When it comes to kids and crafts, the number one goal is usually to keep them busy for as long as possible. They’re a great way to keep your little ones occupied and away from electronics, which is better for their eyesight and overall health. It’s not always easy, however. Finding cheap crafts that don’t take a lot of time or money can be difficult. With that said, here are six easy-to-follow ideas for cheap kids craft projects that will keep them busy for hours!
What is a kids craft?
A kids craft is any type of activity that is specifically designed for kids. Crafts can be anything from painting to cardboard boxes to origami! They’re a great way to keep your children occupied and away from electronics, which is better for their eyesight and overall health.
Crafting with recycled materials
This is one of the easiest ways to save time and money, especially if you’re crafting with multiple children.
Kids love to help with these simple crafts that use recycled materials around the house. They’ll be so proud of their final product!
It’s not just about saving money, though. Crafting with recycled materials is great for the environment because it means less waste!
A few ideas include:
Easy DIY crafts
that don't cost a lot of money
There’s a reason that so many craft stores offer kids’ crafts. They’re relatively cheap and easy to make, and most importantly, they keep children entertained for hours. However, these crafts can also be expensive. There are plenty of cheap crafts that don’t require any special tools or materials! Here are six of our favorite projects:
- Salt dough ornaments: These ornaments can be customized and can be made for just about any holiday.
- Make your own puzzles: Puzzles are really fun to put together and there’s something satisfying about completing one. Plus, you could do this with just cardboard!
- Playdough: What kid doesn’t love playdough? You’ll need food coloring as well as flour and water to make your own batch at home.
- Watercolor paintbrush paintings: All you need is paper and watercolor paints to create some DIY masterpieces!
- Stained glass suncatcher: This project is perfect for the summertime and they’re surprisingly easy to make once you prepare the supplies ahead of time.
- Paper bag puppets: With a little preparation work beforehand, this is an inexpensive craft that yields great results!
Painting crafts
Paint is easily accessible and you can use it for a number of crafts. Painting is a great way to get your little ones engaged in some creative play. You can create paintings with all sorts of materials, such as paint brushes, straws, Q-tips, spoons and more.
One idea is to use a piece of paper and let them paint it any color they want. You can then hang the painting up or paste it to a canvas for display.
Another idea is to cut out shapes (hearts, stars, etc.) from construction paper and let your kids paint them different colors before sticking them onto a plain sheet of paper.
Finally, you could try painting on rocks with paints like acrylic or tempera mixed with water or glue to make them stiffer. Kids will love painting on rocks because it’s more tangible than on paper!
Paper crafts
Kids love to create things with paper, and it’s a great way to recycle scraps of paper that you might otherwise throw away. Try making paper flowers, butterflies, or origami animals. Older kids can design their own paper crafts by following instructions found on the internet or in books.
If you want to make this project more complicated, make sure your kid is old enough to cut with scissors or use an X-ACTO knife without supervision. It’s important they know what they’re doing before handling anything sharp.
Finger-painting
Nothing says summer like finger painting! It’s really easy, and kids love it.((((‘-
First, paint your child’s hands with the desired colors. Then, have them use their hands to press down on white paper. If they want to, they can also mix the colors (thoughts about getting messy). They should press firmly enough to make their handprint visible.
This is great for all children, but it also makes for a great sensory experience for children with special needs. You can make it even more fun by using different textures like glitter, flour, or paint-on snow (yes, snow!).
Cooking as a craft
Do you have old cooking tools lying around the house? Dish soap, old spoons, forks, and chopsticks? These are just a few of the things that can be used to make some really cool crafts.
For example, you can use an old fork to create a “spaghetti” necklace. Use wire to wrap it around your neck and voila! You’re wearing pasta!
You can also take the dish soap and pour it into a mason jar with food coloring. This will create a fun and colorful sensory bottle for kids of all ages. Just add water and shake!
Kids love playing with something they’ve made themselves, so get them crafting today!
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