DIY Art Projects for Small Kids – 77 Cute and Very Creative Ideas

Interiors 14-12-2017 Archzine 1972

Keeping your little ones’ busy with small DIY art projects is very significant for their physical, cognitive & psychosocial development. Through engaging in creative activities, toddlers not only learn how properly coordinate their hand movements but also discover their surroundings. We believe that this topic is immensely important and decided to devote an entire article to DIY activities for toddlers and small children. Read on to find over 70 easy and creative suggestions that will stimulate your kids imaginations and keep them entertained for hours!

What are the advantages of DIY art projects for kids?

In her book The Absorbent Mind, Italian physician and child pedagogue Maria Montessori, famous for developing the Montessori philosophy of education, underlines the importance of DIY art projects and crafts in the following terms: “We may put it like this: the child’s intelligence can develop to a certain level without the help of the hand. But if it develops with his hand, then the level it reaches is higher, and the child’s character is stronger.” Indeed, it is impossible to refute the significant role which creative activities play for the growth and development of the child.

To begin with, it is important to consider the favorable effect which DIY art projects have on your little one’s motor skills. We learn how to hold and handle objects at a very young age, and it is very important to develop these skills further. Creating a small drawing, making a simple paper craft, or even just holding a pencil, are very important steps for your child. Furthermore, creative activities have a positive influence on toddlers’ intelligence. They learn to use logic in order to complete a series of tasks – a knowledge that can be put to highly useful practices in later life. In addition, they utilize their imagination, concentration and sensory system. In other words, the benefits of DIY art projects are significant and abounding.

Last but not least, arts and crafts can be used to teach youngsters important facts. Making a paper flower, for example, is an excellent opportunity to introduce children to the natural world. They can learn the different parts of the flower – stem, petals, leaves, etc. Similarly, small DIY art projects can help kids distinguish different colors, shapes and animals.

One of the cutest and easiest DIY art projects for spring – chicken decorations made from toilet paper roll and feathers

diy art projects, two toilet rolls dyed in pink and yellow, decorated with feathers to look like chicken, stick-on googly eyes

What are some good DIY art projects for children?

Although there are many different creative activities to choose from, they must be selected in accordance to the child’s age. For kids under three, the focus should be on drawing and painting, as these activities are best suited for their level of concentration, as well as their intellectual and motor skills. Activities utilizing finger painting and hand prints are especially popular and fun for toddlers.

For kids older than three, the options are numerous. At this stage, parents and care takers can include many educational elements such as numbers and letters. In addition, preschool children can be entrusted with more sophisticated tasks such as cutting, pasting, drawing more complex patterns and making simple origami. You can even encourage your little ones to try their hand at baking or gardening.

If you need help narrowing down the vast selection of DIY art projects for kids – we are here to help! Our selection contains 77 ideas that we find very suitable for toddlers and older children. To make things easier, we have divided the different activities into seasonal groups. We have decided to start with spring, as it is the time of the year where life starts anew. If you scroll further down you will find suggestions for summer, fall and winter, as well many universal ideas, suitable for any season.

An easy suggestion for toddlers – cute flowers made from felt

diy art projects, toddler's hand sticking paper to a flower-shaped cutout, finished purple and orange flower cutouts nearby

Charming little paper birds

diy art projects, small handprinted blue bird, made of paper, decorated with blue and pink feathers, paper strips and googly eyes

Felt flowers in bright, multicolored pots – a fun idea whit lots of color

diy art projects, three felt flowers in orange, pink and turquoise blue, placed in bright and colorful pots

These cheerful crepe paper butterflies require very little effort but look incredibly effective

diy art projects, three butterflies made from crepe paper, in yellow and red, orange and green, tied with simple red fuzzy wire

Paper plate decorated with flower cutouts and butterfly ornaments – a great idea for spring

diy art projects, white paper plate, decorated with blue and green crayon, colorful flower-shaped cutouts, and small butterfly ornaments

These cute floral ornaments with paper petals and ice cream stick stalks are a great gift for Mother’s Day

diy art projects, three flowers made of paper in pale violet, green and red, attached to stalks made from ice cream sticks, with small green paper leaves

Big paper flower – very simple and easy DIY art project for toddlers

craft ideas for kids, large flower made of purple and yellow paper, decorated with yellow, blue and red scribbles

A fun Easter idea

craft ideas for kids, chicken ornament made from yellow toilet paper roll, decorated with orange paper cutouts and stick-on eyes

Here is another suggestion for paper flowers with ice cream sticks

craft ideas for kids, two flowers made from pink felt, yellow buttons and green paper leaves, attached to ice cream sticks painted in green

craft ideas for kids, three flowers made from paper plates, colored with pencils, with stalks made from green paper and petals made from yellow, pink and orange paper

craft ideas for kids, four small bottles of paint, near flower-shaped cutouts and a green toothbrush, toothbrush dipped in paint and used over paper, finished flowers decorated with paint

Teaching kids about recycling at a young age is very important. Here is a fun idea for a DIY art project reusing old bottle caps

craft ideas for kids, four pieces of carboard, decorated with flowers made from used bottle caps, and pieces of toilet roll

craft ideas for kids, three pink cardboard vases, placed on violet heart-shaped coasters, all decorated with scribbles, containing cardboard flowers in different colors

diy projects for kids, bunny made from white plastic cup, decorated with white and pink felt, stick-on eyes and fuzzy wire whiskers

There are so many fun things you can make with toilet paper rolls. Just look at those sweet butterflies!

diy projects for kids, five butterflies made from toilet rolls in different colors, with multicolored wings, close up of the items used, the work in progress, and the final result

diy projects for kids, small twig decorated with cherry blossoms, made from paper in two shades of pink, on a pale blue background

diy projects for kids, three yellow and orange daffodils, made from cardboard, with green stalks and leaves, tied together with pink felt and a yellow ribbon

diy projects for kids, four flowers made from cupcake moulds in different colors, attached to ice cream sticks, decorated with green paper leaves, buttons and cotton

Here is a really cool tutorial devoted to making paper flowers:

diy projects for kids, ladybug ornament made from black and red paper, decorated with stick-on eyes

A cute tulle butterfly

diy projects for kids, butterfly made from pale pink tulle, with silver sparkling details, multicolored clothes peg and fuzzy wire

easy kids crafts, smiling butterfly made from pale green and violet paper, placed near a letter

easy kids crafts, six colorful paper flowers, step by step photo explanation how to make them, paper cutouts in green, blue and yellow, stuck together in different patterns

easy kids crafts, bunny mask made from white paper plate with face hole, decorated with black paper whiskers, and white hand-decorated paper ears

Another great tutorial for making paper flowers, this time as a bouquet!

easy kids crafts, flower bouquet from green, yellow white and red paper, step by step process showing how to make it

easy kids crafts, bunny and chick decorations, made from small paper cups in white and yellow, decorated with colorful paper and stick-on eyes

A beautiful Easter Bunny mask to make in spring

easy kids crafts, flower made from muffin moulds, pinned on a white card, many yellow and pink patterned muffin moulds, stacked together and loosely placed on table

Now it’s time to take a look at some summer-themed DIY activities. These little boats are very cute and easy to make!

easy kids crafts, three little boats made from walnut shells, decorated with colorful triangular crepe paper sails on toothpicks

fun art projects, three boats made from sponges in yellow, green and blue, decorated with triangular sails made from colorful crepe paper

fun art projects, several paper plates in different colors, made to look like fish, decorated with colorful paper cutouts

fun art projects, three paper plates painted to look like fish, decorated with paper shreds and folded paper details

Marine-themed ideas are a great hit in summer. Kids love gathering seashells at the beach. With your help they can transform them in cute little fish!

fun art projects, five fish made from shells painted in different colors, decorated with smaller shales and stick-on eyes

fun art projects, four ice creams made from colorful paper, decorated with multicolored cutouts, attached to ice cream sticks

fun art projects, octopus made from dark green paper, decorated with pale green and blue paper tentacles, scales drawn in shiny marker

There are many beautiful ideas for autumn months too! This little owl ornament is a great suggestion! All your children need to make one themselves are a few pinecones and some felt.

fun art projects, little owl ornament made from a pinecone, decorated with felt in different colors, with stick on eyes

cool things to make at home, three dolls made from toilet paper rolls, with autumn leaves as heads, decorated with buttons, stones and stick-on eyes

cool things to make at home, four mushrooms made from white paper, and muffin moulds in different colors, decorated with pink white and yellow paper dots

Autumn collage made from a real twig and colorful buttons, imitating leaves

cool things to make at home, collage made from a twig stuck on white paper, decorated with multicolored buttons in different sizes, looking like autumn leaves

cool things to make at home, five autumn leaves in different shapes and colors, decorated with stick-on eyes, stuck on ice cream sticks

Autumn leaves can also be used to make beautiful paintings

cool things to make at home, hand holding painted leaf over white peace of paper with leaf-shape, finger pressing the painted leaf over the paper

And finally we have reached winter! Here are some suggestions for the colder months, with an emphasis on Christmas!

cool things to make at home, eleven cards made from cardboard in different colors, each decorated with snowman collage

diys for your room, several christmas tree triangular shapes, made from ice cream sticks in different colors, decorated with yellow paper stars, colorful pom poms and silver garlands

diys for your room, two snowmen made from two paper plates stuck together, decorated with paper cutouts, black buttons and colorful bowties

Washi tape is fun and easy to use. Plus, it offers some great possibilities, like these cool X-mas cards!

diys for your room, nine cards made from brown cardboard, decorated with christmas tree shapes, made with beads and washi tape in different colors

diys for your room, many christmas trees, made from green and blue felt, decorated with different cutouts, shapes and sticky shiny gems

diys for your room, little reindeer ornament, made from brown cardboard cup, decorated with stick-on eyes, paper ears and antlers, and a red pom pom nose

diys for your room, two penguins made from red and green felt, decorated with white nd orange felt details, and stick on eyes

diys for your room, four penguin decorations, made from black cardboard cups, decorated with white and orange textured paper details, and stick on eyes

four pieces of white paper with owl collages in different colors, decorated with paper details and children's handprints

blond toddler in grey shirt, using a paper roll to stamp red heart-shapes on two white pieces of paper, placed on a plastic tray

Here is another fun DIY activity for your child try: handmade bookmarks!

two white cards, decorated with pink and red heart shapes, and black and white thread, placed over two red envelopes, more pink and red heart shapes nearby

To wrap things up, here are some great suggestions for kids’ DIY art projects, suitable for any time of the year. Enjoy!

two turkeys made from brown paper shapes, and colorful ice cream sticks, pencil holder containing more ice cream sticks in different colors nearby

Crafts with hand-prints are very popular among toddlers. Plus, the possibilities are virtually endless!

five flowers made from hand-painted hand-shaped cutouts, in different colors, with green straw stalks and paper leaves

three mother's day cards, made from hand-shaped cutouts, child tracing their hand on paper, two finished cards

two trees made from brown paper cutouts of a child's hand, decorated with heart-shaped leaves in different colors, scissors and multicolored cutouts, child sticking leaves on the tree

many green frogs, made from hand-painted toilet rolls, decorated with green, white and black paper cutouts

four images showing how to make an octopus paper decoration, step by step, two finished octopi in blue and green

If your little one likes helping out in the kitchen, perhaps it’s time for their first cooking lesson?

four toddlers wearing chef's hats and aprons in different colors, sitting on small plastic chairs around a table, with various cooking utensils and vegetables

three ice cream sticks, painted to look like ballerinas, with pale pink thread for hair, and skirts made from paper muffin moulds in two shades of pink

several wooden clothes pegs, with pom poms in different colors, decorated with googly stick-on eyes, looking like caterpillars

two heart-shaped felt cutouts in pink and red, attached to necklaces made of white string, decorated with pink, white and violet beads

Simple paper crafts are a great way for your child to learn more about the animal world.

cow's face made from a white paper plate, decorated with pink and black paper cutouts, with stick-on eyes

wreath made from heart paper shapes in different colors, multicolored pom pom, teal blue stapler near green paper heart, more heart shapes in different colors

smiling octopus ornament, made from a toilet roll, painted in orange and blue, and decorated with marker and stuck-on eyes

owl collage on brown paper, made from triangular and circular paper shapes in different colors

two garlands made from paper hearts, in different shades of pink, green and violet, attached together with white string and tape, close up of the garlands

hand-painted clay flower pot, containing five paper flowers in different colors, decorated with finger prints, and attached to green fuzzy wire

four suns made from yellow paper plates, decorated with black and red, and pink and yellow felt cutouts

three cards made from violet and orange paper, decorated with paper flowers, made from crumpled hand-painted paper, decorated with buttons and crayon scribbles