (she/hers) has spent the past 5 years testing everything from reusable straws to standing desks to homemade kombucha kits. A longtime reviewer, deals hunter, and lifestyle writer, she currently heads up the American Kennel Club's product review site Retrievest and previously worked as the Shopping Editor for USA Today’s Reviewed. Additionally, she has covered design and lifestyle trends for Apartment Therapy, Domino, SELF, and more. A graduate of Elon University, she loves telling everyone about what race she’s planning on running next while raving about her favorite running headphones (they’re bone conducting!).
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