14 Arts and Crafts Projects for Toddlers (2024)

Kids Crafts

Craft Projects for Kids

Lengthen your little one's attention span and spur creativity with well-planned craft time. From squirt gun painting to sticker lettering, here you'll find a bunch of solid ideas to fill any afternoon.

• 01 of 14

  Paper Plate Animals

  

  Preschoolers can finger paint paper plates, then add construction paper faces and limbs to create their own petting zoos. Paper plates provide the perfect canvas for kids–they're sturdy enough for paint and glue, and double as a convenient paint palette.

  Paper Plate AnimalsfromI Heart Crafty Things

• 02 of 14

  Letter of the Week

  

  Get a jump start on phonics for little ones with a fun weekly letter craft. Parents cut construction paper letters, then little ones can decorate to capture the spirit of an alliterated word. This handy tutorial provides free printables for less artistically-inclined grown ups.

  Letter of the WeekfromCrystal and Co.

• 03 of 14

  Sticker Name Activity

  

  Practice letters and fine motor skills with dot stickers and pre-written names. Preschoolers are bound to enjoy making a bit of personal art, and parents will love the mess-free, quiet concentration time this project requires.

  Sticker Name ActivityfromBusy Toddler

• 04 of 14

  Painted Pasta Necklace

  

  Rigatoni gets the Monet treatment with this tactile craft. Toddlers can channel their inner designers to create watercolor pasta jewelry that's as much fun to create as it is to wear.

  Painted Pasta NecklacefromPicklebums

  Continue to 5 of 14 below

• 05 of 14

  Firework Stamps

  

  Stamp painting is perfect for little hands, and creating this firework stamp from a recycled cardboard tube is quick and easy. Kids will spend hours painting fireworks (or starbursts or sunflowers or puffy clouds!). Low on paint?Make your own using mostly on-hand ingredients.

  Firework StampsfromHappiness is Homemade

• 06 of 14

  Moon Sand

  

  Flour and oil combine to make a highly malleable, and incredibly fun, sculpting material. Toddlers can help mix the moon sand, then have a tactile and creative play time. Be sure to line the play surface with plastic–the oily sand can leave residue behind.

  Moon SandfromLessons Learnt Journal

• 07 of 14

  Egg Carton Crabs

  

  Upcycle empty egg cartons into cute crawling critters with this easy project. Kids paint the egg cups, transforming them into shells, then twist a pipe cleaner into the cute little crab claws. Grown-ups need to lend a hand to hot glue things together on this one.

  Egg Carton CrabsfromThe Spruce Crafts

• 08 of 14

  Squirt Gun Painting

  

  You'll need to wait for warmer months for this activity–it causes an outdoors-only kind of mess. Fill squirt guns with liquid watercolor paint, then let preschoolers go to town on sheets of construction paper clipped to a canvas or tacked to a tree.

  Squirt Gun PaintingfromFireflies and Mud Pies

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• 09 of 14

  Magic Milk Paint

  

  Toddlers get a bit of chemistry with their art in this activity–a little whole milk, food coloring, and a dish soap-dipped toothpick provide a play surface that will keep little ones entertained for hours. Kids also get firsthand experience at color mixing with this one!

  Magic Milk PaintfromModern Parents Messy Kids

• 10 of 14

  Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

  

  Most preschoolers will jump at the chance to squirt liquids from plastic bottles–why not let them create beautiful temporary artwork while they're at it? Mix up a big batch of liquid chalk (cornstarch, vinegar, water, baking soda, and food coloring), then send kiddos out to the driveway to create.

  Liquid Sidewalk ChalkfromGrowing a Jeweled Rose

• 11 of 14

  Straw Bead Necklace

  

  Clip bright straws into segments to create inexpensive, recycled beads that toddlers can string onto yarn. Kids can practice color recognition and patterning with this easy and mess-free craft.

  Straw Bead NecklacefromTeaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

• 12 of 14

  Fingerprint Flowers

  

  Bring the garden indoors with this painting activity. Preschoolers apply fingerprints, thumbprints, or handprints to pre-drawn leaves and stems, ultimately creating a lovely field of flowers.

  Fingerprint FlowersfromWe Have Aars

  Continue to 13 of 14 below

• 13 of 14

  DIY Binoculars

  

  Take your toddlers out for a day of bird sighting with their homemade binoculars! This easy tutorial gives great ideas for decorating TP rolls, then attaching two together with yarn to form the special, individualized specs.

  DIY BinocularsfromArt Bar

• 14 of 14

  Natural Sun Catchers

  

  Kiddos forage for the decorations for these sun catchers, then assemble using clear contact paper and paper plates. Wild flowers and grasses stick to the contact paper like magic for kids, and with no messy cleanup, this medium may feel like magic for grown ups too.

  Natural Sun CatchersfromHands On As We Grow