Spring is a great time to be inspired and get crafting with kids of all ages! Let the sunshine and occasional rainy days inspire your craft ideas and freshen your creativity. If the change of weather doesn’t provide enough inspiration then check out these cool craft ideas from our friend Laura Brooks. Laura blogs at Sewing Makes Me Happy and helps spread the word about sewing!
1. Stained Glass-Crafts to do with little hands (ages 2-3)
With the sun out longer each day, these stained glass windows are a great craft for a little one to make and display. All you need is a clear plastic lid, glue and colored tissue paper. Have your tot cut (if able) or tear small pieces of tissue paper. Brush a thin layer of glue on the lid and have your child fill in the lid with colored pieces of paper. Once she is done placing the tissue on the lid, brush one more layer of glue over the tissue and then allow to dry overnight. Put a hole in the lid with a hole punch and hang it with string in a window.
**Check out this fun craft to do with tissue paper. You can change up the colours for each season!
2.Stamped Flowers-Crafts to do with little independents (ages 4-6)
Springtime means flowers! Your preschoolers can make their own pretty flowers with this simple wine-cork stamp flower craft. To make the stamps, group wine corks together in groups of three or five (with the ends level) and secure together with a rubber band. Drizzle different colors of acrylic craft paint in a styrofoam paint tray and have your child dip their stamp in the paint (moving it around a bit to get full coverage on the stamp). Press the stamp onto white cardstock and ta-da! – a beautiful flower! Let your child do this as many times as they like and then allow the paint to dry overnight. Once dry, cut around the shape of the flower and have your child glue a button to the middle of the flower and a pipe cleaner or straw to the back for a “stem.” Your little one can display his flowers around the house or even gift them to a teacher or friend!
3.Pot Holder-Craft to do with middle school age kids
This craft is great for middle schoolers who would like to try their hand at using the sewing machine. This sewing craft just uses a series of straight lines, plus it can be done in an hour or two – so isn’t overwhelming for young crafters! Cut two fabric square pieces 10 inches by 10 inches, as well as two or three batting pieces depending on their thickness, 10 inches by 10 inches. For the final piece, cut one strap 10 inches by 2 1/2 inches. To make the strap, fold the fabric lengthwise – inside out – and sew a seam lengthwise with a ⅜ inch allowance. Flip the fabric right side out and iron. For the main part of the pot holder pin the batting to the wrong side of the fabric. Then place the strap (folded in half) on the right side of one of the pieces of fabric, the seams to one of the corners at an angle. Lay the other piece of fabric (fabric side down) onto the piece of fabric with the strap on it. Pin together and then sew the edges with a ⅜ inch seam allowance – sewing straight off each side and leave a 3 inch gap on one of the sides. Pull the pot holder through the gap you left un-sewn and use the edges of a scissor to pop out the corners. Iron the pot holder flat, then top-stitch around the edges with a 1/4 inch seam allowance (sewing the small gap shut). And…you’re done! Display your sewing craft proudly – useful for all your kitchen cast iron and pretty to look at. 🙂
4.No Sew T-shirt Bag-Craft to do with tweens
Does your tween have a favorite t-shirt that they don’t/can’t wear anymore, but really don’t want to get rid of? Re-use it! This No Sew T-shirt Bag is a simple and fun craft for your tween to do, plus they have a new tote to use this spring for sports, dance class, picnics in the park…you name it! Use a label maker to add a personalized touch or “If Found” information. You will need an old t-shirt, scissors and (optional washable marker). Cutoff both sleeves and the neckline area (for the neckline you can flip the shirt inside out and use a bowl to trace a line and then cut…but that’s up to you!). Turn your t-shirt inside out – if you haven’t done so already – and trace a line about 2 inches from the bottom of the shirt. You can adjust this depending on how deep or shallow you want your bag to be. Next cut slits into the shirt to the line that you drew, about ¾ to 1 inch apart. Tie your fringe into knots – you’ll see that there will be holes in the bottom of the bag. To fix this, grab a strand from one knot and tie it to the strand of a knot to the right or left, continuing all the way across the bottom. Turn the shirt (now a bag 🙂 inside out again and you’re done!
I hope you enjoy the spring sunshine or refreshing rainy days, the time you spend together with your kids and enjoy crafting!!
What types of crafts do you like to do with your kiddos?
FT&PD
Suz
Wow, great creative ideas! Love the T-shirt bag and the potholders!
If only I had kids! Such cute crafts.
We love crafting! My daughter is two and she lives tearing tissue paper for crafts, but I’ve never heard of using a plastic lid with it before. Can’t wait to try it! I think I’ll be making the tshirt bag myself, too!
These are all great crafting ideas, I love doing crafts with the younger kids, they have such an amazing imagination!!
Very creative ideas,thanks for sharing
our current favorite craft is making hand print flowers with paint!
This year for Christmas I am giving my niece a plastic drawer tower filled with all sorts of craft supplies (I’ve already started buying stuff when I see it in the dollar stores as there is so much fun stuff to get!!
My kids are all adults so we don’t do crafts together. We do occasionally do a puzzle together but we’d be more likely be found playing games together like this weekend. 🙂
I really love the t-shirt bag! It looks really nice!
I am going to pick out some cool material from my quilting station and try those potholders with my granddaugter
I think my Dad is still using the Pot Holders that I made from old clothes and fabrics when I was a teenager 🙂 I sure loved making them 🙂
The Stained Glass-Crafts sound marvellous, kids would love making these and then seeing them on display in a window. 🙂
I used to paint decorations with my mom before I lost my strength. So much fun.
My daughter (12) just get her first sewing machine, so I was looking for some easy projects for her to try so Thank you!!
Now that it’s nice out, the crafting can be done outside, getting in some fresh air and the mess is outdoors!!
yes, doing crafts is to keep them busy is great! i think my son would love anything to do with paint, drawing. the stained glass is a great idea.
I love making crafts with my kids – my son made me a lovely flower drawing for mothers day – I’m so lucky!!!!
These are great crafting ideas for the kiddos and so perfect for spring and summer. Thanks!
These are all great ideas I actually like! I’m not a huge crafter but these seem fun to do and easy to get decent results!
I love all of the above crafts especially the pot holder one.
I need to think of a bigger base for the “Stained Glass” to keep my LO occupied for longer 🙂
I think the next big project my daughter and I are going to try is Scrapbooking, it is something I have not tried but I think would be fun!!
Great crafting ideas for kids/tweens! I’m looking forward to when my daughter is older and we can do projects like that together. For now, crafts mainly consist of putting Elmo stickers on all surfaces of our house 😀 haha
always looking for new craft ideas to do with the grandkids
My favourite craft you shared here was The Stained Glass-Crafts! It looks so simple and budget friendly, its a must do!
Such cute ideas, the crafts I do with my kids are usually handprint ornaments for Christmas gifts
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing. We craft daily and the kids absolutely love it.
The Stained Glass craft looks like fun !
I love the T shirt bag, I could make these with the grandkids
The t-shirt bag is real cute and fun to make.
We love crafting and spent our morning looking for items in the forest to craft over the winter before we went to the Nov.11 ceremony.
I love the sound of the stamped flower craft! Only most of the wine has screw tops now! lol
We will be trying some of these next weekend when the grandkids visit !
My hope it get pass Winter is looking forward to Spring
I certainly wish i was in Spring today,we are having a nasty winter storm and the winds are so high !
These are great ideas! My child is still young so the type of crafts we do include cutting and pasting, and finger painting 🙂
My granddaughter is 8 and just stared her first sewing classes she is so excited
These are all wonderful ideas. I especially like the Pot Holder-Craft.