Make · Ages 1 to 3
Crafts for toddlers
Sensory play, big brushes and messy hands, with nothing small enough to swallow. Every one is built for a grown-up and a toddler side by side.
100 projects · 97 beginner · 3 intermediate · 0 advanced
Painted pie pumpkin
A real little pumpkin your toddler covers in color, then it sits on the porch all October.
Painted pine cone trees
Pine cones dabbed green that stand up like a tiny forest on the windowsill.
Sponge stamped wrapping paper
Plain brown paper stamped with stars and trees, so your toddler's art wraps the gifts.
Bubble wrap stomp painting
Bubble wrap taped to little feet, a dip in paint, and a page covered in dotted footprints.
Playdough birthday cake
A cake made of playdough with jumbo straws for candles, so your toddler can sing happy birthday 40 times.
Nature playdough prints
Leaves, pine cones and bark pressed into flat dough, leaving prints your toddler can peel up and study.
Pumpkin washing station
A tub of soapy water, a few small pumpkins and a scrub brush, which is all a toddler needs for a happy half hour outside.
Nature walk bracelet
A tape cuff with the sticky side out, so your toddler can stick every leaf and petal they find on a walk.
Fly swatter painting
A brand new fly swatter dipped in paint and whacked onto big paper for splatter art toddlers adore.
Heart tissue suncatcher
A see-through heart of pink and red tissue that glows in a window for Valentine's Day.
Thumbprint heart card
A tiny heart made from 2 thumbprints, as sweet a Valentine card as you'll get.
Strawberry pink playdough
Soft pink dough for squishing, rolling and cutting into hearts.
Heart posting box
A shoe box mailbox with a slot, so your toddler can post cardboard hearts over and over.
Jumbo egg shakers
Big plastic eggs filled with rice and sealed tight, ready for a toddler kitchen band.
Egg hunt color match
A backyard egg hunt where each egg goes in the basket that matches its color.
Backyard mud kitchen
Old pots, pans and spoons plus a patch of dirt and water, for mud pies and soup all afternoon.
Flower petal soup
A tub of water, petals and leaves that your toddler stirs into pretend soup.
Sand castle bin
A bin of damp sand and kitchen molds for flipping castles at home.
Tissue box scarf pull
An empty tissue box stuffed with scarves your toddler pulls out, 1 after another, with total delight.
Craft stick posting
A container with a slot in the lid, so your toddler can drop jumbo craft sticks through it, again and again.
Big rock painting
Rocks bigger than a fist painted in bright colors, to line the garden path.
Nature paintbrushes
Sticks with leaves, grass and pine needles tied on, so every brush makes a different mark.
Toy truck track painting
Chunky toy trucks drive through paint and leave tire tracks all over the paper.
Paper plate Christmas wreath
A green paper wreath your toddler covers in torn paper, finished with a red bow for the front door.
Gingerbread playdough
Warm brown dough that smells like cookies, for rolling and cutting gingerbread people.
Sidewalk chalk paint
Cornstarch and water mixed into bright paint that washes away with the hose.
Sponge water transfer
2 bowls, 1 big sponge and water, so your toddler can soak, squeeze and move water from bowl to bowl.
Sticker line up
Big stickers stuck along thick marker lines, a calm table activity for building strong pincer fingers.
Pipe cleaner colander
Pipe cleaners poked into an upside down colander, a quiet puzzle for busy fingers.
Witch's brew water bin
A tub of green potion, a big pot and a ladle, so your toddler can stir up something spooky.
Calm down sensory bottle
Oil and colored water sealed in a bottle that swirls slowly when tipped, a good thing to hold on a hard day.
Ice cube painting
Colored ice cubes on sticks that melt into bright paint as your toddler swirls them on paper.
Jingle bell sensory bottle
A sealed bottle of rice and bells that jingles every time your toddler shakes, rolls or tosses it.
Yogurt finger paint
Colored plain yogurt paint for babies and young toddlers who still taste everything.
Leaf suncatcher
Fall leaves pressed between clear sticky paper that glow orange and red when you tape them to a window.
Fireworks tube painting
A toilet roll tube cut into fringe that stamps out bursts like fireworks.
Pumpkin squish bag
A taped-up bag of orange gel your toddler can poke, squish and smoosh with zero mess to clean.
Fall oat sensory bin
A bin of oats, big leaves and scoops for pouring, hiding and finding, and it's fine if a little gets tasted.
Jello dig
Big toys trapped in wobbly gelatin for your toddler to squish, dig and rescue.
Snow spray painting
Spray bottles of colored water turn a patch of snow into a rainbow.
Paper plate snowman
A 2 plate snowman with torn white paper and a paper hat, and a fine first collage.
Tape resist snowflake
A crisp white snowflake that appears when you peel the tape off your toddler's blue painting.
Butcher paper floor mural
A huge sheet of paper on the floor and big rollers and brushes, so your toddler can paint with their whole body.
Egg carton caterpillar
A strip of egg carton painted green that turns into a wiggly caterpillar.
Paper plate lion
A sunny paper plate lion with a big torn paper mane, toddler style.
Spider web paper toss
A sticky tape web across a doorway that your toddler pelts with paper balls until it's full of bugs.
Cardboard car ramp
A big piece of cardboard leaned on the couch, so chunky toy cars can race down it.
Pumpkin pie playdough
Soft orange dough that smells like pumpkin pie, made in 10 minutes from pantry staples.
Sticky wall Christmas tree
A tree made of sticky paper on the wall that your toddler decorates, takes down and decorates again.
Fork print Christmas tree
Green fork prints stacked in a triangle that look like a fluffy tree, plus stickers for ornaments.
Snow cloud dough
Soft white dough that packs like snow and crumbles like powder, made from flour and oil.
Frozen toy rescue
Toys frozen in a block of ice, and a toddler armed with warm water to set them free.
Toy car wash
A bin of soapy water and scrub brushes so your toddler can wash every car they own.
Celery rose stamps
The bottom of a celery bunch dipped in paint stamps out prints that look like roses.
Painted cardboard box house
A big delivery box with a door and window that your toddler paints, then moves into.
Sensory walk path
A path of towels, cushions, foil and bubble wrap for bare toddler feet to stomp across.
Salad spinner art
Paint drops plus a salad spinner make swirly spin art your toddler cranks themselves.
Crayon leaf rubbings
Leaf shapes that appear like magic when your toddler scribbles over a leaf hiding under the paper.
Pine cone roll painting
Pine cones roll through paint in a box and leave wild tracks all over the paper.
Leaf color sort
A pile of fall leaves and 3 colored buckets, so your toddler can sort leaves on the lawn.
Indoor snow bin
A bin of real snow on the kitchen floor with cups and spoons, for snow play without the snowsuit.
Under the table drawing
Paper taped under the table so your toddler lies on their back and draws like a tiny cave artist.
Paper tearing basket
A basket of junk mail and scrap paper your toddler is allowed to rip to bits, which is very good for small hands.
Painter's tape peel
Strips of colored tape stuck all over a table or high chair tray for your toddler to pick and peel.
Bathtub paint
Thick, soapy paint your toddler smears on the tub walls, then rinses away.
Oobleck goo
Cornstarch and water make a goo that feels solid when you squeeze it and drips when you let go.
Dot marker art
Chunky dot markers that make a perfect circle with every dab, so even 18 month olds make art that looks like something.
Sticker tie card for Dad
A paper tie your toddler covers in stickers and scribbles for Father's Day.
Apple stamp painting
Apple halves dipped in paint make perfect apple-shaped prints, star and all.
Water painting wall
A cup of water and a big brush turn a fence, sidewalk or chalkboard dark, then it dries and they paint it again.
Footprint reindeer card
A brown footprint that turns into a reindeer with a red nose, perfect for a holiday card to grandma.
Butterfly fold painting
Paint blobs on 1 side, fold, press, open, and there's a butterfly with matching wings.
Handprint ghost
A spooky little ghost made from your toddler's white handprint on black paper, and a keepsake of how small that hand was this October.
Pasta noodle painting
Cooked spaghetti dyed bright colors, then slapped and dragged across paper like wiggly paintbrushes.
Paper snowball toss
A soft snowball fight inside with crumpled white paper, so nobody gets cold.
Grass head cup
A paper cup with a face that grows green grass hair in about a week.
Paper plate watermelon
A half plate painted red and green with fingerprint seeds, looking good enough to eat.
Tissue paper plate pumpkin
A bright orange pumpkin made from scraps of tissue your toddler sticks on 1 piece at a time.
Salt dough handprint ornament
A baked handprint ornament that goes on the tree every year and shows how much that hand has grown.
Muffin tin color sort
A muffin tin with colored paper in each cup and big toys to sort by color.
Letter A apple collage
A giant letter A covered in red paper apples, for a first taste of the alphabet.
All about me handprint poster
A poster with your toddler's handprint, footprint, photo and favorite things, to look back on every year.
Dot sticker Easter egg
A big paper egg your toddler decorates with round stickers, one slow and serious press at a time.
Coffee filter Easter eggs
Marker scribbles on coffee filters that bleed into soft rainbow eggs when sprayed with water.
Bunny ear headband
A painted paper headband with tall bunny ears your toddler decorated themselves.
Rain painting
Washable marker drawings set out in a spring shower so the rain paints them.
Torn paper fish
A big paper fish covered in torn paper scales, for practicing tearing and sticking.
Toilet roll bats
Little black bats made from empty toilet paper tubes, ready to hang upside down in a window.
Handprint fall tree
A brown handprint tree with fingertip leaves in red, orange and yellow, and a fall keepsake to frame.
Paper plate turkey
A round turkey with bright paper feathers your toddler glues around the edge.
Toilet roll heart stamps
A pinched toilet paper tube makes a perfect heart stamp for a page full of Valentines.
Torn paper carrot
An orange carrot made of torn paper scraps with a leafy green top, a good bunny snack.
Handprint flower bouquet
Bright handprints that become a bouquet of tulips, ready to frame for Mother's Day.
Toilet roll binoculars
2 painted toilet paper tubes taped together for a backyard bird and bug safari.
Sticky monster face
A monster built on sticky contact paper, where your toddler slaps on eyes, teeth and horns again and again.
Paper bag monster puppet
A lunch bag that turns into a talking monster after your toddler sticks on the face.
Whipped cream marble art
Swirl colors into whipped cream, press paper on top, and pull up a marbled print.
Texture touch board
A cardboard board covered with soft, bumpy and crinkly things to touch.
Ornament scoop bin
Big shatterproof ornaments floating in a water bin, ready to scoop, chase and pour.
Paper plate ladybug
A red plate ladybug with black spots your toddler sticks on.
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