Make · Ages 5 to 10
Crafts for kids
Holiday crafts, real science projects and gifts kids are proud to hand over. Grown-up steps are clearly marked.
98 projects · 50 beginner · 33 intermediate · 15 advanced
Popsicle stick snowflake ornament
Glue 4 craft sticks into a star, then cover it in glitter, buttons or sequins for a snowflake that never melts.
Handprint reindeer card
A Christmas card where your kid's hand turns into a reindeer, with fingers for antlers and a bright red nose.
Baking soda volcano
Build a volcano around a bottle and make it erupt with foamy lava from baking soda and vinegar.
Milk jug ghost lanterns
Empty milk jugs get spooky faces and a battery tea light, and turn into glowing ghosts for the porch.
Shoebox haunted house
A spooky little haunted house built inside a shoebox, with cut windows, paper ghosts and a flashlight glow.
Air-dry clay pinch pots
Push your thumb into a ball of clay, pinch the sides into a little pot, and paint it once it dries.
Recycled crayon hearts
Old broken crayons melted in a heart mold into chunky rainbow crayons that make perfect classroom valentines.
Pop-up heart card
A Valentine's card with a paper heart that jumps up when you open it, made with 2 cuts and a fold.
Tissue box valentine mailbox
An empty tissue box turned into a monster, robot or mailbox that eats valentines at the class party.
Coffee filter heart suncatchers
Color coffee filters with markers, spray them with water, and watch the colors bleed into a stained-glass heart.
Yarn wrapped cardboard hearts
Cut a heart from a cereal box and wrap it in yarn until it's soft and fuzzy, for a door hanger or gift tag.
Natural dye Easter eggs
Dye hard-boiled eggs blue, yellow and orange with red cabbage, turmeric and onion skins from the kitchen.
Paper bunny ear headband
A paper headband with tall floppy bunny ears to wear to the egg hunt.
Tissue paper egg suncatcher
Stick tissue squares on clear contact paper inside an egg-shaped frame for a window that glows like stained glass.
Egg carton chicks
Cut cups from a cardboard egg carton and turn them into fluffy yellow chicks peeking out of their shells.
Fall leaf mason jar lantern
Glue real or paper leaves onto a mason jar with Mod Podge, drop in a battery candle, and it glows amber all evening.
Apple stamp prints
Cut an apple in half, dip it in paint, and stamp apples with a star hiding in the middle.
Thankful turkey
A paper turkey with feathers your family fills in, one thing you're thankful for on each one.
Corn husk dolls
Soak dried corn husks and tie them into a little doll, an old fall craft that only needs string and patience.
Wooden race car
Sand, paint and build a wooden race car from a kit block, then race it down a ramp against the family.
Coffee filter butterflies
Color a coffee filter, mist it with water, pinch it with a clothespin, and it turns into a bright butterfly.
Painted flower pot with seeds
A clay pot painted by your kid, planted with a few seeds, and handed over as a gift that keeps growing.
Borax-free fiber slime
A stretchy, see-through slime made from psyllium fiber and water, with no glue and no borax at all.
Overnight Epsom salt crystals
Dissolve Epsom salt in hot water, chill it, and wake up to a cup full of spiky crystals.
Handprint paper plate wreath
A green wreath made of traced and cut-out handprints from everyone in the family.
Paper chain advent countdown
A paper chain with 1 link for every day until Christmas, each one hiding a small fun thing to do.
Heart animal valentines
Cut paper hearts in 3 sizes and turn them into a lion, owl, ladybug or any animal you can dream up.
Paper plate jellyfish
A wobbly paper plate jellyfish with long ribbon tentacles that float when you hang it near a fan.
Naked egg experiment
Soak a raw egg in vinegar for 2 days and the shell disappears, leaving a bouncy, see-through egg.
Liquid density rainbow jar
Stack 5 kitchen liquids in a jar so they float in colorful layers that don't mix.
Spiral tie-dye shirt
Twist a white shirt into a spiral, add dye in pie slices, and unwrap a rainbow swirl the next day.
Folded paper snowflakes
Fold, snip and unfold a 6-sided paper snowflake, the same shape real snowflakes have.
Shaving cream marbled paper eggs
Swirl paint into shaving cream, press in a paper egg, scrape it off, and every egg comes out marbled and one of a kind.
Popsicle stick mummies
Wrap a craft stick in white yarn, add googly eyes, and you've got a pocket-size mummy puppet.
Paper bag pumpkins
Stuff a lunch bag with newspaper, twist the top into a stem, paint it orange, and it stands on the table like a real pumpkin.
Homemade coupon book
A little stapled book of coupons good for hugs, breakfast in bed, or 1 free car wash from your kid.
Popsicle stick photo frame
A craft stick frame painted and decorated by your kid, with a photo of the two of you inside.
Red cabbage color-change test
Turn red cabbage into purple juice that changes to pink or green depending on what you mix in, a real acid and base test.
Salt dough Christmas ornaments
Cookie-cutter ornaments made from flour, salt and water that your kid paints and hangs on the tree for years.
Pressed flower bookmarks
Press real flowers in a heavy book for a week, then seal them into a bookmark that keeps spring all year.
No-sew fleece tie pillow
Cut fringe around 2 squares of fleece, tie the strips together, and stuff it into a squishy pillow with zero sewing.
3D paper star ornament
Fold and cut 2 paper stars, glue them back to back, and you get a pointy star that pops out from the tree.
Walking water rainbow
Colored water climbs up paper towels and walks into empty cups, mixing into new colors over a few hours.
Lemon juice invisible ink
Write a secret message in lemon juice, let it dry invisible, then heat it until the words turn brown.
Static electricity butterfly
Rub a balloon on your hair and make tissue paper butterfly wings flap without touching them.
Homemade lava lamp
Oil, water and a fizzy tablet make colored blobs rise and sink in a bottle like a real lava lamp.
Salt dough handprint keepsake
Press your kid's hand into salt dough, bake it, and paint it into a keepsake that shows how small they were.
Soft cooked play dough
A stovetop play dough that's softer than the store kind and lasts for months in a bag.
Wooden birdhouse from a kit
Hammer together a real wooden birdhouse from a kit, paint it, and hang it where birds can move in.
DIY scratch art paper
Color paper with bright crayon, cover it in black, then scratch a drawing that shines through like neon.
Bean in a jar
Sprout a bean against the side of a glass jar so you can watch roots and a shoot grow day by day.
Leaf rubbing art
Collect fall leaves, put them under paper, and rub with crayons to reveal every vein and edge.
Paper airplane science fair test
Fold 3 different paper airplanes, fly each one 5 times, measure, and find out which design really flies farthest.
Origami jumping frog
Fold an index card into a little frog that hops across the table when you press its back.
Nature paintbrushes
Tie leaves, pine needles and grass to sticks and find out what kind of marks each homemade brush makes.
Tape resist painting
Stick tape on paper, paint over everything, and peel it off to reveal sharp white lines through the color.
Felt gingerbread ornaments
Stitch a soft gingerbread person from felt with a plastic needle, stuff it, and give it a tree spot forever.
Clothespin dragonflies
Painted clothespin bodies with sparkly wings that clip onto plants, backpacks and curtains.
Fluffy slime with contact solution
A squishy, cloud-soft slime made from glue, shaving cream and contact lens solution, with a grown-up running the activator.
Cardboard loom weaving
Notch a piece of cardboard into a loom and weave a small yarn wall hanging, over and under, row by row.
Pony bead lizard keychain
The classic beaded lizard, built row by row on a cord, clipped to a backpack zipper.
Valentine fortune teller
A folded paper fortune teller full of sweet messages and silly dares to swap with friends.
Popsicle stick picture puzzles
Draw a picture across a row of craft sticks, mix them up, and you've got a puzzle that fits in a pocket.
Friendship bracelets
Knot embroidery floss into a striped friendship bracelet to trade with a best friend.
Marble painting in a box
Roll paint-covered marbles around a box and let them do the painting for you.
Kandinsky circle art
Paint a grid of bright circles inside circles, a classroom favorite inspired by artist Wassily Kandinsky.
Magazine paper beads
Roll triangles of old magazine pages into shiny beads and string them into necklaces and bracelets.
Cinnamon applesauce ornaments
Brown dough ornaments from 2 pantry ingredients that make the whole house smell like cinnamon for weeks.
Toilet roll nutcrackers
Turn empty toilet paper rolls into little nutcracker soldiers with tall hats and big painted smiles.
Toilet roll binoculars
Two toilet paper tubes taped together, painted and strung, for backyard bird spotting and pretend safaris.
Paper mache bowl
Layer newspaper strips over a balloon with flour paste, pop the balloon, and paint a real bowl to keep treasures in.
Pine cone Christmas trees
Paint a pine cone green, dot it with tiny pom-pom ornaments, and stand it on a cork for a mini tabletop tree.
Oobleck
Cornstarch and water that turns solid when you punch it and runs like liquid when you let go.
Paper plate owls
A paper plate owl covered in torn-paper feathers, with huge round eyes and a little orange beak.
Tornado in a jar
Swirl a jar of soapy water and a little twister spins up inside, the classic way to see a vortex up close.
Balloon powered car
Build a car from cardboard, straws and bottle caps that zooms across the floor on balloon power.
Popsicle stick catapult
Rubber bands and craft sticks make a little catapult that launches pom-poms across the room.
Tissue paper flower bouquet
Big fluffy tissue paper flowers on pipe cleaner stems, a bouquet that never wilts.
Pine cone bird feeders
Roll a pine cone in nut butter and birdseed, hang it outside, and watch who comes to lunch.
One-page mini book
Fold and cut 1 sheet of paper into an 8-page mini book, then write and draw your own story or comic.
Yarn pom-pom monsters
Wrap yarn around a fork to make fluffy pom-poms, then turn them into silly little monsters.
Monster corner bookmarks
Folded paper bookmarks that hug the corner of a page, with a monster face that looks like it's chomping the book.
Paper plate spiders
A big black paper plate spider with bendy accordion legs that bounce when you hang it from the ceiling.
Toilet roll bats
Black toilet paper roll bats with folded paper wings that you can hang upside down from a shelf.
Paper plate frogs
A green paper plate frog with a long curly red tongue that pops out of its mouth.
Pinwheel windmill that lifts
Build a working windmill from a cup and a paper pinwheel that winds up a string and lifts a paper clip.
3D paper diamonds
Cut and fold a printable-style net into a sparkly paper gem that looks like a real cut diamond.
Painted ladybug rocks
Round garden stones painted into ladybugs to tuck into flower beds or give away.
Puffy paint snowman
Mix shaving cream and glue into a fluffy paint that dries puffy and soft, then paint a snowman you can touch.
Raised salt painting
Draw with glue, cover it in salt, then touch it with watercolor and watch the color race along the lines.
Cardboard marble run
Tape paper towel tubes and cut cardboard to a wall or box and build a twisting marble run you can keep changing.
Homemade sidewalk chalk paint
Mix cornstarch, water and food coloring into a paint that dries chalky on the driveway and washes off with the hose.
Lemon battery that lights an LED
Wire 4 lemons together with nails and copper and light up a real LED, a science fair classic that works.
Homemade bubble solution and wands
Mix bubble solution that makes long-lasting bubbles, then bend pipe cleaners into wands in every shape.
Trash bag sled kite
A real flying kite made from a trash bag, 2 straws and tape that catches the wind on any breezy day.
Paper bag animal puppets
Lunch bag puppets with a mouth that opens and closes, ready for a show behind the couch.
Woven paper heart baskets
The old Danish woven heart: 2 paper loops woven together into a little basket you can fill with candy and hang on the tree.
Popsicle stick harmonica
Two craft sticks, a rubber band and 2 bits of straw make a buzzy little instrument you play by blowing.
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