We’ve all had that moment. It’s a rainy afternoon, the kids are bored, and someone starts the dreaded “there’s nothing to DO” spiral.
These 20 DIY ideas for kids are your answer to that.
I’ve put together a mix of projects that use basic supplies you probably already have at home (cardboard, paper, paint, clay, pipe cleaners, egg cartons). No fancy tools. No craft store run. Just simple, hands-on fun that keeps little ones busy for a long, long time.
Some of these take five minutes. Some will keep them going for an entire afternoon. All of them are easy enough for beginners, and most work for a wide age range, from toddlers with a little help, all the way up to older kids who want to do it themselves.
Let’s get into it.
1. DIY Treasure Stones
This one is easily the most exciting project on this list. Kids absolutely go wild for it.
You make the stones ahead of time, then hand them to your kids and watch the magic happen.
What you need:
- Sand
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Small cheap gemstones, coins, or tiny toys
- A mixing bowl
- A “chisel” (an old butter knife) and a small rubber mallet or wooden spoon
How to make it:
Mix one part plaster of Paris with one and a half parts sand and one part water.
Drop in a few gemstones. I also dropped in some plastic containers with toys inside.
Cover with more of the mixture.
Let it set overnight.
The next day, hand the stone to your kids along with the chisel and mallet and tell them there’s hidden treasure inside.
They will chip, tap, and dig until every single gem is found. It usually takes a good 30–45 minutes per stone, and they will ask you to make more immediately.
Tip: Make a few stones at once so you always have one ready to go. The dry stones keep indefinitely.
2. Paper Flower Crafts
Paper flowers are one of those crafts that looks really impressive but is surprisingly easy once you have the right templates.
We have a full step-by-step guide for making three different paper flowers, a simple rose, a fun fuzzy flower, and a very basic flat flower that even young kids can cut and assemble. All three come with free printable templates so there’s no measuring or guessing involved.
What you need:
- Colored paper or tissue paper
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- The free printable templates from our guide
- Optional: pipe cleaners or straws as stems
The templates do all the hard work. Your kids just print, cut, and put them together.
Get the full paper flower guide with free printable templates here
3. Cardboard Paper Animals
This one is perfect for little kids because there’s no “right” way to do it and that’s the whole point.
You cut the base shape. They build the animal.
What you need:
- One piece of cardboard (cut into a simple oval or circle. This is the body)
- Colored paper or construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
How to make it:
Cut out a simple animal parts kit from colored paper ahead of time. Think: a beak, two small circles for eyes, a black dot for each pupil, tiny triangles for ears, strips of paper for fur or feathers, a tail, small oval shapes for paws.
Hand the kit to your kids with the cardboard oval and a glue stick. Tell them to make an animal.
That’s it. You’ll be surprised what they come up with. Some kids make owls. Some make cats. Some make something completely unidentifiable and are very proud of it. All of them are perfect.
Tip: Pre-cutting the parts is the secret to making this work for younger kids. Once the pieces are ready, even a three-year-old can do the whole thing independently.
4. Cardboard Paper Cactus
This little cardboard cactus looks so good when it’s done. It sits on a little paper cup and you can line a few of them up on a shelf or windowsill. Kids love making these.
What you need:
- Cardboard (cereal box cardboard works perfectly)
- A small paper cup
- Green acrylic paint
- A paintbrush
- Scissors
- White acrylic paint or washi tape (optional, for decoration)
- Glue
How to make it:
Paint the cardboard green on both sides. Let it dry. Cut out three or four rounded cactus-arm shapes. They look like chunky oval or kidney shapes, roughly the same size.
If you want, add white dot patterns with the back of a pencil dipped in paint, or stick on a small strip of washi tape for a fun pattern.
Now cut a slit halfway down through the middle of each shape. Slide the shapes into each other through the slits so they stand up and overlap, forming a 3D cactus.
Done. It looks like something from a fancy plant shop.
5. Air Dry Clay Pinch Pots
Air dry clay pinch pots are one of the best kids crafts you can do at home. They teach a real skill, they’re calming to make, and the finished result is something kids actually want to keep.
You only need air dry clay. That’s it.
Roll a ball of clay in your hands. Press your thumb into the middle. Slowly pinch and turn the clay, pressing outward until you have a little bowl shape. Smooth the edges. Let it dry. Then paint it if you want.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes, and kids can personalize their pot with paint, nail polish, or even some washi tape once it’s dry.
Full step-by-step guide with photos here
6. Air Dry Clay Animals
Air dry clay animals are one of the most fun kid projects you can do with clay. Kids can pick their favorite animal and build it step by step. No kiln and no experience needed.
We have a full guide with 10 easy animals including frogs, turtles, snails, bears, and more. Every animal is broken into small, simple steps that any kid can follow.
Full air dry clay animals guide here
7. Pipe Cleaner Flowers
Pipe cleaner flowers are honestly one of the easiest crafts you can do with kids, and they look so pretty when they’re done. You can make a rose, a daisy, a sunflower, all just by bending and twisting pipe cleaners into shape.
We have a full tutorial that covers three different flower styles, with step-by-step instructions and photos for each one.
Full pipe cleaner flower tutorial here
8. Iron Bead Crafts (Perler Beads)
If your kids haven’t tried iron bead crafts yet, this is going to become their new obsession.
You get a peg board, a bag of tiny plastic beads, and you place the beads onto the board one by one to make a pixel-style picture. Animals, hearts, Minecraft characters, flowers, smiley faces, whatever you want.
Once the design is done, you cover it with the special ironing paper and an adult runs a warm iron over it for a few seconds. The beads melt just enough to fuse together. Peel it off the board and you have a solid little piece of art.
Kids can spend hours on this. Older kids especially love it. The starter kits are cheap and the beads last forever.
9. Pipe Cleaner Animals
Same idea as the pipe cleaner flowers but this time you’re making animals.
Twist a few pipe cleaners together to form the basic body. Bend some smaller pieces into legs, ears, tails, or antennae. Add googly eyes with a dab of glue.
A little spider needs only four pipe cleaners bent in half. A caterpillar is just a green pipe cleaner twisted into bumpy loops. A butterfly is two pipe cleaners twisted t