Easy Crafts for Kids: 30 Simple Ideas by Prep Time

Easy crafts for kids don't need a trip to the craft store. Most of the 30 ideas below use paper, glue, crayons and things you'd normally throw away, like cardboard tubes and egg cartons. They are sorted by prep time so you can pick one that fits the time you have, from five minutes to a full afternoon.

Craft box basics

You can do almost everything on this list with a small kit:

• Paper (plain, construction and cardboard)
• Glue sticks and white school glue
• Child-safe scissors
• Washable markers, crayons and paint
• Masking tape
• Yarn or string
• Googly eyes and pom-poms (for kids over three only)
• Recycled items: cardboard tubes, boxes, egg cartons, bottle caps, jars

Cover the table with newspaper or a plastic cloth, and put an old shirt on any child who is painting. For toddlers, skip small items, since beads and googly eyes are choking hazards under age three. See activities for toddlers for safe options.

Five-minute crafts (almost no prep)

1. Crayon rubbings. Put a leaf or coin under thin paper and rub with the side of a crayon.
2. Sticker scenes. Give a blank sheet and a sheet of stickers, and let them make a picture.
3. Handprint animals. Trace a hand and add eyes and details to turn it into a bird, a tree or a monster.
4. Torn-paper mosaic. Tear colored paper into pieces and glue into a simple outline.
5. Paper chain. Cut strips, loop them and tape or glue the ends.
6. Fold-and-cut hearts. Fold paper in half, cut half a heart and unfold.
7. Marker tie-dye on a coffee filter. Color with washable markers, then spritz with water and watch the colors spread.

Ten- to fifteen-minute crafts

8. Paper plate face. Glue on paper features and yarn hair.
9. Cardboard tube binoculars. Tape two toilet paper tubes together and decorate them. Add yarn for a strap.
10. Paper bag puppet. Draw a face on a lunch bag and slip a hand inside.
11. Bottle cap magnets. Glue small pictures inside bottle caps and a magnet on the back, with an adult doing the gluing. Skip for children under three.
12. Pasta necklace. String large tube pasta on yarn. Paint the pasta first if you like.
13. Paper fan. Fold paper accordion style and pinch the bottom.
14. Pinecone bird feeder. Spread peanut butter or seed butter on a pinecone and roll it in birdseed. Check for allergies in your family or neighborhood.
15. Sun catcher. Cut a frame from construction paper, tape clear contact paper inside and press on tissue paper pieces.
16. Sponge painting. Cut sponges into shapes, dip in paint and stamp.
17. Cotton ball clouds. Glue cotton balls onto blue paper and add raindrops with a marker.

Thirty-minute crafts

18. Paper boat and a bathtub race. Fold boats and race them in a tub. Find folding steps in our paper crafts for kids.
19. Egg carton caterpillar. Cut an egg carton in half the long way, paint it, and add pipe cleaner antennae and eyes.
20. Salt dough ornaments. Mix flour, salt and water, roll, cut shapes, and bake. Paint when cool.
21. Painted rocks. Wash and dry smooth rocks, then paint them with patterns or faces. Seal with a clear spray if an adult handles it.
22. Collage self-portrait. Cut faces, hair and clothing from magazine pages and glue them together.
23. Cardboard box robot. Use small boxes for the head and body, foil for details, and tubes for arms.
24. Friendship bracelets. Braid three strands of yarn or thread beads onto string, for ages 7 and up.
25. Scratch art. Color a page with crayons, cover with black crayon, and scratch a drawing with a toothpick.
26. Handmade cards. Fold paper and decorate with stamps, drawings or collage.

Craft and coloring combos

27. Color-your-own bookmarks. Print a coloring page, color it, cut it into strips and laminate or cover with clear tape.
28. Coloring page mobile. Color several animals, cut them out and hang them from a hanger with string. Browse animal coloring pages or dinosaur coloring pages to start.
29. Mandala fan. Color a mandala page and fold it accordion style into a fan.
30. Custom coloring book. Collect favorite pages, add a cover and staple. The custom coloring book tool can help, or follow our guide on how to make a coloring book.

Quick guide by age

Recycled craft ideas

You can save these items in a craft bin all year:

Tips to make crafting easier

• Do a quick demo. Show one step at a time, and let kids make it their own.
• Pre-cut for little ones. Cut shapes ahead so they can focus on gluing and decorating.
• Use a tray. A baking tray with a rim keeps small pieces in one place.
• Give a choice of two. "Do you want to make a puppet or a boat?" works better than an open invitation.
• Don't fix their work. The point is the making, not the result.
• Keep a drying spot. A clear shelf or a clothesline with clips works for wet paint.
• Save everything for a week, then pick a few favorites to keep. Photographs of the rest take up less space.

Seasonal craft ideas

Looking for something for a particular time of year? Try fall crafts for kids, Halloween crafts for kids, Thanksgiving crafts for kids or Christmas crafts for kids.

For a rainy afternoon, see rainy day activities for kids. Teachers planning a class celebration can also use ideas from 100th day of school ideas.

Make your own coloring page for a craft

A custom coloring page can be the base for many crafts. Describe a scene to the AI coloring page generator, or turn a photo of your child's drawing into a clean outline with the photo to coloring page tool. Both use credits, so many families save them for special projects like cards or gifts.