Halloween Kid Crafts - Costume Accessories

Kids love to play dress up making Halloween an especially fun holiday for kids of all ages. When they can take an active part in creating their own costume, the whole event becomes even more fun. Although a young child probably can not make their entire costume, they can certainly make an accessory or two.

The following Halloween kid crafts focus just on costume accessories that can be used well after the holiday for other dress up fun.

This pipe cleaner crown by Kiwi Crate is an easy to make accessory that just takes one item - pipe cleaners!

Ikat Bag shows how easy it is to make safe swords with empty wrapping paper cardboard tubes. If you save your tubes, you are in luck. If not, you can always use any type of cardboard, from a box, and cover that with the tin foil. Check out the sword tutorial for more ideas.

For this Halloween craft, have your kids go outside and start collecting some branches. All they need to do is decorate the branches with beads like this idea from Playful Learning or simply paint them with some glitter paint like the idea below from Kids Activity Blog.

Now for hats!

A jester hat is fun and colorful and just takes some construction paper, cutting and gluing. It's easy with this jester hat pattern.

This princess cone hat is another fun one that little girls will love. Check out the tutorial at First Palette.

A popular character to be on Halloween is either a witch or wizard, so I had to include a witches hat.

Happy Crafting!

Homemade Christmas Ornaments For Kids To Make

When kids are little, they enjoy helping out with all of the tree trimming activities. Now is the time when you want to take advantage of that interest and let them experiment with some home Christmas ornaments that you can enjoy for years to come. Because, believe me, when they get into those teen years, most will no longer have an interest in such matters.

There are plenty of homemade Christmas ornaments for kids to make that are fairly simple, creative, and highly personalized. These little keepsakes will be treasured for many Christmases as they are brought out each year along with all of the memories.

 Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1.  Button Tree Ornaments by Things To Share And Remember

I love button crafts - probably because I have a suitcase full of old buttons! 

2.  Paint Brush Ornaments by Mud Pie Studio 

Who would have thought that a paint brush could make such a cute ornament?

3.  Icicle Ornaments by Happy Hooligans

Pipe cleaners and beads are all that are needed for these sparkly and colorful icicle ornaments.

4.  Snowmen Ornaments by Whatever...

These snowmen ornaments are so adorable.  You can see the kids in action putting these together in the step by step tutorial shown.

5.  Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments by Nest Of Posies

And, everyone needs a handprint ornament!  These are especially fun to pull out after the kids have grown.

Happy Crafting!

Pumpkin Crafts For Preschoolers

Halloween is just a couple of weeks away and there is no doubt that by now your preschooler is "all in" on getting involved with the pumpkin decorating activities.

Most of us are not ready to hand over a knife to our little ones for the basic pumpkin carving tradition, though, so I have come up with some safer alternatives.

Your kids are sure to have just as much fun, if not more, with this collection of pumpkin crafts for preschoolers.  All of them are easy to do, creative, and, of course, very safe.

1.  Baby Food Jar Pumpkins Craft by One Plus One Plus One Equals One

These baby food jar pumpkins are adorable.  Kids only need to fill the jars with orange paper.  There is minor gluing on the outside to make the project complete.

2.  Painted Pumpkins by Holly's Art Corner

Why not just let your kids decorate real pumpkins with paint or ribbon?  Chances are, if you are decorating your own real pumpkin, they are going to want to get in on some of that action!

3.  Halloween Butterfly Pumpkin by Spoonful

Oh my!  What child wouldn't want to turn a pumpkin into  a cute insect?  This project is sure to be a hit.

4.  Lunch Bag Pumpkin by Family Crafts

A paper lunch bag can quickly become a cute pumpkin with some added embellishments and paint or marker.  This could even be filled with treats to have later!

5.  Pumpkin Mask by Michelle's Journal Corner

And finally, this adorable pumpkin mask from a paper plate is something kids will enjoy making and then playing with.

I hope you have been inspired!

Happy Crafting!

Toilet Paper Roll Crafts For Kids

What is something that everyone has in their house and can save lots and lots of?

The answer is toilet paper rolls!

Not such a big deal unless you start thinking about what you can do with those seemingly useless cardboard tubes.  There are plenty of creative craft projects that can turn that common waste item into a fun and functional toy, game or display item.

The following projects are some of the best toilet paper roll crafts for kids that I could find.  All of them will keep your kids busy and help you to recycle those rolls.

1.  Toilet Paper Roll Monsters by Club Chica Circle:

These goofy monsters don't require much more than paint or markers and of course the toilet paper rolls!

2.  Paper Tube Animals by Ziggity Zoom:

There's no end to the variety of animals that can be made using the easy tutorial provided.  All that is required are the paper tubes, an empty cereal box, glue, paint, scissors and markers.

3.  Toilet Paper Roll Caterpillar by Clickacraft:

This caterpillar is adorable and can become as long as a child wants to make it!

4.  Penguin Craft by My Happy Crafts:

These penguins are so adorable.

5.  Toilet Paper Roll Kazoo by CSI Project Kids:

If you don't mind a little noise this kazoo project would be popular with the kids!

6.  Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder by The Moffatt Girls:

Let your kids make their own bird feeders and then watch the variety of birds come in to feed.

Happy Crafting!

Vacation Crafts To Preserve Vacation Memories

Vacations are usually action packed times spent together leaving little time for crafts....unless it rains of course.  However, when that time comes to an end there can be a little bit of a let down.

To help keep the momentum going, this is a good time to throw in a fun craft activity involving all of the wonderful natural souvenirs that may have been collected during the vacation.

Kids will enjoy preserving their vacation memories in a creative way.  Plus the craft activity will help to ease them back into the daily routine.

Here are a couple of my favorite vacation crafts that will look wonderful on display:

This vacation craft by Living Locurto takes elements from the beach and displays them in a jar.  The child's name is then put on a decorative tag so there is no question on whose is whose.  Kids will love having this reminder on a shelf or dresser.

Another great idea is to make a vacation shadow box.  Here are several different examples:

I love how this one by, To Be Charmed, uses some of the vacation photos to spell out descriptive words.  The rest of the keepsaks are just displayed at the bottom of the shadow box.

This one by, Parent Dish, uses a combination of keepsakes and fun die cuts and stickers.

And this one is just stuffed full of a massive shell collection!  I love the simple artsy look by Meadow Lake Cottage.

Once your kids have completed one of these vacation crafts, they will be ready to jump back into the routine and look back fondly at the fun reminder that they have!

Happy Crafting!

Rainy Day Crafts For Kids

Summer is a time filled with plenty of fun outdoor activities but when the weather turns gloomy, you need to have a few ideas stashed up your sleeve to keep your kids busy.

That is why you may want to keep this list of rainy day crafts handy.....just in case you find yourself in a pinch!

And.....if you find yourself at a loss for craft supplies, make sure to check out my post filled with recycled craft ideas..  Most likely you will have all the supplies needed right in your recycle bin!

Here are a few more ideas that might even get your kids wishing for a rainy day!

This one by Rebecca's DIY really caught my eye because I love all things rustic:

The little heads are made from Creative Paper Clay which you can get at craft stores.  It is a clay that air dries and does not require baking.  This craft is perfect for kids of all ages and they can spend a lot of time crafting their special pieces.

Melissa and Doug came up with an awesome rainy day idea making paper beads:

Not only is the bead making fun, but crafting them into chains, bracelets and necklaces is equally as enjoyable.

Here is an action packed activity by Cooking For My Kids:

Balloon Ping Pong!  Let your kids create their own paddles with paper plates and popsicle sticks.  They might want to choose their own color or color a plain white plate in their own style.  

Still need more ideas?

Check out some of my previous posts that will be sure to please:

Button Crafts For Kids
Shoe Box Crafts
Bird Crafts For Kids
Puppet Crafts
Pine Cone Crafts For Kids
Ten Great Toilet Paper Crafts For Kids

Happy Crafting!

A New Look For Super Fun Kid's Crafts!

Just like redecorating a house, sometimes it's a good idea to make some design updates to a blog.

I like chalkboards and crayons and went with that thought for the new design.  Plus the bold black and white with a splash of bright color just says kid to me!

Look for many new craft ideas coming your way too.

Do you have a suggestion or a particular craft theme that you would like to see?  Just drop me a note and I will be happy to accommodate!

Meanwhile, here is a  creative homemade bird feeder craft, by Babble, that your kids can make and set out this Summer.  They may even begin to enjoy a little bird watching!

Happy Crafting!

Recycled Crafts For Kids

Most kids enjoy a craft project from time to time but in a pinch it may be hard to come up with materials to keep them busy.  That is where recycled crafts are so handy to know about and have on file.

Chances are you will have the supplies needed to complete a project right in your house.  Or, you can quickly empty a can of soup or a roll of toilet paper and wa-laa! .....instant craft supply!

I have featured quite a few recycled crafts for kids here and want to highlight those posts so you have it all in one spot for handy reference.

Because who knows when that rainy day will strike and you will be in need of a craft project...FAST!

Here are some favorites:

1.  Toilet Paper Roll Crafts - Ten Great Toilet Paper Roll Crafts For Kids

If you don't already, you might want to start saving those toilet paper rolls.  There are so many cute things that you can do with them.  Click on the link to see the full list.

2.  Can Crafts - Can Crafts For Kids

Cans are another one of those items that most everyone has.  See all the ways they can be turned into fun projects and keep your kids occupied .....hopefully until the rain stops!

3.  Bottle Cap Crafts - Bottle Cap Crafts For Kids

I just love this bottle cap snake which looks very time consuming....yay!  Check out this and the other bottle cap crafts that I know your kids are going to love.

4.  Cereal Box Crafts - Cereal Box Crafts For Kids

Boxes and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly.  If you ever watch a little kid with a new package, it seems they enjoy the box it came in almost more than the actual gift.  Things don't change too much as they get older.  Taking a box, like a cereal box, and creating something like their own village is huge fun.  This idea and more can be done with cereal boxes or any other type of boxes you have laying around.

I also have a whole section dedicated to Shoe Box Crafts.

5.  Button Crafts - Button Crafts For Kids

And finally, if you save buttons, crafts like this button tree only take buttons and branches.  If you don't save buttons, look for old clothes that may not be in good enough condition to donate and tear off those buttons!

Happy Crafting!

Button Crafts For Kids

Start saving all of your old buttons for these awesome button crafts for kids!  I have actually found mason jars full of them at thrift shops and antique stores for next to nothing in price.

Even if you have old shirts that are too worn to give away, you can at least take off all of the buttons and save them for a rainy day.

Once you see all of these fun craft ideas that you can do, you will know what I am talking about and want to start saving up!

Here are some of my favorite button crafts that kids will especially enjoy:

1.  Fall Tree by Meet The Dubiens

I love this Fall tree that not only uses colorful buttons, in all sizes, but all uses a real tree branch to create the colorful tree.  Kids will love making a work of art like this that they can hang proudly on the wall.

2.  Button Clock by Lil Sugar

For this craft, you just need to buy a clock kit from the craft store, an embroidery hoop, 12 buttons and some burlap.  You would have to poke a hole through the burlap for the clock mechanism and follow the manufacturers instructions for the set up. The colorful buttons make such a cute substitution for the numbers!

3.  Button Rings by Examiner

I don't know what little girl wouldn't enjoy making and wearing a fun and colorful button ring.  The only problem would be running out of enough fingers to wear all of these creations!

4.  Button Monogram by Baby Lifestyles

Most kids like to personalize their bedrooms in some way.  A decorative monogram for their wall or door is a perfect way to add some personal style.  Buttons help to create unique texture and a variety of colors that give the monogram a super cool look.

5.  Button Bugs by Family Education

Finally, button bugs are going to be a super fun button craft for kids to work on.  They can create all kinds of  different shapes, sizes and colors to keep it interesting!

Easter Crafts For Kids

Spring is just around the corner and with that is, of course, the upcoming holiday of Easter.  This can be another favorite for kids to make decorations for.  Besides the obvious decorating of eggs, there are other fun ideas for baskets, toys and miscellaneous decorations.

I gathered up some favorites that your kids will have fun with:

These Easter craft chicks by Holiday Kid Crafts are so adorable!  I especially like the one that has feathers on his body.  It makes him look more cuddly.  These are easily made with paper cups and construction paper.  Make sure to check out this tutorial!

Here is a super fun twist on egg decorating!  Lil Blue Boo shared this idea and has the link where you can get the free printables for the cute little outfits.  I'm thinking your kids are going to love this one!

I love when a craft project incorporates some recycled materials.  This Easter craft vase is made from a tin can as it's base.  It makes such a bright and cheery centerpiece to decorate your Easter table.  The easy tutorial can be found at Holiday Crafts and Creations.

What child wouldn't want to hop around in bunny ears to celebrate the holiday?  Find the quick and easy tutorial at Kaboose.

This Easter basket idea was provided by Inspiration For Home and uses dollar store gift bags and fun embellishments like candy and tissue paper to decorate them.  These are perfect to use for an Easter egg hunt.