500+ Kids Arts and Crafts Activities

A directory of more than 500 kids arts and crafts activities, by type of activity. Here you’ll find kids painting ideas, drawing activities, sculpture projects, collage activities, and more!

Looking for an art activity to do with your kids? If so, you’ve come to the right place! You can find over 500 kids arts and crafts activities and ideas here on The Artful Parent.

I’ll highlight some of our very best kids’ art activities by category below. You’ll find drawing ideas, painting techniques, collage activities, and more.

If you’re looking for a specific material or technique you can click on a category below or use the search button in the right-hand sidebar. There are between 30 and 70 activities in most of the categories listed, so you should find lots of ideas to explore if you just want to poke around and get inspired!

Directory of Kids Arts and Crafts Activities

Kids Painting Activities

Kids love to paint! The kids painting activities on The Artful Parent range from spin painting, marble rolling, body painting, fingerpainting, to painting with a variety of brushes and other materials and on a range of surfaces.

Here are a couple top posts to get you started:

• 7 Fun Painting Ideas for Kids to Try
• 11 Favorite Painting Activities for Preschoolers

Want more? Click here for 50+ Painting Activities for Kids!

Drawing for Kids – Creative Ideas & Activities

We have lots of ideas, activities, and games for drawing with kids here on The Artful Parent, including observational drawing, drawing prompts, and creative drawing exercises and drawing games.

Here are a few top activities to get you started:

• Drawing for Kids :: How to Encourage Creativity, Skills & Confidence
• How to Get Started with Observational Drawing for Kids
• Why Read Aloud Time is Drawing Time

Want more? Click here for 75+ Creative Drawing Ideas for Kids!

Printmaking Ideas for Kids

Looking for some printmaking ideas for kids? I’ve got you covered! We have more than 40 great printmaking activities and ideas for children here on The Artful Parent. The printmaking techniques and art activities included here are monoprinting, muffin tin printing, styrofoam printing, printing with found objects, string and yarn printing, hand prints, and car wheel printing.

Here are a few top printing activities to get you started:

• Monoprinting with Kids the Easy Way
• DIY Marbled Paper the Easy Way
• Mirror Image String Printing 

Want more? Click here for 40+ Printmaking Ideas for Kids!

3D Art and Sculpture Ideas for Kids

Looking for 3D art and sculpture ideas for kids? We have more than 25 for you here on The Artful Parent, including toothpick sculptures, building with cardboard, plus both wood sculptures annd ice sculptures.

Here are a few top kids arts and crafts activities to get you started:

• 13 Fun Toothpick Construction Ideas!
• How to Make Your Own Magnetic Building Set
• Easy Wood Sculptures for Kids 

Want more? Click here for 25+ 3D Art and Sculpture Ideas for Kids!

Watercolor Projects for Kids

Looking for watercolor art activities for children? We have more than 50 for you here on The Artful Parent, including simply painting, printing, doing watercolor resist activities, and multimedia art projects, as well as for various science experiments and dyeing a range of items.

Here are a few top watercolor activities to get you started:

• Raised Salt Painting with Watercolors
• 7 Watercolor Techniques for Kids
• 6 Watercolor Resist Ideas to Try

Want more? Click here for 50+ Watercolor Projects Kids Love!

Stained Glass and Suncatcher Crafts 

We LOVE stained glass and suncatchers! They capture light and color in such a magical way. We have more than 50 stained glass and suncatcher art activities for kids here on The Artful Parent!

Here are a few top suncatcher crafts to get you started:

• Melted Bead Suncatchers
• Nature Suncatchers in Paper Plate Frames
• Melted Crayon Stained Glass on Paper

Want more? Click here for 50+ Stained Glass and Suncatcher Crafts Kids can Make!

Clay and Playdough Ideas for Kids

Looking for 3D art and sculpture ideas for kids? We have more than 25 for you here on The Artful Parent, including toothpick sculptures, building with cardboard, plus both wood sculptures and ice sculptures.

Here are a few top playdough ideas to get you started:

• 3 Awesome Homemade Playdough Recipes 
• 15+ Creative Playdough Ideas for Kids
• Clay Leaf Prints with Air Dry Clay

Want more? Click here for 30+ Clay and Playdough Ideas for Kids!

Collage Art Ideas for Kids

We have more than 50 collage art ideas for kids here on The Artful Parent, including including basic paper collage, contact paper collage, sticker collage, mixed media artwork, and 3-D collage.

Here are a few top kids arts and crafts activities to get you started:

• 9 Paper Collage Ideas for Kids 
• 13 Sticker Art Projects for Kids
• Collage with Colored Pasta

Want more? Click here for 50+ Collage Art Ideas for Kids!

Toddler Art Activities

There are so many fun toddler art ideas here on The Artful Parent. We have lots of action art and sensory art activities to keep young children engaged while encouraging exploration.

7 Process Art Activities for Toddlers,  5 BEST Toddler Art Activities and 5 Low Mess Creative Activities for Kids are all great starting points.

Or try some of our favorite art activities for toddlers:

• Heart Symmetry Painting (blotto art prints on heart shaped paper) is endless fun.
• Wheel Painting gets the whole body moving and toddlers LOVE this fun painting activity.
• Lots of ideas for engaging playdough play

Nature Art for Kids

Looking for nature art ideas for children? We have more than 30, including land art, observational drawing, leaf printing, and nature suncatchers.

Here are a few top nature arts and crafts to get you started:

• Art with rocks
• 10 Ocean Crafts for Kids
• A 3D nature suncatcher

Want more? Click here for 33 Nature Art Ideas for Kids!

Outdoor Art for Kids

Some art activities are better suited to the outdoors, whether because they involve nature, need more space, are extra messy, or use outdoor equipment. We have more than 20, including splatter painting, spray painting, and chalk art.

Here are a few top outdoor art ideas to get you started:

• Paint your own play house
• Ball painting in the swimming pool
• Oobleck :: 13 Fun Things to Do with Sensory Goop

Want more? Click here for 21 Outdoor Art Ideas for Kids!

I hope you found some fun kids arts and crafts activities to do!

Remember to use the search field in the right-hand sidebar if there’s something specific you’re looking for.

Looking for posts on getting started with kids’ art? Try these:  

• How to set up art spaces for kids
• The best art materials for kids
• How to talk to your kids about art
• Encouraging toddler art

Or pick up a copy of The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family’s Life with Art & Creativity by Jean Van’t Hul. Jean’s book will walk you through getting started, helping your kids thrive by offering a creative home environment, and how to do 60+ kids’ art activities!

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