Looking for some tried and true craft projects to do with your kids? Here are seven of our favorite kids crafts to add to your must-do list.
We are officially one week into our 100 Day Project and about 9 days into social distancing slash voluntary quarantining due to COVID-19. To say that we’ve been needing something positive to focus our energy on is an understatement. Which is why this project has been a godsend this first week. We’ve made some amazing craft projects already and are looking forward to what the next week holds.
All of the craft projects we’ve been doing are appropriate for PRE-K through elementary school-aged kids. But you know YOUR kid best, so take what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
Here’s a recap of our first week.
Day 1: Egg Carton Fairies from ART CAMP
Anna is obsessed with all things fairies, so this was a perfect starting place for our 100 Day journey. She LOVED making these and asked to keep the extra fairy printouts to make more fairies to play with inside. She had a blast dressing them up, choosing what colors to make them, and even added on things like the baby you see above (because this is Mommy fairy and mommy holds the baby all day long).
You can find the tutorial on how to make there here:
artcampla.com/new-blog/egg-carton-fairies
Day 2: Woven Bowls from The Kitchen Table Classroom
Two things we have an abundance of in our house: yarn and paper plates. So this craft was PERFECT for our current not-leaving-the-house-for-anything situation. We printed out the template and I cut out the triangles from the plates. Anna was gung-ho about the weaving in the beginning and wanted to do it all herself. After about 5 minutes of weaving, she changed her mind and needed some help to get the weaving tight enough to form the bowl and to also help stay on task. In the end, she was really proud of her bowl and loved what she had created.
Just know that your kiddo may need some help to stay the course and/or you may want to break this down into chunks and come back to it if need be.
You can find the tutorial on how to make there here:
kitchentableclassroom.com/woven-bowl-a-diy-with-free-printable-template
Day 3: Nature Bracelets inspired by Simple As That
We were SO HAPPY to get out of the house and explore the great outdoors. And because playgrounds and play dates are off limits right now, going for a walk or hike in the woods was seriously life giving. We rolled a thick piece of tape around our wrists sticky-side out and were off to collect little bits of nature (aka magic) along the way.
I can’t wait to try this one again as the seasons change because of the different things we will find. Spring blooms, anyone!
You can find the original tutorial from Simple As That here:
simpleasthatblog.com/nature-walk-kids-collage-bracelets
Or simply watch the video above for instructions and a window into our Nature Walk.
Day 4: DIY Instruments
I’ve been eying this project for a while now and am fairly certain we tried our hands at the mini lid banjos a while ago. Good thing we have short memories over here, because they were a big hit along with the tin can drums and craft stick harmonicas (kazoos). We even made a little instrument for Mia to rock out with from a mini bread pan and some rubber bands. She’s probably still a little young for it, but it’s a great activity for the littles and provided us with endless fun when Anna was around 1-2 years old.
You can find the tutorial for the mini lid banjos here:
thecrafttrain.com/mini-lid-banjos
You can find the tutorial for the tin can drums and craft stick harmonica here:
tsalwaysautumn.com/kid-made-drum-set-kazoo-easy-indoor-craft.html
Day 5: Making Cookies!
In celebration of making it one whole week self-quarantining AND the fact that it was FRIDAY, Anna and I set out to make a batch of cookies. Since Anna had never eaten a snickerdoodle (she prefers anything with chocolate), I thought they would be a good place to start. Feel free to use YOUR favorite cookie recipe here.
When it comes to making cookies (or anything else for that matter) Anna loves to take the lead, meaning she does all of the measuring, pouring, and stirring while I read her the ingredient list and help her with the cooking terms. I truly love how cooking together boosts her confidence while also teaching her a valuable life skill.
You can find the snickerdoodle recipe we used here:
crunchycreamysweet.com/the-best-chewy-snickerdoodles
Day 6: Marker Watercolors
Making watercolors with markers is something I have seen on Pinterest and Instagram for AGES but didn’t think about doing it with Anna until now. I’m not sure why, considering it couldn’t have been easier (or more fun). Now that we know, it will officially be in our repertoire for a long time to come. The only thing I’d recommend is making sure that your markers are fresh. Our markers were pretty dried out — the hazards of using kids art supplies — so the colors weren’t nearly as vibrant as they could have been.
You can find the tutorial for the marker watercolors here:
itsalwaysautumn.com/cheater-watercolor-prints-using-markers-water.html
Day 7: Slime Time!
Most households have a love-hate relationship with slime. The kids love it because it’s super fun to play with and the grown-ups hate it because of how messy it is. (Ask me how I know this…)
Because I know how much Anna loves slime, I thought it would be fun to make a few different kinds. We ended up testing out THREE different recipes — a traditional glue-based one and two edible versions (pudding and marshmallow).
Today’s video walks you through how to make each version. We share some tips and tricks for making slime and then we put them to the test. A PLAY test, that is. You’ll have to watch to the very end to see which one is our favorite. Spoiler alert: it isn’t what you think. It also isn’t what Anna thinks, as she changed her mind after we finished. ?
Are you a fan of slime or are you team not-in-my-house-thankyouverymuch?
You can find the recipe for traditional glue-based slime here:
hip2save.com/2016/07/23/homemade-slime-recipe-just-2-ingredients
You can find the recipe for pudding slime here:
littlebinsforlittlehands.com/pudding-slime
You can find the recipe for marshmallow slime here:
simplybeingmommy.com/2018/08/31/edible-marshmallow-slime
