We’ve been home-schooling for the last 12 years, so we’ve got plenty of experience when it comes to keeping kids busy when they’re at home all day long.
I’ve compiled a big list of over 100 DIY and craft activities to help you keep your kids occupied.
I’ve split these crafts for kids into older and younger age groups but of course this isn’t set in stone – just choose the things that your kids will enjoy from either list.
Some older kids will probably enjoy doing some of the younger messier crafts!
For Younger Kids:
5. Practise times tables in a fun way – jump on numbers drawn on big sheet of paper on the floor, or use small objects (buttons, beads etc.) for counting
6. Make colorful butterflies from old paper
7. Draw with pavement chalks in your garden
8. Make playdough
9. Teach them how to knit
10. Decorate their own pizza bases
11. Make paper boats and float them in the bath
12. Make pom-poms from left-over wool
13. Make glow in the dark fluffy slime
14. Salt painting
15. Play indoor bowling – use plastic bottles as skittles
16. Make pipe cleaner flower rings
17. Sponge or potato stamper painting
18. Turn a cardboard box into a car
19. Create mosaics from little buttons
20. Try some easy science experiments:
21. Make pictures from paper plates
22. Make fake snow
23. Paint a field of tulips with Q-tips
https://www.projectswithkids.com/field-of-tulips-q-tip-painting/
24. Make paper mache hot air balloons
25. Create sun catchers from tissue paper and cardboard
26. Race balloon powered cars
27. Make a fruit rainbow for breakfast
https://twohealthykitchens.com/fruit-rainbow-pot-gold-fun-breakfast-idea-kids/
28. Make a marble run from cardboard tubes and sticky tape
29. Make peg dolls
30. Make a collage with seashells
31. Make mouse finger puppets from paper cones
32. Use chalk pastels to paint stunning tulips
https://www.projectswithkids.com/chalk-pastel-tulip-art-project/
33. Make paper Chinese lanterns
34. Melted crayon art
35. Press flowers
36. Paint using flowers as brushes
37. Make home-made bubble solution
38. Make paper snowflakes
39. Recycle play-doh containers into tiny plant pots
40. Build a tent with blankets
41. Bake pirate cup cakes
https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/pirates-awesome-fondant-yucky.html
42. Learn finger knitting
43. Read your favorite childhood books to your kids
44. Make apple monsters
https://twohealthykitchens.com/apple-monsters-a-nut-free-healthy-halloween-treat/
45. Listen to an audio book, then make a picture together about the story
46. Paint butterflies (by folding the paper in half)
47. Make collages by cutting pictures from old magazines
48. Draw round your child on a huge piece of paper, and decorate with clothes, hair etc.
49. Try kids yoga (lots of videos on YouTube)
50. Draw a map of your local area on a big piece of paper, marking landmarks and pretend to walk between them
51. Create Hama Bead decorations
52. Paper weaving
53. Handprint painting
54. French knitting
55. Make salt dough ornaments
56. Make pinecone bird feeders
57. Make marbled paper
58. Face painting
For Older Kids:
59. Rockpainting
60. Making Robots from Lego
61. Writing a song or piece of music on a suggested theme
62. Board games – there are downloadable app versions of many of the popular games if you don’t have the physical game in your house.
63. Make sock puppets (or even more elaborate puppets if they want!)
https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/guides/sock-puppets-and-kids-activity-packs
64. Wordsearches and crosswords (downloaded from the Internet)
65. Decorate their room – take the opportunity to give their bedroom a makeover – get them to choose the colours and join in!
66. Paint a wooden wall plaque
https://www.craftideas.info/html/hen_chicks_decoration_b.html
67. Make fancy paper aeroplanes
68. Cook a meal for the family from start to finish – from choosing the menu to the washing up!
69. Put on a play for the rest of the family (including dressing up!)
70. Decorate glass jars with glass paints to make candle holders
71. Origami
72. If you have any old furniture, they can paint it to give it a new lease of life
73. Make a cardboard box fort
74. Make a beaded heart dreamcatcher
75. Make button (or card) whizzers
76. Make Pet Cactus Rocks
77. Make friendship bracelets
78. Organise a Video Games tournament (online or within the family)
79. Make galaxy shoes
80. Set up a scavenger hunt
81. Build a catapult
82. Make homemade bath salts
83. Design a Lego marble run
84. Teach them to knit teddy bears
85. Try copying some famous paintings eg Van Gogh, Monet or Picasso!
86. Make fancy pencil holders from empty jars or plastic bottles
87. Clothespin crafts – accessory holders, wreaths, scarf holder, note holders
88. Pyrography
89. Ask your kids to invent a recipe from the food in your store cupboard
90. Make a secret agent maze using string taped to a hallway or door
91. Make Tie-dye T-shirts (or beach towels etc)
92. Make para cord bracelets
93. Make a God’s Eye
94. Build a city from Lego
95. Make folded paper bracelets
96. Make a baking soda volcano (and explore the science!)
97. Learn to touch type
98. Learn about photography – use their phones to take pictures of the dog, the family, the house, the garden…
99. Create a stop-motion video using Lego figures and a phone.
100. Make pencil toppers
101. Make necklace pendants from air-dry clay
102. String Art
103. Create a comic book
104. Make home-made candles
I hope this list of activities and crafts for kids is helpful – let me know if you try any, and what you think. Also, if you’ve got any questions, just ask away below!
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Oh there are just so many adorable ideas here! Somehow, my twins have grown into high school seniors who are heading off to college soon (where does the time go???). But this is exactly the kind of post I would have adored back when they were younger, and I was always looking for creative, unique, fun and educational activities to share with them! I’m just delighted that you found some of our site’s recipes inspiring additions to the list! Cooking with my kids has always been one of my favorite and most successful family activities, when I just didn’t know what else to do to keep them engaged and busy! We’ve had so much fun posting our family-favorite recipes and kids’ cooking projects through the years, and I’m honored to be included in your wonderful list! 🙂
I’m in a similar situation Shelley – our daughter is nearing the end of school, so we don’t cook together as much as we used to. On the plus side, she occasionally volunteers to cook family dinner. She’s doing meatloaf tonight. Yum! Thank you for letting me include your recipes – the rainbow breakfast is very topical with rainbows cheering everyone up at this difficult time – and I just loved your apple monsters – so much fun!