Here are 51 exciting and affordable children’s craft activities to keep your little ones entertained and give parents some peace of mind!
Keep reading for creative ways to beat boredom and have a blast with the kids.
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Kids Craft Ideas
When I first began blogging over a decade ago, I was always careful to make this a safe place, and quite frankly, my happy place.
It was also my hope that this would be a happy place for you to come and visit and be inspired.
With all the uncertainty in the world right now, it’s important to continue to keep this a place you can escape to, even if for just a few minutes.
That being said, I wanted to help in some small way by gathering budget-friendly kids craft ideas to help you keep the kids entertained while on school vacation or if they homeschool.
Kids Boredom Busters
Though my kids are grown, my daughter works at a residential kids facility and was concerned about how they were going to keep the kids busy over the summer.
So I reached out to some of your favorite bloggers to ask for their top boredom busters and craft ideas. I’m so happy to share those with you.
Several of these are perfect for toddlers and there are also some that are great for pre-teens.
I’ve always found that age to be really tough as far as crafting and would love to hear if you have any suggestions for this age group and even young teens.
My daughter’s school is 12-18 yo and I know she would greatly appreciate any ideas.
They do have an arts and crafts day and do a lot of outdoor activities, plus love legos and model airplanes.
Take a look at these ideas and let me know if you plan to try any of them.
Easy Kids Crafts
A collection of fun and creative kids craft ideas and boredom busters that are easy and inexpensive to make.
Repurpose egg cartons into an adorable rainbow craft with this easy step-by-step tutorial.
Kids can choose from a wide variety of colorful and patterned duct tapes to create beautiful flowers, adding a touch of fun and creativity to their day.
Heather from Heathered Nest shows us how easy it is to make colorful pom pom coasters.
Repurpose Starbucks frappuccino bottle vases with DecoArt neon paint.
These paper squishies are so cute and simple to make. A perfect craft for children to make with their parents.
Read on to learn how your kids can make their own diy dream catcher craft with a paper plate.
Paint pouring is all the rage and kids will have a blast making their own DIY paint poured bracelets.
With very simple supplies, you can keep the kiddos busy making their own basketball cup and ball game.
Upcycle an empty plastic bottle into the cutest bird feeder with this DIY tutorial.
See how easy it is to make DIY kids stress balls. You can also add essential oils.
Sun catchers are so pretty and a perfect favorite craft for kids and adults. This project uses budget-friendly marbles found at most craft stores.
Marbled projects are all the rage. Here is a unique way to update seashells in beautiful colors.
This cute and easy butterfly puzzle craft is a great activity for all kinds of kids and budding artists.
Children can gather rocks from their local area and unleash their imagination by painting them with a variety of vibrant colors and unique designs.
Kids can have a blast making adorable bumble bees using mini clay pots, acrylic paint, and various craft scraps!
Discover the joy of crafting simple tissue paper blooms! They're a fantastic project for children to create a delightful present!
These adorable and very easy to paint woodland animals will become a kids favorite. They are so cute!
Looking for a fun family craft idea? Dive into the world of shrinky dinks and learn how to make a cool design that showcases your state pride!
Let your kids have fun, while also teaching them about germs.
Entertain the children with a fast and easy DIY project. All you need are a few balloons, a small plastic bag, and some rice. Voilà! You've got yourself a Ninja Turtle juggling ball!
I used to love making friendship bracelets at summer camp. Pass that tradition on to your kids with this easy DIY.
These adorable mini-mushroom jar terrariums are a delightful addition to your home decor, whether you're looking for a creative rainy day project or a charming party favor to make at your next gathering.
Don't toss those toilet paper rolls! They're perfect for all kinds of arts and crafts. Check out this adorable unicorn creation!
Kids of all ages will love making their own bubble mixture. And this bubble recipe only needs 3 Ingredients!
Pick up some rocks and a few Dollar Store supplies and your kids can make DIY troll painted rocks.
This DIY stress ball or squeeze ball will keep kids busy for hours and they are so simple to make!
Toy Story 4 lovers will have so much fun making this Forky craft!
Teach your kids how to finger knit. It's a great introduction to teaching kids pattern based crafts.
Learn how to make this cute rainbow cotton ball craft for an easy and budget-friendly kids craft.
Kids will have a blast making ladybug painted rocks. They can look outside for the perfect flat rocks first and then paint them!
Lego’s come in so many shapes and sizes making them perfect for printmaking! This Lego craft is a fun and budget-friendly kids craft.
Coffee filters are about as cheap as they come, which means you can give your kiddos a few supplies and set them free!
Here’s a fun way to use up all those toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls and let your kid go crazy with paint or markers.
Give your kids some paper plates to make fun air balloon crafts. They make great canvases because they can hold more ink than regular paper.
Here’s a cute little snail craft you can make with your little one with just a few simple supplies.
Make DIY tissue paper roll rockets to blast off into space! You can do this project as a fun kids afternoon craft.
Make these adorable dinosaur craft for toddlers and preschoolers.
This easy spring craft will keep your little ones entertained. This tie-dye preschool flower craft is so simple
Kids will love this super simple and interactive paper plate craft.
Make a fun family handprints peacock puppet craft with this DIY tutorial.
Kids love painted rocks. This is such a quick and easy painted rock craft for the kids.
Grab a few supplies and have your kids make a bead mosaic frame that also makes a great gift for parents and grandparents.
This rainbow fish craft is great for kids ages 2 & up and you only need dabbers and the free included fish printable.
Using q-tips is a very relaxing way to paint and it’s great for working on fine motor skills.
Let your kids have fun making their own paper kite and decorate it however they like.
Your kids will love making a DIY Cardboard guitar craft inspired by the Disney movie Coco.
Teach the kids how to pound flowers onto paper for beautiful but cheap botanical prints.
These DIY Nintendo favor boxes using a classic gameboy template are so c
Kids will love these cute corner bookmarks and will get totally hooked on making them.
This DIY succulent planter is easy to make and can also be given as a gift to Mom or Grandma.
Older kids will enjoy making their own DIY paper journal. It's an inexpensive craft to make too!
This beautiful glittery, water-filled jar that illuminates and glows in the dark. Kids will be mesmerized by this.
Crafting and creating has always been a great way to relax and unwind for me.
If you enjoy that as well, check out these DIY Easter bunny crafts or these DIY spring wreaths.
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Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting.
I hope you were inspired and found some fun ideas to make with the kids!
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Michelle Leslie
Tuesday 17th of March 2020
The kids are going to love trying some of these, and I'm going to have loads of fun too ;-) Stay safe Michelle
Deana Landers
Monday 16th of March 2020
These are all adorable and easy, Michelle. Going to share this with daughter and ise some for the grandkids come. Thank you