20 Creative DIY Craft Activity Ideas for a Kids Party
In today’s fast-paced digital world, kids’ parties often revolve around screens and technology. However, there’s something timeless and magical about introducing children to the world of DIY craft activities. Hosting a creative DIY craft-themed party for your kids can not only ignite their imaginations but also provide a hands-on, educational, and fun experience. In this article, I brought you a variety of exciting craft ideas to make your child’s party memorable.
Setting the Stage
Before we dive into the craft ideas, let’s first discuss how to set the stage for a successful DIY craft party.
1. Pick a Theme
Selecting a theme can help streamline your craft activity choices. Popular options include animals, superheroes, and princesses. A theme ties everything together and makes it more exciting for kids.
2. Gathering Supplies
Collect all the necessary supplies well in advance. This will save time and ensure a smooth flow of activities during the party.
3. Age-Appropriate Crafts
Tailor your craft activities to the age group. Simpler activities are suitable for younger kids, while older children can tackle more complex projects.
20 Best DIY Craft Ideas
1. Painted Rocks
Painted rocks are an excellent addition to kids’ parties, as it’s a creative activity that takes a fun twist on classical painting. It’s also easy to put together, all you need is some rocks to paint on and some paint. It’s suitable for all ages, but my advise is that if it’s for a kids party, do yourself a favor and buy washable paint!
2. Tie-Dye T-Shirts
Provide plain white T-shirts and a selection of vibrant dyes, and let the children create their wearable masterpieces which not only look super-cool, but are also really fun to create!
3. Paper Plate Masks
Stock up on paper plates, markers, feathers, elastic bands and any other arts and crafts you can think of and let the kids use their imaginations! It’s a cheap DIY craft activity that kids love! Let them get creative with basic art supplies!
4. Beaded Jewelry
You can never go wrong with jewellery making for a girls party. Choose the type of jewelry you want the kids to make. You can opt for simple projects like bracelets, necklaces, or earrings, or more complex ones like rings, pendants, or charms.
You will need beads, stringing materials, clasps, hooks, jump rings, and other findings, as well as tools like scissors, pliers, wire cutters, and glue. You can use a large table, a floor mat, or a tray for each kid and let the kids get creative!Â
5. Decorate Cupcakes
Let the kids unleash their inner pastry chef by decorating plain cupcakes with icing, sprinkles, and edible decorations. Buy a simple cupcake decorating kit that has all the necessities you will need. Set up a table with unfrosted cupcakes and an array of colorful toppings, icings, and sprinkles. Give each child pastry bags filled with different colored icing and an assortment of toppings like edible glitter, chocolate chips, gummy candies, and rainbow sprinkles.
6. Scavenger Hunt
Organize a scavenger hunt with a list of items to find or clues leading to hidden treasures. The hunt can be themed around various ideas, from treasure hunts to nature explorations, tailoring the experience to the interests of the children or the party theme.
Start by providing each child or team with a starting clue which will lead them to the first location where they discover the next clue, and so on, until they reach the final destination or uncover all the hidden items. Clues can be riddles, puzzles, or simple directions. A Scavenger Hunt is exciting for all ages and the difficulty level is easily adjustable making it ideal for everyone of all ages and stages!
7. Sock Puppets
Old socks can be transformed into cute puppets using buttons, yarn, and markers. Start with each child selecting a sock as the base for their puppet, then they can get creative by adding facial features like googly eyes, a felt mouth, and a yarn nose. Fabric markers or felt pieces can be used to create unique patterns or clothing for the puppet.
8. Origami
Teach the kids the art of paper folding by making origami animals. Simple creations like paper airplanes, frogs, boats, or cranes are excellent choices for beginners, based on the age group and the theme of the party. Buy an origami kit that provides everything you need, including instructions.
9. Recycled Robots
Gather empty boxes, toilet paper rolls, and other recyclables to create imaginative robots. It’s an eco-friendly birthday activity and encourages creativity. Use glue, tape, or other adhesives to attach additional recycled materials to form the robot’s body, arms, legs, and other features, like bottle caps, pipe cleaners and buttons.
10. DIY Slime
Kids can make slime using a simple recipe. To organize this activity, you’ll need a few basic ingredients: white school glue, liquid starch, and food coloring. You can also add glitter, beads, or other embellishments to enhance the sensory experience.
Give each child a bowl into which they should pour some glue, followed by a few drops of food coloring to give the slime its vibrant hue. As they mix, the glue transforms into a colorful, gooey consistency. The magic happens when they slowly add liquid starch, causing the mixture to thicken and become the stretchy, slimy substance that kids adore.
11. Nature Collage
Take the kids on a nature walk and have them create collages using leaves, twigs, and flowers they collect. To make the collage, provide sturdy paper or cardboard as the base for the collages, along with glue or double-sided tape.
The nature collage activity is flexible and can be adapted to suit various party themes. For example, you can suggest creating a specific scene like a garden, forest, or underwater world, or let the children’s come up with their own ideas.
12. Friendship Bracelets
Teach the art of making friendship bracelets using colorful embroidery floss. To organize this activity, you’ll need an assortment of colorful embroidery threads, beads, and clasps, which can be bought in a bracelet making kit.
Let each child select their preferred colors of embroidery thread. They can then measure and cut the threads to create a bundle for their bracelet. Depending on the age group and skill level, you can introduce different bracelet-making techniques, such as braiding, knotting, or weaving. Beads can be added for extra flair, and clasps can be attached to make the bracelets adjustable and easy to wear.
13. Button Art
Gather a variety of buttons in different shapes, sizes, and colors, along with sturdy paper, glue, and markers for added details. You can give each child a blank canvas, or a picture that they can ‘color in’ with buttons.
14. Pasta Art
Gather a variety of pasta types, including macaroni, penne, fusilli, and any other interesting shapes, along with sturdy paper, glue, and paint. Dye pasta in different colors and shapes, then glue them to paper to create pasta art.
15. Sock Monkeys
Transform ordinary socks into adorable stuffed animals, providing both a creative outlet and a cuddly companion. You’ll need pairs of clean, mismatched socks, stuffing material, buttons or safety eyes, yarn, and a needle and thread.
Start by stuffing the socks to create the monkey’s body and head. Once filled, the socks are folded, and a central seam is sewn to shape the body. Children can then add distinct features to their sock monkeys, such as attaching buttons or safety eyes for the face, sewing on a smile, and using yarn to create hair or a tail.
16. Painted Birdhouses
3D art can be so much more exciting for kids than painting on paper. Opt for easy ready-made birdhouses for the kids to paint. You’ll need plain wooden birdhouses, paints, paintbrushes, and other craft supplies like stickers, stencils, or glitter for added flair.
Each child should select a wooden birdhouse to paint. They can paint scenes, and patterns, or even create their own bird-inspired artwork. Stencils and stickers can be used to add shapes or images, and glitter can provide a sparkling touch.
17. Balloon Animals
Learn the basics of balloon twisting and create fun balloon animals. Buy a balloon-making kit, and possibly some markers or stickers for adding features to the balloon animals.
Some popular and beginner-friendly balloons to make include dogs, cats, rabbits, and giraffes. Children can use the pump to inflate the balloons, and they can add their own personal touches to the balloon animals, whether it’s drawing faces, adding stickers for eyes, or even using multiple balloons to create more intricate designs.
18. Felt Finger Puppets
Kids can design their finger puppets from felt and fabric markers. You’ll need some colorful felt sheets, scissors, glue, and small embellishments like googly eyes, buttons, or fabric markers. Cut out simple shapes to form the body of their finger puppet. Using glue, they can attach embellishments such as googly eyes for faces, buttons for noses, or fabric markers to add details.
19. Color In Pillow Case
Color in pillowcases is a great activity for a slumber party. Buy plain white pillowcases, fabric markers, and possibly stencils or fabric paint for added design options, or you can order pre-designed pillowcases for the children to color in.
20. Mason Jar Lanterns
Decorate mason jars with paint and add tea lights for charming lanterns. You’ll need clean and empty Mason jars, tissue paper or translucent paint, paintbrushes, and battery-operated tea lights.
Using paintbrushes, the children can apply colorful tissue paper or translucent paint to the outside of the jar, creating vibrant and luminous designs. Once the painted Mason jars are dry, kids can place a battery-operated tea light inside each jar. It’s a really fun activity for an evening party.
My Thoughts
Hosting a creative DIY craft activity for your kids’ party can be an excellent way to provide easy entertainment that keeps the kids busy and stimulated. For a party to work it’s all about keeping the children busy the whole time! Check out some of my easy tips for a smooth-running kids’ party.
Sarah xx
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