Easy Kids' Crafts for the Un-Crafty Mom
Quick and Simple Craft Projects for Parents and Children
Sep 24, 2008
Arts and crafts projects can be a stay-at-home parent's best friend. Easy kids' crafts using simple craft materials are something any parent can do with children.
You don't have to be a former art major or be the least bit crafty to spend some quality arts-and-crafts time with your children.
Pipe Cleaners and Chenille Stems
Chenille stems, formerly known as pipe cleaners, come in metallic, soft and fuzzy, and in various shapes, colors and sizes. Open a big bag of chenille sticks and let your child use his imagination just by twisting them into different shapes.
Twist a chenille stem into a stick figure or simple animal shape. Using more chenille stems, wrap them around the sticks in a spiral to fill in the shape. Add googly eyes and craft glue for a finished fuzzy creature.
Twist the chenille stems into shapes such as circles, squares, stars and triangles and link together to make a colorful chain.
Thread a chenille stick through buttons and beads to make animal shapes or a necklace or bracelet.
Homemade Clay
Make your own homemade clay with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry.
Mix the following ingredients in a saucepan:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Food coloring
- Stir all ingredients in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and held together. Allow the clay to cool slightly before using.
Make different colors of clay and help your child make animals, a rainbow, and a lollipop on a stick.
Easy Paper Crafts
Simply by folding a sheet of paper in an accordion folding pattern, children can make beautiful fans or a string of paper dolls.
Fold a sheet of paper into an accordion fold and then draw a basic paper doll design on the front. Cut along the lines, being careful to leave the arms attached. Unfold and draw faces and clothes on each doll.
Have your child decorate a sheet of paper on both sides in colorful designs. Fold into an accordion fold and scotch-tape the bottom together for a pretty fan.
To make a colorful wreath, trace your child’s hands on about 20 sheets of multi-colored paper, cut them out and glue them onto a paper plate that has had the center cut out.
Tissue Paper Crafts
Colorful tissue paper, especially leftover scraps from gift wrapping, can be put to use in easy kids’ crafts.
Children will love making 3-D tissue paper pictures. Cut different colors of tissue paper into tiny squares. Place them on the end of a new, unused pencil eraser and twist. Dip into a small amount of glue and then press down on a sheet of paper. The tissue paper twist will stick to the paper. Make more twists close together into a pretty design.
Big tissue paper flowers are easy to make, using just two different colors of tissue paper and a pipe cleaner. Stack four squares of tissue paper in alternating colors and fold in an accordion fold. Fold the accordion strip in half and tie the middle with a pipe cleaner, twisting to crimp. Pull open each layer of tissue paper and fluff until it resembles a flower.
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