20 Creative & Fun DIY Craft Ideas to Keep Kids Creating (and You Smiling!)

Are you ready to say goodbye to “I’m bored!”? We know that finding craft ideas that don’t require an engineering degree or materials from another planet can be a real headache! That’s why we’ve put together our favorite activities for kids, focusing on simplicity, fun, and suitability for any time of year—especially those sunny summer days!

Crafts are not just a direct ticket to hours of fun; they are also magical for sparking children’s creativity, improving that all-important hand-eye coordination, and best of all, leaving them with a work of art they’ll proudly display! Most of these wonderful creations can be made independently by little ones (with your watchful eye, of course!), but for others, your super help might be needed—it all depends on the age of your small artists!

So, go on the hunt for those popsicle sticks, buttons, beads, and whatever else you can find! Prepare your workspace, because here, creativity knows no bounds. We have ideas for all seasons and for any day you want to make something special, like origami hearts or clay necklaces. Ready? Here are 20 incredible ideas to start creating!

1. Pipe Cleaner Garland

How easy and beautiful! With some pipe cleaners (the glittery ones are the best), your kids can make a garland they’ll love. They just need to join pieces together, twisting the ends to secure them. Voilá!

2. Floral Wreath

Want to add a special touch to your door? Let’s get crafting with a floral wreath!

Materials:

• Wreath base (preserved boxwood or dry twigs)
• Large flowers
• Small flowers
• Hot glue (for larger flowers, with adult supervision)

Instructions & Tips:

1. Start with a base, which can be made from preserved boxwood or even dried twigs.
2. Help your children glue the larger flowers onto the base using a bit of hot glue.
3. Then, they can add smaller flowers all over the wreath to give it a sweet and personalized touch.
4. The finished wreath will look lovely!

3. Cupcake Liner Poinsettias

Everyone loves cupcakes, right? Well, their liners are perfect for playing with!

Materials:

• Red cupcake liners
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape or glue dots

Instructions & Tips:

1. Flatten some red cupcake liners.
2. Fold them into quarters.
3. Cut out a petal shape.
4. When unfolded, you’ll have a four-petal flower!
5. Then, just overlap them a little bit and secure them with double-sided tape or glue dots. Simple and festive!

4. Paper Chain Garland

With something as simple as wrapping paper, scissors, and a stapler, your children can create a super cool paper chain garland to decorate any corner of the house.

Materials:

• Wrapping paper
• Scissors
• Stapler

Instructions & Tips:

1. Cut paper strips (about 3×6 inches, or to your liking!), making sure to have enough for the desired length.
2. Then, form a circle with one strip and staple the ends.
3. Pass the next strip through that circle, staple, and continue this process until you have a very long chain!
4. Perfect for the fireplace or anywhere you want to add a touch of homemade cheer.

5. Watercolor Resist Art

This is a brilliant trick!

Materials:

• Crayons
• Watercolors

Instructions & Tips:

1. With crayons, ask your little ones to draw whatever they like most: their favorite character, a landscape, an abstract design, or something thematic.
2. Once the drawing is ready, paint over it with watercolors!
3. The crayon wax will prevent the watercolor from sticking there, and the original drawing will stand out in a surprising way!

6. Paper Origami Fortune Cookies

Who doesn’t want their own fortune cookie? With just a few folds, the whole family can make their own with origami!

Materials:

• Paper (scrapbooking paper is suggested for durability and beauty)

Instructions & Tips:

1. Follow origami folding techniques to create fortune cookies.
2. For a more sturdy and beautiful result, use scrapbooking paper.
3. See what fortunes they predict!

7. Cake Toppers

While you take care of the cake, the children can be the master decorators!

Materials:

• Paper
• Scissors (implied for cutting shapes)
• Other decorating supplies (implied for changing colors and shapes)

Instructions & Tips:

1. With these paper toppers, kids can customize cakes for any party or birthday.
2. Just change the colors and shapes, and they’ll have unique decorations for every occasion!

8. Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Forget regular chalk this summer! Now, chalk paint is the star.

Materials:

• Chalk paint
• Brushes
• Hose (for cleanup)

Instructions & Tips:

1. Little ones will love using brushes to fill the sidewalk with colors and drawings.
2. Their creativity will know no limits!
3. Just have a hose handy for when the artwork is finished and it’s time to clean up.

9. Book Boxes

Do you have empty boxes lying around? Don’t throw them away! With this craft, they will transform into book organizers.

Materials:

• Empty boxes
• Construction paper
• Clear packing tape
• Markers or other drawing supplies

Instructions & Tips:

1. Cover the boxes with construction paper.
2. Then, cover them with clear packing tape to protect them.
3. And for the fun part! They can draw their own designs, put the logo of their favorite saga, or write something original.
4. In addition to organizing, this craft encourages them to read more!

10. Pipe Cleaner Spider

With very few materials, your children can create their own friends… spiders!

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Pipe cleaners
• Markers or other drawing supplies (for face)

Instructions & Tips:

1. Just make a few small holes in a paper plate.
2. Pass the pipe cleaners through them for the legs.
3. Then, draw a face with a big smile and googly eyes. They will be the friendliest spiders in the neighborhood!

11. Origami Hearts

Whether for Valentine’s Day or simply to practice their folding and cutting skills, these paper hearts are wonderful for getting started with origami.

Materials:

• Slightly thicker paper
• Scissors

Instructions & Tips:

1. With slightly thicker paper, scissors, and their little hands, they will transform a simple colored paper into a beautiful decorative heart.
2. Perfect for gifting or decorating!

12. Bedroom Door Sign

Grab a small blackboard, watercolor paints, and some tape, and let your children’s imagination fly by decorating a sign for their door!

Materials:

• Small blackboard
• Watercolor paints
• Tape

Instructions & Tips:

1. The best part is that they can change the message whenever they want, so the fun never ends!

13. Rock Painting

Painting rocks is a fantastic plan—simple, fun, and perfect for getting outdoors!

Materials:

• Rocks
• Paints (colors of choice)

Instructions & Tips:

1. Here, your little ones have total creative control.
2. They can paint cartoon faces, abstract designs, or whatever they can think of.
3. Then, these painted rocks can decorate the garden or their room. A unique treasure!

14. Minion Pencils

If your children are fans of “Despicable Me,” these Minion pencils will delight them!

Materials:

• Pencils
• Googly eyes
• Colored foam sheets
• Black marker

Instructions & Tips:

1. With pencils, googly eyes, and colored foam sheets, they can create their own mischievous Minions.
2. Draw funny expressions with a black marker and… done! Writing will be much more fun.

15. Branch Spiderweb Wreath

Getting the house ready for Halloween? This spiderweb and branch wreath is awesome!

Materials:

• Branches (5-10 inches long)
• Cardboard (for a 12-inch diameter wreath shape with a 5-inch center hole)
• Hot glue (with adult supervision)
• Fake spiderwebs
• Plastic spiders

Instructions & Tips:

1. Ask your little ones to collect some branches (cut or break them to measure between 5 and 10 inches).
2. Help them cut a wreath shape from cardboard (about 12 inches in diameter with a 5-inch hole in the center).
3. Glue the branches to the cardboard with hot glue, overlapping them to cover all the space.
4. Once dry, stretch fake spiderwebs and glue some plastic spiders with hot glue! It will add a terrifying touch!

16. Embellished Bow

Turn a simple wicker basket into a unique piece! Your children can decorate bows with iron-on patches or monograms made with stencils.

Materials:

• Wired ribbon (3 inches wide) or a large pre-made bow
• Iron-on patches or stencils for monograms
• Fabric glue

Instructions & Tips:

1. Help them create their own bows using a 3-inch wired ribbon, or buy a large pre-made one for them to decorate.
2. Then, glue the patches with fabric glue. You’ll see how cute it looks!

17. Monster Wind Socks

This is a great project to do in a group!

Materials:

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Drawing supplies

Instructions & Tips:

1. Let the children cut, fold, and draw on cardstock to create monster wind socks with huge eyes for the garden.
2. They will be the most fun guardians of your outdoor space!

18. Paper Flowers

They’ll have a blast making these colorful paper flowers to decorate their rooms!

Materials:

• Dyed cupcake liners
• Floral wire
• Faux flower stamen
• Floral tape
• Scissors

Instructions & Tips:

1. First, they will fold dyed cupcake liners in half and cut petal shapes and fringes.
2. Ask them to fold a piece of floral wire in half and twist it around the stamen of a faux flower.
3. Thread the wire through the center of three or four paper liners.
4. To finish, wrap floral tape around the base of the liners and down the stem. An eternal and beautiful bouquet!

19. Paper Bag Kite

Is there anything cooler than flying a kite? And the best part is that children can make their own with paper lunch bags!

Materials:

• Paper lunch bags
• Stickers
• Washi tape
• Paint
• Colorful accessories
• String
• Streamers

Instructions & Tips:

1. Let them decorate it with stickers, washi tape, paint, and all the colorful accessories they can find.
2. Then, help them attach the string and streamers, and the kite will be ready to soar through the skies!

20. Carrot Candy Cones

Here comes a delicious and super ingenious craft!

Materials:

• Green craft paint
• Water
• Coffee filters
• Paper towels
• Carrot template (provided or drawn)
• Orange paper
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Small candies
• String

Instructions & Tips:

1. First, mix a few drops of green craft paint with water until it looks like milk.
2. Submerge coffee filters in this mixture until they are soaked (you can do several at once).
3. Squeeze out the excess and spread them on paper towels or hang them to dry.
4. Now, download your carrot template, trace it onto orange paper, and cut it out.
5. Roll the template to form a cone and glue the sides with double-sided tape.
6. Cut the center of the painted coffee filters and glue them to the inner edge of the cone with tape.
7. Now, fill the “carrot” cone with small candies and tie a string at the top to close it! The perfect surprise!

Conclusion

These 20 DIY craft ideas offer a fantastic way to engage children, foster their creativity, and provide hours of joyful activity. From simple paper creations to festive decorations, each project uses readily available materials and encourages kids to develop fine motor skills and a sense of accomplishment. Dive into these fun-filled crafts and watch your little ones’ imaginations blossom!