The benefits of crafting with young children are endless. Crafting helps kids improve their fine motor skills, develop hand-eye coordination, and foster creativity and self-expression. The good news is you often need little more than the supplies you probably already have lying around your art drawer or closet. As an important bonus, crafts often spark conversations about the importance of upcycling since many of them require scraps of cardboard, egg cartons, and other items that might otherwise be tossed in the trash or recycling bin. Ready to get started? Check out our favorite easy crafts for kids of all ages!
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Easy Crafts for Toddlers
1. Cupcake Liner Flower
Grab your beginner scissors and help your toddler learn to cut while creating an adorable craft. Gather those unused cupcake liners, construction paper, glue, crayons or markers, and pom-poms, and then get crafting!
Get the tutorial: Summer Flowers Paper Craft at My Bored Toddler
2. Leaf Painting
Bring kids on a nature walk before getting started on this art project so they can pick out their favorite leaves. Once you’ve assembled a wide variety of leaves, have kids dip them in acrylic paint to use as a stamp. Finally, have them press their leaves onto white card stock.
Get the tutorial: Leaf Painting at Growing a Jeweled Rose
3. Monster Craft
This is a simple craft that requires little more than the arts and crafts supplies you probably already have. Googly eyes, buttons, sequins, sparkles—they can all be used so kids can really personalize their monsters.
Get the tutorial: Easy Monster Craft at Toddler Approved
4. Handprint Christmas Tree
We love to have some easy crafts for kids that are perfect during the different seasons and holidays. We especially love crafts that use your toddler’s oh-so adorably tiny handprints.
Get the tutorial: Handprint Christmas Tree at Kids Activities
5. Bubble Painting
This project is probably best suited to the outdoors since it can get a little messy! Add paint, dishwashing soap, and water to some cups and then give your little ones straws to blow the colorful bubbles onto card stock. But be careful! You’ll need to remind little ones to blow out and not suck in the paint and soap!
Get the tutorial: Bubble Painting at Our Little House in the Country
Easy Crafts for Preschoolers
6. Popsicle Stick Snakes
The possibilities for customizing these snakes are endless since kids can color each Popsicle stick, draw on them, or glue buttons or other odds and ends to them. We especially love the idea of using Velcro dots to hold each of the sticks together.
Get the tutorial: Snake Craft at Natural Beach Living
7. Pool Noodle Boats
If you have old pool noodles lying around, then this is the craft for you. Before doing this craft with a class, use a knife to cut a pool noodle into several small pieces to be used as the base of the boat. Purchase some washi tape in different patterns so the kids can decorate their straws. Finally, add a sail made from foam sheets.
Get the tutorial: Pool Noodle Boats at The Best Ideas for Kids
8. Tissue Box Monsters
Another monster craft, but this time a little more complicated for slightly older kids. You can teach kids about recycling (save those old tissue boxes!) while fostering creativity with this adorably scary craft. Have kids paint the tissue boxes any color they choose, and then once dry, they can attach googly eyes, pom-poms, teeth, etc.
Get the tutorial: Tissue Box Monsters at The Best Ideas for Kids
9. Train Name
We love that this craft also teaches students how to spell their names—a valuable lesson in preschool! The clouds made from cotton balls are also a sweet touch.
Get the tutorial: Train Name at Entertainment Junction
10. Egg Carton Animals
These egg carton animals are so adorable and they present a good opportunity to teach your students about recycling. Have them save their families’ egg cartons and bring them into school in the weeks before the project. Once you have enough, have kids decide on what animal they want to create. Finally, have them paint and decorate their own little creature!
Get the tutorial: Egg Carton Animals at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
11. Sticker Collage
All you will need for this simple craft are some dollar-store stickers and paper. Kids will have fun creating their own collages regardless of whether they choose to create a realistic scene or something more abstract.
Get the tutorial: Sticker Collage at The Artful Parent
12. Pasta Necklace
Macaroni necklaces are a staple of any list of easy crafts for kids. Pick pasta that can be easily threaded once painted.
Get the tutorial: Painting Pasta at Pickle Bums
13. Handprint Witch
This is the perfect way to teach kids tracing and cutting while creating a fun craft.
Get the tutorial: Handprint Witch at A Matter of Style
14. Black Sheep Craft
Introduce your students to the nursery rhyme “Baa Baa Black Sheep” before doing this craft. Then you only need things you probably already have like construction paper, glue, scissors, googly eyes, and chalk.
Get the tutorial: Black Sheep at I Heart Crafty Things
15. Pipe Cleaner Rainbow
Pre-cut the pipe cleaners before doing this craft with your child or students. We love easy crafts for kids like this one that also work on fine motor skills. Kids will be challenged to thread the pipe cleaners through the holes in the cloud and then twist each loop closed.
Get the tutorial: Pipe Cleaner Rainbow at Preschool Inspirations
16. Press-Painted Apple
The process this project uses to create these perfect apples is unique and fun for kids. Start with several cups of paint in red, green, and yellow and then drip blobs of these colors onto paper. Then, take some cardboard apples and dip them into the paint blobs. Finally, let them dry, add a stem and leaf, and add kids’ names!
Get the tutorial: Press-Paint Apples at Twitchetts
Easy Crafts for Elementary Students
17. Toilet Paper Cars
Have your students and friends and families save scraps of cardboard and toilet paper or paper towel rolls so you have plenty of supplies to make this cute craft. Students should paint their rolls however they like and then cut out and paint wheels. Finally, assemble all the pieces together!
Get the tutorial: Toilet Paper Racer at Scholastic
18. Funny Fans
First, have your students draw funny faces on a piece of paper. Then, have them fold the paper in a way that creates a fan shape. Finally, attach a clothespin and wrap twine around it to serve as the handle.
Get the tutorial: Funny Fans at Scholastic
19. Avengers Bookmarks
Some easy crafts for kids, like this one, require little more than some paint and jumbo-size Popsicle sticks. Have plenty of books on hand that show the Avengers characters so your little readers can choose who to make their bookmark resemble!
Get the tutorial: Avengers Bookmarks at Crafts by Amanda
20. Craft Stick Airplane
Kids will be delighted to create their own airplanes using just Popsicle sticks and clothespins. Have plenty of paint colors, sparkles, etc., so kids can really personalize them!
Get the tutorial: Popsicle Stick Airplane Craft at Crayola
21. Spider Puppet
Of all the puppet crafts we’ve seen, this one certainly takes the cake! Your students will get a kick out of making their spider puppets come to life.
Get the tutorial: Itsy Bitsy Spider Hand Puppet at Hands On as We Grow
22. Pet Rock Tic-Tac-Toe
Have kids go on a nature walk to find a bunch of rocks to paint before beginning this craft. Next, have them draw lines on their tic-tac-toe boards and paint their rocks in two opposing designs to stand in as X’s and O’s. Then enjoy a game with friends!
Get the tutorial: Pet Rock Tic-Tac-Toe at One Creative Mommy
23. Paper Plate Dragon
Kids love paper airplanes and dragons so why not try this craft that combines the best of both worlds? We love that you need little more than paper plates and some basic art supplies.
Get the tutorial: Paper Plate Dragon at All Free Kids Crafts
24. Paper Plate Hot-Air Balloon
Another paper plate craft, but it is just too cute not to include. The hardest part of this craft is weaving the basket for the bottom, but if it proves too complicated, you could just cut the base and paint it.
Get the tutorial: Hot-Air Balloon Craft at Our Kid Things
25. Pipe Cleaner Bubble Wands
This idea is so simple, but the possibilities are truly endless. Give your students a wide variety of pipe cleaner colors and designs and watch as their imaginations take flight. Finally, take them outside and let them try their homemade bubble wands in a dish of bubble soap.
Get the tutorial: Bubble Wands at Scholastic
What are your favorite easy crafts for kids? Come and share your ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Plus, get ideas for great auction art projects!
