Surprise the kids with some fun crafts and activities which use things you already most likely have in your kitchen. From moon sand making to three-ingredient unicorn slime, get ready to be THE FUN PARENT.
You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to wow the kids. Even the most craft hindered folks among us can have a crack at these budget friendly, easy-peasy activities.
Word of warning though, there’s a LOT of food colouring involved. So be prepared for that while remembering SO MUCH FUN! FUN CRAFTS! WINNING AT PARENTING!
13 Easy and Fun Crafts For Kids
1. Rainbow bread painting
A craft and a snack in one – albeit maybe a soggy one! Put that loaf of bread to good use with some rainbow bread painting. And once the kids have created their carb-loaded masterpiece, they get to eat it! Head to Kids Craft Room for all the crumbly details.
2. Play dough for the masses
You’re never too old for an afternoon of playing with play dough. And let’s be honest, is there anything better than warm, freshly made play dough? A super soft recipe, swap the alum out for cream of tartar and you’ll nail Pretty Providence‘s recipe nicely.
3. Moon sand
DIY kinetic sand gets fancy. Mommy Potamus‘ recipe is perfectly smooshy in texture and the coconut oil leaves hands feeling beautifully moisturised which is a real added bonus. It’s reusable too – just pack away in an airtight container.
4. Recycled rainbow disc crayons
Everything old is new again with this recycled crayon hack! Craft muscle ready, kids can have crayons in any shape they desire by collecting all the odds and ends of the crayon container and re melting them in a silicone mould. Hot tip: head to Kmart, Target or Ikea for cute silicone moulds!
5. Bubble painting
From Hello Wonderful, this activity is strictly for outdoors! Gather your bottles from the recycling bin, make up a bubble mixture and get busy. I can’t help but think this would be an awesome opportunity for a giant canvas artwork. Get to it kids!
6. Shaving cream paint
No paint but the kids are keen as mustard? Head to the bathroom for the shaving cream. Shaving cream paint comes together in seconds and is super fun and so, so squishy!
7. Floam
Floam is somewhere in the middle between play dough and slime and guaranteed to be lots of fun. It does include beanbag beans so DO make sure the kids know not to eat/ inhale/ swallow any of it, making sure they know it’s craft ONLY. Find the instructions at Growing A Jeweled Rose.
8. Puffy Paint
A child of the 80s, I’ve seen my fair share of puff paint. Have a dabble and introduce the puffy fun to your own kids with this DIY version from ezeBreezy. No iron required!
9. Edible icing paint
Not that we encourage eating paint here at Mum Central, but when your kid is in the thick of finger painting and reaches for their mouth, there’s some reassurance in knowing this edible icing sugar paint is perfectly harmless if swallowed.
10. Bouncy balls
An awesomely fun craft activity for older kids who love to bounce all the things! A touch of science, a handful of ingredients and a little patience is all that’s required to make your very own, super cool bouncy balls. Find out how to do it in your own kitchen at The 36th Avenue.
11. Three ingredient unicorn slime
Just when you thought the mad craze of making slime was over, nup, not yet! Pimp your slime with gorgeous colours and a TONNE of glitter to make fabulous unicorn slime. Thanks for the slime inspo, The Best Ideas For Kids!
12. Marble paint paper
Many of us will remember this from primary school, I’m sure. Oil, food colouring and card is all you need to create beautiful stationery, cards, prints or ridiculously fancy shopping lists. You’ll find all the instructions you need over at Artful Parent.
13. Coloured rice
Perfect for sensory play, toddlers will love to drive their Hot Wheels cars through this brightly coloured rice, fill and empty bottles or glue it in a pattern to cardboard. Prepare for some messy craft fun and keep the vacuum close for a quick clean up! From The Imagination Tree.
We wish you lots of messy, creative days of fun craft with the kids! And if they get too hyped up on all these fun crafts, try your hand at these calming glitter jars.
For more fun activities, we have a treasure trove of ideas for how to make your own sensory and motor activities for toddlers to keep little ones REAL busy.
