crafts for kids Archives

Easy Shape School Bus Craft for Kids

July 23, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

I know it’s still technically summer, but school in our area starts next week, so we’re fully in the back to school spirit around here.

And that means school shopping, open house events, and weeknight meal planning – all of which I’ve been frantically doing for the last couple of days.

Our kids are pretty excited about school this year (so far), but if you have little ones who are…less than enthusiastic about going back to school, a fun way to get them in the mood is to make a cute back to school craft.

Which is where this easy shape school bus craft for kids might come in handy!

This is such a simple way to start getting kids to think about school and learning for the new school year!

Read on to see how to make this for yourself. And for more fun with kids’ crafts, take a look at our easy Ladybug Paper Craft!

Easy Shape School Bus Craft for Kids

To make this easy shape school bus craft for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

A copy of our printable school bus craft template
Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Scissors
Glue stick
Ballpoint pen

To start, print out the school bus craft template. Since the template already has colored shapes, you can just print and get started without having kids color it in.

Use scissors to cut out all of the shapes on the template. (If your child is cutting the shapes out, be sure to use child-safe scissors.)

To make the school bus, begin adding the blue squares and rectangles to the yellow rectangle.

Glue them down. Place the blue rectangular piece second in line to serve as the “door” of the bus.

Next, glue the gray small circles onto the center of the larger black circles. These are the bus’s “tires”. Glue those on the bottom edge of the yellow rectangle.

Add the half circle and triangle shapes to each end of the bus as the vehicle’s lights. Glue those in place.

Finally, use an ink pen to trace the outline of each window and door and you’re done!

The blue bus would make a great craft for a transportation unit, because you could talk about public buses and how they serve the community.

And, since all of the bus template pieces are basic shapes, this would be a wonderful craft for a shapes lesson too!

Don’t miss these other easy kids’ crafts!

Be sure to follow my Simple Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Crab Craft

May 6, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Summer is almost here! And that means only one thing: It’s time to head back to the beach.

The beach is basically my second home. If I could spend the rest of my life on the sand, I’d be happy.

I even love beach creatures, like crabs. They’re very closely related to spiders, so they’re kind of like sandy arachnids, but I’m willing to overlook that.

As part of our series of coffee filter crafts for kids, I thought it would be fun to make a super easy coffee filter crab craft!

This is a perfect summer craft for little hands! You’ll only need a few supplies and a few minutes to make it.

If you like this easy summer craft, don’t miss our roundup of 40 simple summer crafts for kids! They’re wonderful for filling up those long summer afternoons!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Crab Craft

To make this easy coffee filter crab craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

The good thing about making this easy crab craft is that you really only need about 10 or 15 minutes. So it’s perfect for little ones, who tend to have rather short attention spans.

Plus, you probably already have the supplies in your home!

Start by outlining the crab’s eyes with black crayon. Then color the rest of the coffee filter bright orange. I actually used a red orange crayon here, but either red or orange would work as well.

Then add a simple smile and use a glue stick to glue the filter onto a piece of construction paper. Glue sticks work best with coffee filters, because they don’t leak through the filter.

Use the red orange crayon to add four legs on each side of the crab. Draw the top legs so that they are reaching upward.

Finally, use scissors to cut out circles from orange construction paper. Just cut out a small triangle to make the crab claws and glue them onto the end of the top legs.

Remember: If the kids are cutting out the circles, be sure they’re using child-safe scissors. They do the job just as well and you won’t have to worry about little hands getting hurt.

And we’re done!

Our little crab looks so happy lying in the sand!

Did you love this coffee filter crab craft? Check out these other easy crafts for kids!

See more easy ways to make things with kids on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

Charlotte’s Web Craft for Kids: Fun Floating Spider Craft

March 14, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Charlotte’s Web is one of the books that I automatically associate with childhood. I listened to it read aloud in elementary school (third grade, I think) and I read it myself so many times I lost count.

When our six-year-old and I started reading it as part of our BookShark Level 1 curriculum, she discovered that she loved it just as much as I did. Some things never change.

So I thought it would be fun to make a quick and easy Charlotte’s Web craft that she could enjoy and that’s how we came up with this floating spider craft!

This only took us a few minutes to make and it gave us a chance to get outside and play. It’s perfect for early grades.

See how to make your own below! And, for more fun with book-themed crafts, check out our Farm Paper Bag Puppets based on Big Red Barn!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Charlotte’s Web Craft for Kids: Fun Floating Spider Craft

We’ve been working our way through BookShark Level 1 with our first grader this year and we’ve gotten to read so many wonderful children’s books the past few months.

I have to admit, though, that when I opened the box and saw Charlotte’s Web in there, I did a little leap for joy.

If you’ve read the book, you probably remember that Charlotte’s egg sac finally hatches and all of her babies venture out into the world. When Wilbur (the pig) sees them shoot out silk and sail off on the wind, he starts to panic.

Three of them end up staying near him and…(I’m going to stop before I retell the entire book.)

Anyway, the idea of spiders sailing off on the wind is what helped us come up with this simple craft.

To make this easy Charlotte’s Web craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

What we’re basically making is a spider wearing a parachute. Easy peasy!

To make this, use a hole puncher to punch a hole in each side of the coffee filter. You want the holes to be directly across from each other.

I made one hole on the left and the other directly across on the right. Then I turned the filter around and did the same thing again to have four holes in all.

Then cut about a three foot length of string and cut that into four equal pieces. Thread one piece of string through each hole in the filter.

Connect opposing sides by typing the left and right side strings together with a simple knot. Leave about an inch or two loose at the end. Turn the filter around and do the same thing again. You should end up with four strings tied into two.

Then you just tie each of the tied strings around the spider and you’re done!

Make sure that the length of string is even on all sides. If the spider isn’t hanging directly beneath the filter’s middle, it won’t float.

Also – you want the weight of the spider to be evenly distributed. We tied one set of strings together around the front and the other together around the back.

All that’s left to do is take it outside…

…and watch it float!

You don’t have to throw it or anything. If you hold the filter open and up, the spider should float gently to the ground.

Super neat!

I think Charlotte would be proud.

If you’re looking for a literature-rich homeschool curriculum, I cannot recommend BookShark enough. We have had so much fun reading classic stories, and learning about the vocabulary, history, and science behind them this year.

Take a look at the different BookShark levels to find which one is best suited for your child! And don’t forget to request your free catalog!

If you loved this Charlotte’s Web craft, check out these other simple crafts you can make with your family!

And for more ways to add crafting to your homeschool day, follow my Simple Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

Easy Pinecone Snowman Craft for Kids

November 8, 2018 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Winter is not my favorite season. Snow is beautiful, but I cannot abide cold weather. I simply cannot.

Which makes winter the best season of all for crafting! And that’s why I love this super cute and easy pinecone snowman craft for kids! This is an awesome art activity for a cold winter day, since you don’t have to leave the safety of your heated home to make it.

Just be sure to gather up the pinecones in advance if you want to avoid stepping out your front door on a particularly blustery day.

With the right decorations, you could even use this snowman craft to make an entire winter scene! Plus, they’d make adorable table decorations if you’re having company soon.

Read on to see how to make these with your own kids! And for more winter crafting, don’t miss our simple coffee filter snowman craft that even little ones can make!

Easy Pinecone Snowman Craft for Kids

A note before you get started on this pinecone snowman craft for kids, a hot glue gun is necessary for some of the steps.

Be sure you don’t leave the kids alone with this tool and perform those steps yourself before letting the kids go on with the project.

Notes for adult caution are included in the steps below.

To make this simple pinecone snowman craft for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

3 pine cones
9 cotton balls
6 small pom-poms (assorted colors)
9 mini black pom-poms
6 small googly eyes
Brown and orange chenille stems
White felt
Child-safe scissors
Low-temperature hot glue gun (for use by adults only)

To make the snowmen’s head, cut three 1-inch circles out of the white felt. The kids can do this part if you use child-safe scissors. Cut the brown chenille stem into six 2-inch pieces and six ½-inch pieces.

Fold the ½-inch pieces around the ends of the 2-inch pieces to create arms. Then cut the orange chenille stem into three ½-inch pieces for the carrot nose.

NOTE: This step should be completed by an adult.

Use the hot glue gun to attach two googly eyes, the carrot nose, and three mini black pom-poms on each white felt circle. Set these aside.

Pull the cotton balls apart. Push the cotton pieces into the pinecones to cover them with “snow”.

NOTE: This step should be performed by an adult. Use the hot glue gun to glue one of the snowmen heads to the top front of each pinecone.

Then attach two colored pom-poms vertically down the front of the pinecone to make “buttons”. Glue one arm to each side of the pinecone.

And you’re done!

You and the kids can make an adorable family of snowmen and snowwomen!

This snowman craft for kids is such a cute way to spend some winter crafting time with your little ones!

Don’t miss these other fun winter crafts and learning ideas for kids!

Get even more ideas for winter fun on my Winter Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

20 Easy and Fun Shark Crafts for Kids

July 5, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Kids are just totally fascinated with sharks. (I can’t lie. Many of us adults are too.)

They’re incredible sea creatures and they’re near the top of the food chain, so they’re basically the bosses of the ocean. Unless an orca whale comes along, that is.

Every year, Shark Week is a big event for lots of kids and that’s why I wanted to share some fun and easy shark crafts for kids that will be a great way to spend the week learning about all things shark!

Take a look at the 20 different shark activities for kids listed below to find some science fun to share this summer!

And for more about sharks, don’t miss our cool shark food chain file folder game for kids to play!

20 Easy and Fun Shark Crafts for Kids

1. This Juice Box Shark Craft from Natural Beach Living is perfect for a shark-themed afternoon.

2. Here is a fun Shark Sensory Bottle from Sarah Halstead.

3. Have some Shark Science Fun with this buoyancy activity from Little Bins for Little Hands.

4. These fun DIY Shark Cups from Mom Endeavors are perfect for an afternoon snack attack.

5. Here is a really cool DIY Shark Slime from A Night Owl Blog.

6. This Toilet Paper Shark Craft from Glue Sticks & Gum Drops is a quick and easy idea.

7. Your kids will love playing with these DIY Felt Shark Finger Puppets from Repeat Crafter Me.

8. These Shark Fin Bookmarks from Simplistically Living are perfect for Summer reading!

9. This Shark Fin Soap is a fun kid-friendly DIY from Totally The Bomb.

10. Your shark tooth lovers will love this Paper Plate Shark Jaw Craft from Dollar Store Crafts.

11. This Pool Noodle Shark Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom will look awesome floating in your pool!

12. These DIY Shark Suckers from Natural Beach Living will make a fun addition to your sharky fun.

13. Get learning with this S is for Shark Craft from Artsy Craftsy Mom.

14. Next, whip up these fun Shark Masks from B-Inspired Mama.

15. Here’s an inexpensive Newspaper Shark Craft from I Heart Crafty Things.

16. You’ll have lots of fun with this Paper Plate Shark Puppet Craft from Kids Craft Room.

17. This Shark Cootie Catcher Craft from Easy Peasy and Fun comes with a free template to make your own origami!

18. These DIY Shark Mittens from A Night Owl Blog are so cute & creative.

19. Make a cool DIY LEGO Shark with the instructions from Frugal Fun 4 Boys!

20. Finally, your little ones will enjoy making and eating this Shark Sushi from Momma Lew.

Check out these other fun learning activities for summer!

See more fun summer educational ideas on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

21 Easy Nature Crafts for Kids

June 28, 2018 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

With the weather warming up, it’s the perfect time of year to head outside with the kids!

Now that we’re sharing more simple crafts with our little ones, we’ve found that natural materials make the perfect art medium.

There are so many ways to use nature to create art.

After all, nature is already a kind of art in itself.

If you’d like to try some natural arts and crafts with your kids over the summer, take a look at these 21 nature crafts for kids!

There are so many cute ideas here for taking flowers, pinecones, rocks, and more and repurposing them for adorable craft projects and games.

These are perfect for lazy summer afternoons or early fall evening play!

Thinking of getting outside for a hike? Try these tips for exploring a nature trail with kids!

21 Easy Nature Crafts for Kids

1. Leaf Painting – Look! We’re Learning!

2. How to Make a DIY Pool Noodle Hobby Horse – Molly Moo Crafts

3. Ladybugs Vs. Tadpoles Outdoor Tic Tac Toe Game – Atta Girl Says

4. Painted Rock Art – Typically Simple

5. Rock Garden Caterpillar – Nellie Bellie

6. Nature Craft: Making a Journey Stick – Growing Family

7. Outdoor Spray Painting – The Country Chic Cottage

8. Birdseed Ornaments – One Little Project At A Time

9. Kids Craft: Ice Chalk – We Know Stuff

10. Bug Village – Crafts by Amanda

11. Nature Paintbrushes – Messy Little Monster

12. Nature Craft: Making Leaf Prints – Growing Family

13. Pet Rock Necklace – Crafts by Amanda

14. DIY Bird Feeder Craft – Mommy’s Bundle

15. Happy Camper Garden Planter – ABCs and Garden Peas

16. Toddler Outdoor Canvas Painting Project – Arts and Crackers

17. Butterfly Handprint Garden Pot – Happily Ever Mom

18. Easy Paper May Basket – ABCs and Garden Peas

19. Soda Bottle Fairy Garden House – My Pinterventures

20. Pinecone Owls – Crafts by Amanda

21. Flower Suncatcher – Messy Little Monster

Want to try more nature crafts and activities? Don’t miss these posts!

Easy Toilet Roll Butterfly Craft for Kids

April 5, 2018 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

I have to be honest: I haven’t been much of a crafter over the years. But, as the kids have grown up and shown an interest in making simple crafts, I’ve gotten into it with them. And I have to say: It’s been pretty fun!

Springtime, in particular, is a great season for making crafts. There are cute animals coming out all over the place and we can use our crafting projects to learn more about them.

So this spring we decided to make a cute and easy toilet roll butterfly craft!

See how to make this easy spring butterfly craft with your little ones below! And, for more adorable spring crafting fun, don’t miss our list of 30 spring animal crafts you can make with the kids!

Toilet Roll Butterfly Craft

To make this spring toilet roll butterfly craft, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided in this post. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This craft literally came together in about 45 minutes from start to finish, so it was perfect for keeping the kids happy while we made dinner.

Cut a single sheet of construction paper in half horizontally. Then wrap the half sheet of construction paper around the toilet roll and secure with clear tape.

Next, fold the coffee filter in half and use a glue stick to seal it closed. Color the entire filter half.

Cut four small petal shapes out of a contrasting color of construction paper.

Glue two petal shapes on either side of the filter, then use a crayon to color a dot in the center of each petal. These are your butterfly’s “wings”.

Use the glue stick to attach the wings to the toilet roll.

Cut off a small piece of a colored pipe cleaner and fold it into a “V” shape. Tape it to the back of the toilet roll. These are your butterfly’s “antennae”.

Finally, use a marker to add eyes and a smile. You’re done!

You can make these in all kinds of colors!

If you enjoy this toilet roll butterfly craft, check out some of other spring activities!

Plus, get more ideas on my Spring Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Ladybug Craft

March 27, 2018 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Even though I’m not the biggest fan of bugs, I adore little ladybugs. They’re so dainty and delicate that I almost don’t even consider them bugs. They’re more like debutantes that just happen to have wings and more than two legs.

Since we’ve been busy making coffee filter crafts for kids over the past few weeks (and because I’m still no closer to using up my 350 coffee filters), I thought we’d make a fun and simple coffee filter ladybug craft! This is a fabulous crafting project for young kids or big groups of children, especially if you need something that doesn’t require a lot of supplies.

This would be a fun addition to a bug unit or a spring unit study. And if you want more fun bug learning ideas, check out this list of kids’ activities about insects! And be sure to try our Ladybug Fraction activity while you’re at it!

Coffee Filter Craft for Kids: Coffee Filter Ladybug Craft

To make this coffee filter ladybug craft, you’ll need the following craft supplies: (Affiliate links are provided here for your convenience. For more, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Before you get started, remember to flatten out the coffee filter. A simple way to do it is to lay it on a table and rest a book on top for an hour or so.

Draw a small semi-circle at the edge of one side of the filter. Then use a black crayon to draw a line down the center of the rest of the coffee filter.

Color both halves of the filter red.

Now color the semi-circle black. Use a glue stick to glue the coffee filter onto a piece of construction paper.

Cut four rough circles out of a piece of black construction paper.

Use the glue stick to glue two black circles on either side of the ladybug.

Add six legs to your ladybug and a few blades of grass and you’re done!

This was such a simple craft that you can easily make it with the kids in a few minutes. Perfect for reinforcing scissor skills, coloring, and pasting!

Be sure to check out more easy crafting ideas for the kids!

Get more fun (and easy) craft ideas on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

And score lots of exclusive printables for early learners when you subscribe to our email newsletter!

DIY Pop Up Thank You Cards

November 7, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Last weekend, some good friends invited our family over for dinner. We had a wonderful time with them, so we decided to have the kids make some thank you cards.

But any old thank you card just won’t do, so DIY pop up thank you cards it is!

These were such a fun project so share with the kids! And it only took a few minutes for all of us to create together! Read on to see how to make these with your family!

These are wonderful for helping kids learn to show appreciation for acts of kindness or gifts they receive from friends and family. Plus, they can decorate them in their own special way!

And for other simple kids’ crafts, try my list of super easy preschool crafts you can make in 10 minutes!

DIY Pop Up Thank You Cards

To make these DIY pop up thank you cards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Scrapbook paper (One for each card)
Printer Paper (One piece makes two cards)
Glue stick
Child-safe scissors
Washable Markers
Stickers

Start by cutting a piece of printer paper in half. Then fold each half into halves to make two separate cards.

We ended up making three, so we used a piece and a half of printer paper.

Use the scissors to cut narrow slits into the fold of the printer paper.

You’ll need to make two cuts for each pop-up frame you want. We wanted to make three pop-up frames, so we made six slits.

Push the slits back through the paper and crease them to make stand-up frames. These will be the base of your pop-up pictures.

Now cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to fit the size of your printer paper card.

Glue the back of the scrapbook paper to the outside of the printer paper. That way, the scrapbook paper patter will appear on the outside and the pop-up frame will appear on the inside.

(Note: It works best to fold the scrapbook paper in half first. That helps it fit to the printer paper better when you glue them together.)

Since our scrapbook paper was patterned with lovely butterflies, we decided to cut out some of the small butterfly pictures and use them for our card.

Before gluing them down, we cut the pictures out and placed them on the card to make sure they’d fit.

Then we just glued the pictures to the frames and added a handwritten thank you message.

All folded up. Look how pretty it is!

Our younger kids wanted to make some cards too. They used stickers to decorate their pop-up frames so that they would “stand up” when opened.

All we have left to do is hand them out to brighten someone’s day!

These would be a wonderful way for children to show gratitude to family members, friends, teachers, neighbors, and more at any time of year!

Have you tried making these DIY pop up thank you cards with your family? Let me know how you liked this project in the comments!

For more simple crafts, try these ideas!

Plus, follow my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board for more ideas!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft

June 8, 2017 by Selena Robinson 17 Comments

Solar eclipses are an extremely big deal.

I remember seeing one when I was about 11 and it was the most fascinating phenomenon I have ever had the privilege to witness.

It was the middle of the day, but it suddenly got darker and darker until it was basically night.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. So I had to look it up in the encyclopedia (remember those?) to find out what actually happened. That’s when I learned about the awesomeness of solar eclipses.

So when I learned that those of us in the Northern Hemisphere were going to get a look at a solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, I got super excited and decided to make another one of our coffee filter crafts for kids.

This time, it’s a simple coffee filter solar eclipse craft!

Simple and Fun Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft for Kids

This easy coffee filter craft is a great activity to share as part of a solar system unit study or as a fun summer craft! Check out the video tutorial for a look at this project in action.

Read on to see how to make this yourself. Plus, pick up a space-themed learning resource – free!

If you enjoy this project, check out this All About the Solar System printable unit for more ways to learn about our galaxy!

This fun coffee solar eclipse craft is a wonderful outer space activity for kids!

What is a Solar Eclipse?

If you’d like to learn what a solar eclipse actually is, here’s a great video that explains the basics to kids.

If you’re wondering when is the next total solar eclipse for North America, it will come around on April 8, 2024. So we have a bit of a wait.

In case your students have never seen one, here’s an image of what a solar eclipse can actually look like.

Since the moon is passing between the sun and the earth, we usually get to see a blackened circle with a white ring of light around the outside.

That white ring is the sun’s rays glowing around the shape of the moon.

Which is what we’re going to recreate with this easy craft!

Easy Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft

To make this solar eclipse craft, you’ll need the following supplies: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Two white basket coffee filters
Construction paper (We used a black sheet of construction paper.)
Glue stick
Crayons (You’ll be using a black crayon and a white crayon for this. You could also use colored pencils if you prefer.)

Start by gluing one of the coffee filters onto a piece of black construction paper. Leave this one white to form the “sun” part of the eclipse.

Be sure to turn the paper horizontally and glue the white filter at one short end.

Now use a black crayon to color the other coffee filter black. This will form the “moon” part of the eclipse.

Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft for Kids

Glue the black coffee filter onto the construction paper, overlapping the white filter to show the eclipse in progress.

Use a white colored pencil to draw the bright “rays” of the sun emanating from behind the eclipse as the moon approaches.

Simple Solar Eclipse Craft for Kids to Make

Finally, draw a few stars on the darkened side.

And we’re done!

For a project that only took five minutes, this solar eclipse craft was a great outer space project for the little ones!

Scroll down to get the printable project instructions!

Printable Solar System Flashcards

Help kids to learn the names of the planets and stars in our solar system with these printable solar system flashcards!

This set includes cards for all of the planets, as well as the sun and the moon.

Use them to create a matching game or to play concentration!

After you’ve taught students each planet’s name, use the blank cards to see what they remember.

Printable Solar System Flashcards for Kids

To get your set of these printable solar system flashcards, just click the image or the link below to have them sent to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – coming this weekend!

>>> Printable Solar System Flashcards <<<

Easy Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft

Use a few household supplies to make this simple space craft with kids!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Two white basket coffee filters
Construction paper
Colored pencils or crayons
Glue

Instructions

Glue one of the coffee filters onto the left side of a piece of black construction paper.
Use a black crayon to color the second coffee filter completely.
Glue the second coffee filter onto the right side of the construction paper. Make sure it overlaps the white filter.
Use a white colored pencil to draw stars around the right side of the black filter.
Use the colored pencil to add white rays around the left side of the white filter.

Check out these other outer space activities for kids!