Arts & Crafts

31 Arts and Crafts for Kids to Make at Home

By: Highlights Editorial
Three pompom ice cream treats.
For All Ages
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Curiosity
Fine Motor Skills

 

Break out your scissors, glue sticks, and googly eyes! Here’s a list of 31 arts and crafts for kids to make with just a little help from you. Inspired by the Highlights Book of Things to Do!

1. Pompom Ice Pops

Make these fuzzy and fun pompom ice pops for a colorful play-pretend treat!

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Three pompom ice cream treats.

 

2. Homemade Clay

Make your own clay with four simple ingredients. It’s that easy—and that fun!

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Funny creatures made of clay.

 

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!

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Dinosaur feet made from craft foam.

 

4. Flower Pens

Take an ordinary pen and transform it into something beautiful—a bouquet of flowers!

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Ballpoint pens with sunflower embellishments.

 

5. Ooey Gluey Suncatchers

Who knew you could make such cool crafts for kids with just glue and paint!

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Framed sun catcher art.

 

6. Mail a Hug

Download these free printable patterns so your little one can mail a hug to someone special!

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Foldable cards that look like sloths holding hearts.

 

7. Goofy Robots

Kids can sharpen their fine motor skills by transforming rectangular boxes into rootin’-tootin’ robots.

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Robot toys made from small cardboard boxes.

 

8. Homemade Finger Paint

Mix up a batch of finger paint with ingredients you already have at home.

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Homemade finger paints in small containers.

 

9. Water Microscope

Get crafty and build a DIY microscope out of recycled materials!

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A disposable cup turned into a magnifier.

 

10. Create a Castle 

Use this free printable to create your own desktop castle, complete with two dragon friends.

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A printable castle and dragon characters to play with.

 

11. Cardboard Tube Telescope

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! This play-pretend telescope will help your kids look at things in a whole new way!

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A play telescope made from decorated cardboard tubes.

 

12. Recycled Guitar

Upcycle an empty shoebox and watch your little ones explore making music with their very own homemade guitar! 

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A child playing a guitar made from a box and rubber bands.

 

13. Paint with Bubbles

Take art time outside and make bubble-paint masterpieces.

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Splatter art made with bubbles colored with food coloring.

 

14. Paper Plate Spin Art

Spinning a plate to make art? Yes! It’s one of the easiest (and most fun!) crafts for kids.

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A painted paper plate and bottles of paint.

 

15. Easy Sidewalk Paint

When paper isn’t big enough for your little artist, move to the sidewalk.

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A child painting with homemade sidewalk paint on the pavement.

 

16. Decorate a Time Capsule

Can’t save time in a bottle? The next best thing is to save some of your family’s memories today to enjoy in the future.

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A neat box holding keepsakes.

 

17. String Puppet Plane

Help your kid take off with this plane marionette craft.

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Two airplane marionettes.

 

18. Make Your Own Block Prints

These easy-to-make prints produce a beautiful, finished product.

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An art print made from shapes cut out of foam trays.

 

19. Colorful Butterflies

When children make little butterflies, it’s a fine-motor-skills celebration, packaged as pretty play.

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Butterflies made from painted watercolor paper and chenille stems.

 

20. Toy Camera

This toy camera is perfect for little ones who are not quite ready for the real thing.

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Toy cameras made from cardboard boxes.

 

21. Paper Filter Flowers

Encourage your kids to experiment with different combinations of colors in this classic craft.

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Large paper flowers made from coffee filters.

 

22. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk

Who knew that making chalk was so easy?

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Homemade sidewalk chalk.

 

23. Monster Puppets

Maybe the monster under your child’s bed is just an old sock waiting to become a star in monster theater! 

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Hand puppets made from socks and old gloves.

 

24. Beachy Creature Feet

Make funky flip-flops to match your favorite beach creature.

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Flip-flops with foam add-ons that look like creature feet.

 

25. Green Gobbler 

Your kids will learn about joints and hinges by putting together this make-it-yourself green gobbler craft.

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A hinged grabber toy made from cardboard and metal paper fasteners.

 

26. DIY Building Blocks

These interlocking cards are simple to craft and have lots of construction possibilities!

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Interlocking cards made from cardboard with slots cut in the sides.

 

27. Bubbles and Bubble Wands

Make a soapy mix and wands from items you have around the house, then head outside and blow!

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A jar of homemade soap bubbles and homemade wands.

 

28. Make a Mailbox

Use this mailbox to send your kids reminders and cheerful messages!

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A cardboard mail box.

 

29. Paper Bag Village

Download our free printable pages and tape them to bags to build a tiny town your little ones can call their own!

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Paper bags with printed shop fronts glued to them.

 

30. Paint Up a Storm

Here is a fun way for kids to ride out a rainy or gloomy day: let your little artists paint up a storm!

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A child peeling washi tape from a watercolor painting.

 

31. Pool-Noodle Village

What kind of village do the kids want to create? Just use your noodle!

Can't get enough crafts? Find 500+ more activities for your kids to discover, explore, and create in our Highlights Book of Things to Do!

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A preschooler playing with buildings made from pool noodles.
Author Photo
By: Highlights Editorial