Fun and Easy Crafts to Make with Kids

Creativity and imagination are two important qualities that need to be developed in children when they’re still young. As they grow older, their creativity and imagination will help them navigate through life and find and appreciate the beauty of it.

Many people believe that both qualities are inherent. It’s both true and false. Some are born exceptionally gifted with creativity and imagination. But whether people are gifted or not, creativity and imagination are like muscles. They need to be exercised to develop.

Doing arts and crafts is a good way to foster creativity and imagination in children. Arts and crafts involve coming up with design ideas, creating things from scratch, and looking for ways to improve something, among many things. In short, making arts and crafts exercises their creativity and imagination.

It has tons of other benefits too. Making arts and craft improve children’s motor skills and teach them patience, as well as how to follow instructions. It’s also a fun and productive way for children to spend their time. For parents, arts and crafts time is a way to bond with their children and build a closer relationship with them.

With that said, here are 10 fun and easy projects that adults can do with kids to foster their creativity and imagination.

Origami

Origami, known as the art of paper folding, involves creating a variety of shapes, from living things to non-living things, using paper and folding techniques. Origami doesn’t require much preparation and materials. All that are needed are colorful square papers and folding instructions for various shapes.

There specially made papers for origami, and they come in different sizes. But if there’s no time to buy some, any paper can be used as long as it isn’t too hard to fold. Text papers, construction papers, and recycled papers can all be used to make origami shapes.

Instead of making random shapes, children can fold origami animals and create a zoo to make it more fun and interesting. Learn how to fold them by following these step-by-step instructions.

Greeting Cards

Arts and crafts provide children with avenues to express their feelings, especially toward their loved ones. An example of this is card making. Kids make greeting cards to give to their parents or friends to show their love and appreciation. While making cards, kids also practice their creativity by coming up with designs to make their work attractive.

Like origami, card making is a relatively hassle-free craft that kids can do, even with minimal adult supervision. It doesn’t usually involve complicated steps and special materials to make greeting cards. All you need are papers and the basic art supplies (e.g., coloring materials, stickers, and decoration tapes).

Sock Puppets

Socks don’t have to be thrown out as soon as they turn old and loose. They can be used to create something fun and interesting like sock puppets. Kids can make sock puppets of book characters and act the out the characters’ scenes using their puppets to spice up story time.

Making sock puppets may require more skill than card making or origami does, but it’s not impossible for young kids to do. In fact, it’s a good way for them to hone their fine motor skills.

Sock-puppet making also doesn’t require that many materials. The basics are socks, googly eyes, felt, and yarn. The felt can be used to cut out clothes, accessories, and body parts, like eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The yarn is used to make the puppet’s hair. Other materials may be needed depending on the complexity of the design.

Watch these video tutorials to learn how to make different sock puppets.

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween isn’t complete without jack-o’-lanterns! They’re basically the symbol for the holiday. Jack-o’-lanterns are made from (you guessed it!) pumpkins. The fruit (or vegetable, depends on whom you ask) is hollowed out and carved to create the traditional jack-o’-lantern seen decorating many front lawns during Halloween.

The process of making them is pretty simple, but it requires a lot of time, care, and patience to make the perfect jack-o’-lantern. It can get messy, though, so it’s better to lay down some cover or old newspaper before starting.

Pumpkin carving is one of the things that make Halloween so fun for children (on top of dressing in scary or interesting costumes and getting free candies). When you’re all done making the scary-looking pumpkins, you can use the guts to make different pumpkin treats.

Christmas Balls

Christmas is a time for great festivity, so there’s nothing amiss with getting carried away with decorations. Christmas balls are some of the most ubiquitous decor pieces during the season for many reasons. They come in many sizes, colors, and designs. They’re customizable as well.

Making customized Christmas balls is a good craft activity to do for kids at the start of the season. It’s a way to get them pumped up for the holiday and involve them in preparing for the celebration. Plus, it doesn’t require much in terms of materials. You only need ready-made clear Christmas balls and your favorite craft supplies (e.g., glitter tapes, paint, color markers, and laces) to make them.

Kids can have fun painting the glass balls in different designs, covering them in glitter, or adding embellishments to make the decor more festive.

Gift Wrapping

Here’s another craft activity that’s perfect for the holiday season and special occasions. Gift giving is already a tradition done to celebrate an occasion, but it’s not only reserved for those time. People also give gifts on ordinary days as a gesture of appreciation and a show of thoughtfulness.

A gift will not be complete without the pretty packaging. It makes presents more exciting to unwrap, especially when they've come in uniquely styled wrappings. Gift wrapping is a useful skill that kids should learn. It will help refine their motor skills, and it’s a good start to teach them how to wrap their books and different items later on.

Easter Egg Decoration

One of the most loved holidays by kids, Easter means a lot of fun activities, like egg hunting. Of course, the holiday isn’t complete without Easter egg making. It’s another activity where kids can unleash their creativity and have fun making original designs.

Moreover, Easter egg making is relatively simple to do, and it doesn’t need special tools or skills. Anyone can practically do it if they have an egg, paint, and a paintbrush.

Glass-Bottle Decoration

Here’s a great, not to mention eco-friendly, way to deal with old glass bottles. Turning glass bottles into decorative pieces needs very few materials, just your arts and crafts supplies, and some creativity. It’s also safe and easy for kids to do.

They can enjoy decorating glass bottles using paint, glitters, stickers, and all kinds of embellishments. Then they can proudly display their work at home to add some character to the interior.

Beaded Bracelets

Making beaded bracelets is a craft activity that is perfect for kids who have a keen sense of style. It allows them to pursue their interest in fashion and start developing their personal style. Plus, it fosters their creativity and exercises their motor skills.

Unlike other craft activities, they get to proudly wear their own work so it can be incredibly rewarding for them to do. Making beaded bracelets is more fun when it’s done with a group of friends. Then you can make bracelets for one another as a sign of your friendship.

T-Shirt Painting

Kids love to show off things that they made with their own hands. They are sure to enjoy designing their own shirts. They can have lots of fun working with colors and getting their hands dirty. Then they get to wear their work when it’s done.

Before you start, cover the area with old newspapers to avoid making a big and possibly permanent mess on the floor and furniture. Paint is bound to get everywhere, especially your clothes, so everyone should wear old clothes or aprons.

Doing arts and crafts has many benefits for children. It exercises their creativity and imagination and gives them an outlet to express their feelings. It also helps develop their fine motor skills and teaches them important life values, including passion, patience, perseverance, and effort.

Not just that, it also helps them practice traits and skills, like the attention to details, problem-solving, and following instructions, among many others. The best part? They get all these valuable things and have a lot of fun at the same time!

What types of crafts do your kids love to make?