10 Fun and Easy DIY Crafts for Kids to Make at Home

June 3, 2025

Kids on summer or holiday break? Looking for creative ways to keep your kids entertained without relying on screens? DIY crafts are a great solution! They spark imagination, develop motor skills, and add something different to your day. Most of these crafts are low cost and can be made using supplies you already have at home.

Here are 10 fun and easy DIY crafts that kids can enjoy right in your living room or kitchen table – or let’s be real, outside because: mess.

1. Paper Plate Animals:

Turn plain paper plates into adorable animals like lions, frogs, or owls.

What you’ll need:

Paper plates
Markers, crayons, or paint
Construction paper
Glue and scissors

Let your kids choose their favorite animal and decorate away. Use construction paper for ears, tails, and other features.

2. Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars:

Transform empty toilet paper rolls into imaginative play tools!

What you’ll need:

2 toilet paper rolls
String or yarn
Tape or glue
Markers or stickers for decorating

Tape the rolls together side by side, attach the string, and go on a backyard safari or indoor treasure hunt.

3. Salt Dough Handprints:

A keepsake and craft rolled into one.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
½ cup salt
½ cup water

Mix the dough, press handprints, and bake at 200°F (90°C) for 2-3 hours. Once cool, kids can paint their prints and write the date on the back. These can also be turned into Christmas ornaments! Poke a hole near the top with a straw before you bake, Then add string after it’s baked and decorated.

4. DIY Puffy Paint:

Make your own puffy paint with just a few pantry items.

Mix:

1 part shaving cream
1 part white glue
A few drops of food coloring

Use paintbrushes or cotton swabs to create 3D masterpieces on cardboard or thick paper.

5. Egg Carton Caterpillars:

Save those egg cartons and create a colorful critter.

What you’ll need:

Egg carton (cut lengthwise)
Pipe cleaners
Paint and googly eyes
Glue and scissors

Each child can paint and decorate their caterpillar, then poke pipe cleaners in as antennae.

6. Homemade Slime:

Kids love slime—and it’s surprisingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white glue
1/2 cup water
Food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup liquid starch or borax solution

Mix until the slime forms, then knead. Always supervise young kids during this activity., especially if they’re still in the “put everything in their mouth” phase.

7. Sock Puppets:

Bring old socks back to life with personality!

What you’ll need:

Clean old socks
Yarn, buttons, felt
Glue or a needle and thread

Create characters with silly faces and have a puppet show right on your couch.

8. Tissue Paper Collage:

A great way to use up scrap paper and develop fine motor skills.

What you’ll need:

Tissue paper in different colors
White glue and water
Paintbrush
Cardstock or cardboard

Kids tear up tissue paper, then brush on watered-down glue to layer their masterpiece.

9. Popsicle Stick Puzzles:

Recycle popsicle sticks into mini puzzles!

What you’ll need:

Popsicle sticks
Markers or printed pictures
Tape, scissors, and glue

Line up the sticks, tape the back, and draw or glue on a picture. Remove the tape, cut following the breaks in the popsicle sticks (if needed), and scramble them! Try putting together each other’s puzzle or mixing them all together and completing them as fast as you can.

10. String Art in Folded Paper:

Create magical, colorful patterns using string, paint, and paper!

What you’ll need:

Thick paper or cardstock
Paint (tempera or acrylic)
Yarn or string (about 12–18 inches long)
A book or clipboard (optional)

How to do it:

Dip your string into paint—use one or more colors!
Place the paint-covered string in loops on one half of a sheet of paper. Leave a tail hanging out.
Fold the paper in half over the string.
Press down with your hand or a book.
Slowly pull the string out from the bottom.
Open the paper to reveal your design!

Try different string shapes—swirls, loops, or zigzags—for unique patterns.