Top 10 Crafts for Children

Keeping children occupied with a productive task that captures their imaginations and attention helps stimulate intellectual growth, improves motor skills, and prevents troublesome behavior. Children respond positively to the time spent collaborating with an adult and enjoy the results of their efforts once the craft is complete.

Personalized Tote Bags
Canvas tote bags are easy to acquire. Craft and general stores offer them specifically for personalization. If you have the fabric, these tote bags can easily be sewn together. It is best to use natural or white canvas tote bags of medium size. Fabric markers work better than fabric paint or permanent markers and are easier for children of all ages to handle.

For this craft, you will need:
medium-sized white or natural canvas tote bags
fabric markers

Allow the children to decorate their tote bags how they want. Their individual styles will emerge. I have seen beautiful whimsical floral designs, brilliant patterns, and one very unique Google search bar.

These bags can be used for trips to the library, shopping trips, and hiking excursions where children are picking leaves and available wildflowers for a different craft.

Hand-sewn T-shirt Dolls
At first glance, this activity may not appeal to children who prefer not to be involved with any toy that can be labeled as a doll. It is important to encourage participation because this craft leaves so much room for the imagination that the child can create whatever the child desires from the materials available. The hand-sewing skills transcend any perceived limitations of age or gender since all people benefit from knowing how to hand sew and the sooner they know, the better!

For this craft, you will need:
old cotton t-shirts
pencils
spools of thread
sewing needles
scissors
fabric markers
variety of buttons
stuffing

For children under 5 years-old, plan to do the fabric cutting and sewing for them. Help children plan a reasonable shape and cut two of that shape from the t-shirt material. Using a simple overstitch, children will sew along the edge of the shapes, leaving only a 3-inch gap unsewn. Children will then turn the doll right-side out so the seams are no longer visible. Now, children will stuff the dolls until they take the desired shape and hand-sew the opening with an overstitch. Children can now add their decorations, sewing on buttons for eyes and drawing any designs they desire.

These dolls are durable enough to withstand a lot of play and are easily washed in the machine washer and dryer. They also make ideal keepsakes for children to remember their accomplishment into adulthood and inspire their children to create.

Pressing Leaves for Frames
This activity involves a nature walk which is fantastic exercise and educational. Children learn to respect and know nature and implement its beauty into their lives.

For this craft, you will need:
bags to carry leaves and flowers in
craft picture frames
acrylic paints, glitter, and other craft notions that can inspire imaginations to create unique items

Take children on a reasonable hike through a local forest preserve or park. Take the opportunity to point out the differences between plants and trees, including poisonous plants like Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. Allow children to pick safe leaves and flowers that they like and carry them in their tote bags. Children will place their leaves and flowers inside the pages of a large book and return 1 day later to retrieve their finds and begin planning how they will decorate their frames. Leaves can be painted and adhered to the outside of the frame, or pressed naturally within the frame. Children also have the option of framing only the leaves and flowers or of adding an original picture or a photograph to the frame. Once children have completed decorating the frames, they should be set aside in a safe, cool place until dry.

Children can display their artwork in their bedrooms or give them as gifts.

Writing Little Softcover Books
This activity has very simple preparation that allows children of all ages to develop their imaginations and skills while producing original content that can be used as future inspiration or keepsakes.

For this craft, you will need:
8 sheets of 8-1/2-inch x 11-inch white sketch paper
a standard stapler
scissors
any combination of crayons, colored pencils, pencils, pens and thin markers

The paper should be stacked and then folded along its length. Cleanly cut down this fold to create two narrow stacks of 8 sheets of paper. Each narrow stack should then be folded in half. Within a half-inch of the fold, staple three times equally along the side. Each stack of 8 papers will yield 4 little softcover books. If you wish to have colored covers, simply add a color sheet of copy or construction paper as the bottom sheet of paper before you begin folding and cutting. Once the book is assembled, creating a 14-page book with a front cover and back cover, children can create a story as they like.

Encourage children to write a How-To instructional book that describes how to do something they know to do. This will help them develop organizational skills and think logically. Encourage children to illustrate on each page with a scene that depicts what is happening at that part of the story. Help children with story structure, creating a beginning, a middle and an end to the story. Children will want to hold on to their books as well as read them to others. The accomplishment develops pride and confidence and encourages reading.

Scrapbook
This activity compliments any and all other activities, allowing children to document their own adventures in a keepsake that they have access to whenever they wish. Some adult participation may be required but for most children, only supervision is necessary.

For this craft, you will need:
a scrapbook
a variety of scrapbook notions, stickers, shapes and tools will be useful

There is no right or wrong way to scrapbook so the sky is the limit for children. Provide them photographs of their experiences and, if they are scrapbooking about a craft they have completed, have a portion of that craft, such as a scrap of t-shirt material or unused pressed leaf, to include on the scrapbook page. Encourage children to date each page according to when the craft or the experienced happened and write any original notes that they especially enjoyed.

Serious scrapbooking can involve some expensive materials. Allowing children to imagine and create their own, or use stickers that they prefer which are not usually found in the scrapbooking aisles of the store, will save you money and children will have a lot more fun with the activity. Since this is an activity that is a compliment to all other activities, children will be encouraged to continue adding to the scrapbook.

Button Hats
I noticed that hats with buttons sewn are were in fashion for young people and my first thought was, "I could make that for so much cheaper." My next thought was, "The kids could make these themselves!" The kids loved the activity so I've added this craft to the Top 10!

For this craft, you will need:
undecorated cloth hats
scissors
spools of sewing thread
sewing needles

Children will share a collection of buttons in different shapes, sizes and colors. Children under 5 years-old will need to have the sewing steps done for them but will have fun selecting the buttons they want and how they want the buttons arranged on the hat. Optional items can include some Rit dye if the child wants to tye-dye or dye their hat a specific way and fabric adhesive if sewing buttons proves to be difficult without an agent to keep the buttons in place while the child is sewing.

Children can add as many or as few buttons as they want to reach their desired results. These hats are durable and can be machine washed and dried. Children can use these hats to guard against sun damage while at the park, the beach, fishing, or on nature hikes. Children can also wear them with pride during charity fundraising events that allow children to wear their favorite hats to school for a day. Encourage children to think about themes and color coordination when they are planning their designs.

Prayer or Contemplation Bead Bracelets
These bracelets are very easy to make and this remains one of the most popular child crafts in existence. This craft is fairly inexpensive if the beads are already on hand and can occupy a large number of children at once.

For this craft, you will need:
elastic cord
a variety of beads

Beads will need to be many different shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. Mix wooden beads and metal beads with plastic beads and glass beads. Have beads that look like marble designs and others than resemble animals. Have some letter beads and some in geometric shapes. Children will choose beads based on how the beads inspire their imaginations. Some children create a little story using the beads that they choose. Measure the child's wrist and cut the elastic cord at a length that is 150% the length measured. Tie a double knot at the end of one end of the elastic cord. The child can then arrange the beads on the string how they want. After the child is finished, tie a square knot using both ends of the elastic cord. This is the completed bracelet.

Children can give these bracelets as gifts. Adults have placed them on car rearview mirrors or in a special place on a work or home desk. Children who keep their bracelets continue to be inspired by the beads they have chosen and, when they no longer wish to wear the bracelets, will hold on to them as keepsakes.

Felt Banner
This is a popular children's craft that can involve teamwork for kids who share a bedroom or play-area. When preparing for this activity, establish that it is a group effort that requires teamwork and cooperation. No ideas are wrong and everyone's imaginations can be combined to create a perfect banner.

For this craft, you will need:
pieces of felt, estimated at about 17-inch x 22-inch total
a dowel rod approximately 24 inches in length
thick yarn or hemp cord
a glue gun
various felt adhesive shapes
craft paint

Children will select what base color they want for the banner and will be able to paint and adhere decorations that achieve the agreed design, leaving approximately 3 inches at the top of the banner untouched. The top of the banner will be rolled over the dowel rod until the top edge meets the back of the banner. The felt can be hot glued together at this point or an adult can mark the line and then sew the loop using a sewing machine, slipping the dowel rod into the loop. Center the banner on the dowel rod so the ends are evenly exposed on both sides. Use the yarn or cord as a hanger, tying double knots on each side of the dowel rod so that the middle point can hang on a nail or hook. To secure knots, use a dot of hot glue to secure to the rod. Once the banner is dry, it can be hung on the wall.

Fabric ribbons can be added to the sides of the bottom of the banner to create more colors and a greater design. Encourage children to experiment with decorating the banner and find unique ways to express themselves in a collective and cooperative design.

Activity Aprons
This is a challenging but creative craft for children ages 12 and up. I believe most children who are 9 years old and older will be able to operate a sewing machine and appreciate the purpose of this craft but I will say 12 just for safety sake. They don't keep the aprons when they are finished but donate them to special education schools and nursing homes where people will make good use of the mental stimuli provided by these aprons.

For this craft, you will need:
basic, undecorated aprons, available at craft stores or easily made with appropriate fabric
some fabric markers
scissors
fabric pins
a variety of buttons
a variety of ribbon
some fabric scraps
zippers
some velcro
access to a sewing machine

Children will plan their design, finding a place to sew a pocket, a working zipper, buttons that can be unbuttoned and buttoned, some velcro features, ribbons to sew as bows and ribbons to be sewn on so it can be tied as a bow, and different types of material for texture, pattern and color. Once the design is done, the child will secure the pieces to the apron using fabric pins. These straight pins can be removed after each piece is securely sewn in place with the sewing machine.

When the aprons are completed, children can participate in delivering them to the destination for donation.

Plastic Canvas Bookmarks
Craft stores will often sell the plastic canvas cut to a standard bookmark size or provide a kit that includes yarn and the needle. Bookmarks are small enough items that younger children will not lose interest in their project before completing it.

For this craft, you will need:
plastic canvas cut to the size of standard bookmarks
yarn in various colors
yarn needles
scissors

Children will plan their design and then begin the activity by looping the yarn through the plastic canvas squares to manifest the design. Sometimes markers may help children plan their designs by allowing them to remember where colors of yarn will be looped. Embellishments can be made with ribbons and beads on the bookmark tail.

This practical item can also be given as a gift for many different occasions.

Many of these crafts can consume an afternoon, providing productive behavior during a day of bad weather and all of them are reasonably affordable, overlapping in materials to save money will increasing the number of uses for the products bought.