10 Fun Crafts and Activities to do at Home with the Kids
I love crafting with my kids. Yes, it can be a messy endeavor. Yes, it can be more tiring than I'd like to admit, but it allows for bonding time. The children get to have fun and be messy, and I get to be present for all the laughs and the silliness that comes along with it.
I know some people might find arts and crafts somewhat daunting. You might think you need fancy crafting supplies, but you can use whatever is already in the house. The activities below will show you how to transform egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and other everyday objects into crafts. Whatever you don't have can be purchased cheaply at a local dollar store.
At the end of the day, the goal is to have fun with the kids. They won't care if the craft ends up looking great or horrible; they'll just be happy to have spent time with you.
Here are a few of my favourite go-to crafts. You can save these idea for a rainy day, a weekend, a day when the kids might be home sick, or really for any time!
1. Toilet Paper Roll Crafts
Cardboard rolls can be transformed into almost anything with just a little imagination. Use a marker to draw on some clothes and a face, and you’ve got a doll. Glue on some paper wings and pipe cleaner antenna and you’ve got a butterfly. For a jellyfish, glue some long strips of tissue paper to one of the ends. There are so many options. No matter what your child’s interest is, you can find a way to make a simple toy that they can have a lot of fun with.
2. Puppets
Making and playing with puppets is a great way to feed your child’s imagination. You can help them make anything – from animals to people to monsters – all with some ordinary paper lunch bags and markers. If you have googly eyes, feathers or construction paper, you can add extra details. If you don’t have a paper lunch bag, an old (but clean) sock will do the trick. My mom made my sister and I sock puppets back in the day. One of the fondest memories I have of my mother is playing with her and those sock puppets one ordinary afternoon.
3. Finger Painting
If your kids (and you) don't mind getting a bit messy, try out some painting activities. I personally love finger painting because there are so many different crafts you can make. Teach your children about the changing of the seasons by letting their little fingers dab different colour “leaves” on branches of a tree you’ve drawn. They can also dab blue and white dots for snow-topped trees. For a springtime or Easter activity, the kids can make fingerprint petals for flowers, with popsicle sticks for the stems. For a Valentine’s Day card or just for fun, draw the shape of a heart on some white paper and let them dab in some red and pink prints to fill the space. Fingerpainting can make for precious keepsakes. Frame a set of your child’s hand prints and footprints for presents to grandparents and others.
4. Tissue Box Crafts
These interestingly shaped boxes can make for the coolest of crafts. The slit in the middle of the box can be a monster’s mouth. You can even make this educational by getting coloured pom poms and asking your child to feed the monster all the green pom poms and then all the blue ones. You can also draw the letters of the alphabet or numbers from 1 to 10 on small pieces of paper and get your child to feed the monster all the vowels or certain numbers. Another fun and educational activity is to turn the box into a piggy bank where your child can deposit loose change. Activities like this can also be great ways to fine tune your child’s fine motor skills.
5. Clothespin Activities
If you have any clothespins lying around your laundry room, you can use them to make crafts. If you don’t, you can buy a bag of them for a few dollars at a local discount store. Turn them into bugs by adding paper wings. Make a clothespin alligator and get your child to practice the pincer grip. Have the alligator eat things like pom poms or balls of playdough.
6. Paper Plate Crafts
You might have some paper plates lying around after the last party you had. For a simple activity, have your child draw on funny faces. Help them cut the plates into the shapes of animals (like turtles or fishes) that they can colour and decorate. For a somewhat fancier craft, cut out a large hole in the centre of the plate and have your child cover it with different coloured tissue paper to make a sun catcher.
7. Construction Paper Crafts
You can make a million things with construction paper. Here are some of my kids’ favorite construction paper crafts. Cut out the colours of the rainbow and have your child assemble the parts into an arc. This teaches them about colours and shapes. Make caterpillars with colored paper. Cut out circles for the body and have your child glue them together to make a long caterpillar. You can even write letters on each of the circles to spell out your child’s name. My kids also love making masks out of construction paper. They enjoy making animal masks and using glitter and feathers to decorate.
8. Sponge Painting
If you have some sponges in your home, you can make stamp art. Cut up one or two of the sponges into different shapes, such as stars and circles. Get the little ones to dip them in paint and make some art. They can use the shapes to make pictures of flowers and faces, for example. This is a great way to make and decorate a homemade birthday or holiday card.
9. Crafts with Popsicle Sticks and Straws
You can make a lot of easy and fun crafts with popsicle sticks and straws. Make some stick people or a popsicle stick bookmark. You can also cut up and glue some straws together to make a miniature toy house. Popsicle stick frames make for a great gift for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
10. Egg Carton Activities
Egg cartons are another versatile crafting material. They can be transformed into bugs or flowers with some paint and markers. Cut out two sections and link them together with pip cleaners to make for some wonky glasses. Or make some decorative little teacups to use at your child’s next dress up party.
No matter what you choose to do, have fun and be creative. Happy crafting!