Made by Little Hands: Craft Projects for Kids
A child’s imagination is a wonderful thing. To stimulate imagination, children need a creative environment as they are growing up. In the long run, it helps them express themselves, cope with life’s problems, and generally makes them happier children. It’s not always easy to find a craft project that’s right for a specific child. Some children prefer working with balloons or beads while others prefer metal or wood. Finding the perfect craft activity make a difference and get a child truly interested rather than having them just go through the motions of creating art. Here’s the ultimate resource page to find interesting craft projects for kids.
Basic Crafts
- Simple Arts and Crafts: A great collection of arts and crafts resources for younger children.
- Preschool Arts and Crafts: Provides many interesting projects for younger children.
- Crafts Index: An index site with crafts for children of different age groups.
- Animal Crafts: A place with craft projects relating to animals.
Balloon Crafts
- Balloon Sculpting: A few balloon sculpting projects for slightly older children.
- Balloon Ideas: Many different balloon ideas for different age groups.
- Balloon People: Activity for younger children that lets them create “balloon people”.
- Balloon Ghost: Activity for older children showing how to create ghosts out of balloons.
Beading & Jewelry Making
- Bead Crafts: Multiple beading projects for older kids including watermelon and milkshake patterns.
- Paper Clip Necklace: All-age project that teaches a child how to use paperclips to make a necklace.
- Ribbon Jewelry: A site that shows kids how to make jewelry from ribbons.
- Kids Bead Craft: An activity that teaches younger children how to decorate with beads.
Candle & Soap Making
- Easy Soap Making: Soap making project for children ages 4 and up.
- Soap Bars: Teaches younger kids how to make simple soap bars.
- Soapy Making Activity: Another activity for teaching soap making to kids of all ages.
- Rolled Beeswax Candles: Excellent tutorial on making these candles for older kids.
Computer-Generated Crafts
- Birthday Cards: Some activities for older kids including making birthday cards on the computer.
- Computer Generated Rangoli: Shows older children how to design their own rangoli on the computer.
- Computer Crafts and Projects: A page with various projects for kids of differing ages who can operate a computer.
- Computer Crafts: Some computer related projects for kids of all ages.
Glass Crafts
- Stained Glass: A project that teaches younger children how to make small stained glass window samples.
- Glass Windows: Project for older children that teaches them how to make stained glass.
- Stained Leaves: Teaches older kids how to make stained glass leaves.
- Stained Glass Decoration: Provides step-by-step instructions on how to make stained glass decorations for younger children.
Holiday Crafts
- Christmas Ornaments: A project for kids of all ages to make special Christmas ornaments.
- Kids Holiday Crafts: Extensive projects for children of all ages that involve holidays from all seasons.
- Christmas Corner: Another page with many Christmas related projects for younger kids.
- Valentine's Day Crafts: A page with special Valentine’s Day crafts for kids of all ages.
Metal Crafts
- Metal Key Chain: An activity for older children that teaches them how to make metal key chains with attachments.
- Altoids Clock: An activity for older children that shows them how to make a clock out of altoids tins.
- Bottle Cap Locket: Activity for children five and older that allows them to make lockets out of bottle caps.
- Copper Garden Signs: A site with good instructions on making these items for older kids.
Origami & Paper Crafts
- Origami For Kids: Many different simple origami projects for young kids.
- Simply Projects: A few simple example origami projects like hats or ducks for younger kids.
- Origami Resource Center: Origami site with projects appropriate for younger kids.
- Goldfish: Goldfish project for older kids capable of more difficult projects.
Pastel & Chalk Crafts
- Pastel Activities: A few pastel projects aimed at kids of different ages.
- Chalk and Glue: Simple art activity for younger children.
- Chalk Art for Kids: Discusses simple chalk art activities for young kids.
- Chalk Stationary: An activity that allows young kids to experiment with chalk stationary.
Photography
- Pinhole Camera: Project that teaches older kids to how to make pinhole cameras.
- Activities: A few simple photographic projects for kids of all ages.
- Photo Collage: Activity for kids of all ages for Mother’s Day.
- Making 3D Pictures: Provides instructions on how to make 3D images for older kids.
- Photo Op: Interactive site for picture and image editing for children of all ages.
Recycling Crafts
- Recycling Crafts: A place to find many different craft projects for many different age groups.
- Film Canister Rockets: Project for older kids showing them how to use recycled materials to make canister rockets.
- Water Bottle Rattle: Activity for older kids that shows them how to make rattles out of recycled materials.
- Bleach Bottle Cat: Activity for young kids involving recycled bleach bottles.
Rock Painting
- Ladybug: Activity for small children that shows them how to paint rock.
- Rock Painting: Discusses materials needed for rock painting with some ideas.
- Rock Painting Activity: A discussion about rock painting projects for kids of all ages.
- Rock Painting Ideas: Some ideas for rock painting for children of all ages, with pictures of samples.
Rubber Stamping
- Stamping Clay: Projects for young kids that involve using rubber stamps on clay.
- Custom Rubber Stamps: Project for older kids about making their own down rubber stamps.
- Stamp Flash Cards: A project for younger kids that teaches them to make custom stamps for flash cards.
Scrapbooking
- Scrapbooking for Kids: A website with information about projects for kids of all ages.
- Starting Projects: Some projects for younger kids who are being introduced to scrapbooking.
- How to Make a Scrapbook: A page where parents can learn how to teach their younger children how to make scrapbooks.
Sculpting Crafts
- Basic Instructions: Provides the basics of clay sculpting for children of all ages.
- Group Clay Sculpture: Great activity for children of all ages.
- Salt and Ice: A project that allows younger children to create their own ice sculptures.
Sewing and Needlepoint Crafts
- Kids Sewing Projects: A good place to find various sewing projects for children of all ages.
- Kids Sewing and Crafts Projects: Some interesting sewing activities for kids of all ages.
- How to Cross Stitch: Shows the basics of cross stitching for older children.
- Soccer Ball Key Chain: Provides step-by-step needlepoint instructions for older kids.
Stenciling
- Coloring in Stencils: A collection of printable stencils for younger children.
- Christmas Stencils: Some stencils for children of all ages, for the festive season.
Woodworking Crafts
- Woodworking for Kids: A resource center with links for woodworking tips and projects for children of all ages.
- Woodworking Projects: Three basic woodworking projects for young children.