Five Craft Activities You Can Create with What’s On Hand

Getting crafty with your kiddo is beneficial for so many reasons. It encourages creativity and experimentation, provides opportunities for early learning and the development of fine motor skills, and gives kids a sense of accomplishment. Plus, if your child is go, go, go, it can also provide some much needed down-time! Crafting can be as complex or low-fi as you want to make it. Chances are, you’ve got everything you need for some great crafting activities just sitting around the house. Here are a few simple crafting activities you can do with what’s on hand at home. No supply runs necessary!

Puppet Theatre
Transform a cardboard box into a puppet theatre! Just cut a window in the front of the box for the stage, and cut off that back of the box for easy puppet-access and you’re all set. Your child can decorate the proscenium, fancy it up with a coat of paint, or leave it be and turn their focus to creating a cast of puppet characters! Puppets can be created on paper, then cut out and taped onto popsicle sticks or, if you don’t have those, the handle of a spoon or plastic cutlery works just as well. You can even switch up your puppets look by drawing costumes and cutting them out, leaving little tabs to fold over the edges of your puppet (think paper dolls). Cue the lights!

Ice Painting
Ideal for hot days and great for any age, even babies who are still in that everything- goes-in-my-mouth phase. Use food colouring and water to create different coloured batches of “paint” (for a thicker consistency, you can add a little flour). Then pour them into ice cube trays, put a popsicle stick, coffee stirrer, or toothpick diagonally into each cube, and pop them in the freezer overnight. In the morning you’ll have a tray full of ice paints! This is a great one to do outdoors, if you’re worried about the mess potential.

Mixed Media Collage
This is the ultimate use-what-you-have-on-hand craft. Give your child some old magazines or picture books to flip through and cut out with safety scissors. Or they can paint some plain paper with different colours and patterns, and cut it out into abstract shapes. Once the pieces are glued down onto a fresh sheet of paper, encourage your little one to get creative with their decorating tools. A plastic fork dragged through paint makes a fun wobbly design. Dip the end of a paper towel roll into some paint for a circle stamp. What kind of textures can you create with a cotton ball? Or crumpled tin foil? Or feathers? So many options!

Snow Globe
No matter the season, a personalized snow globe is always a fun activity. Let your child round up a few small toys or trinkets that aren’t getting much love these days (looking at you, miscellaneous dinosaur figurines that seem to appear out of nowhere). Glue the toys and any other decorations your child can find, onto the inside of the lid (a grown up should do this part, as you’ll probably need super-glue for the best results). Then fill the jar with water and an ample amount of glitter. Heck, use ALL the glitter! It can’t get all over your house if it’s submerged in water, right? Then screw the lid on tight, turn it over, and voila! Snow globe city!

Hat Maker
Take a little inspiration from Sago Mini World, and become hat makers! Just cut out a band of paper, size it to your child’s head, and tape the ends together. You can draw different style hat templates on paper for your child to decorate, or just let them create their own millinery masterpiece. Then cut it out and tape it onto your headband for a fantastic and fashionable chapeau! This is also a great opportunity for a silly photo shoot. Especially if your child makes you a very silly hat. Nothing beats mom or dad looking as silly as possible.

There are just a few of the many projects you can create with what’s on hand. As always, encourage your child to take the lead and express their creativity in their own unique way. So get those creative juices flowing! And remember to think outside the crayon box ;)