8 Easy and Exciting Craft Ideas for Kids

Arts and crafts are not only important for keeping a child engaged but also for the overall development of a growing child. Creating things with your hands requires hand-eye coordination resulting in better motor skills. It also instills confidence and encourages creativity. Accomplishing projects and the idea of creation itself provide a sense of pride and satisfaction to a child. It is also a perfect way to help children learn about different important topics like colors, shapes, animals, or planets in a playful way. In this article, I have presented eight easy craft ideas for your kids. They have been created by a talented five and a half year old, Ankan Sadhukhan. He has completed most of these projects alone with minimal help from his mother for some. So, the below craft ideas are tried and tested and can be easily done by kids five and above while children below five will need some assistance.

1. Fingerprint art

This is an extremely easy and interesting idea for kids. All that you require are some paint, paper, and imagination. You can let your child make flowers, cherries, or animals along with even letters and numbers.

2. Craft with pencil shavings

Pencil shavings can easily double as an interesting craft material. All that you require are some glue, paper, pencils, an eraser, and colors. Children can draw human or animal figures using a pencil and colors and then glue the pencil shavings as a piece of clothing. Another great idea is making flowers as can be seen below. Beautiful bugs, birds, and fishes can also be easily made.

3. Craft using cereals

Children love cereals and this much-loved food item can be easily used for crafts. As shown below, your child can make a beautiful tree using paper, glue, pencil, eraser, and cereal. Draw a tree as big or as small as your child wants. Ankan has used cereal of just one color but you can use multiple colors if you want. Then apply glue to the cereal and stick them onto the empty spaces to create leaves and branches.

4. Creating flowers with ear swabs

Ear swab is one readily available item at home. It can also be used to create some beautiful flower art. Take six earbuds and tie them together. If you want you can increase or decrease the number as you please. Let the child pour different colors of his choice in a paint tray palette. Dip the buds in the paint and press them in the paper. The child can draw the branches and the leaves with a pencil and paint them. Your child can make numerous flowers and of different sizes using this idea.

5. Bottlecap fishes

We throw away plastic bottles very often. But bottle caps can be reused and recycled to create a lovely craft piece. Collect a few caps of different sizes and colors. Then cut papers in triangular shapes. Glue the caps and the triangular shapes to a paper to resemble fishes. Your child can draw bubbles using paint color.

6. Paper finger puppets

They are colorful and are fun. Your child can even enact the rhyme “Daddy finger, how are you” using these paper finger puppets. Also, you can teach them the name of the different fingers using this craft. Items required are craft papers, scissors, sketch pens, and glue. Cut five papers into square shapes. Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth on each paper using sketch pens. Also, fill in the edge of the paper with a sketch pen as can be seen in the picture below. Cut fringes in the upper end of the square paper.  Roll the paper and apply glue at the end. Stick the two ends. Your finger puppets are ready!

7. Paper octopus

The items required are colorful craft papers, scissors, glue, and a pencil. Cut seven pieces of paper into long pieces as seen in the photo below. Cut two papers in the shape of the octopus head. Glue them together. Then attach the long pieces of paper to the octopus head. Draw the eyes and mouth using a pencil or crayons. Roll the end of the long papers with a pencil and leave them out. It will give the curl effect. And the octopus is ready. This is also a good element to incorporate if you have a mermaid or under the ocean birthday theme. It’s beautiful and colorful and your child will definitely enjoy making it.

8. Paper Bird/ Monster/ Grandma

This one requires cutting skills. Thus, a child might need some assistance from an adult. First, draw the different pieces of shapes on paper and cut them up. Glue them up following the pictures given below. Draw the eyes, mouth, hair, and teeth using a pencil or sketch pens.

Let your child enjoy and learn using the craft ideas. It is also a great way to spend some quality time with your kids. You or your child can always improvise and incorporate your own ideas to create something new. Enjoy!

You may also want to read:

1. 10 DIY Projects That You Can Easily Repeat With Your Child in the Backyard
2. Amazing Activities to Indulge Your Kids During Self-Isolation