Paper crafts are a great way to get kids thinking creatively and using their hands to make something new. It’s a rewarding experience for them when they see their finished products, and it’s a great way to inspire them to use their imaginations in other ways, too.
It can also be an opportunity for parents to get involved and spend some quality time with their children—it doesn’t matter what your skill level is, your kid will be proud of the result!
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Paper crafts are a great way to get kids thinking creatively and using their hands to make something new. It’s a rewarding experience for them when they see their finished products, and it’s a great way to inspire them to use their imaginations in other ways, too.
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It can also be an opportunity for parents to get involved and spend some quality time with their children—it doesn’t matter what your skill level is, your kid will be proud of the result!
1. Origami Snowflakes
Origami is the art of paper folding, and it’s easy enough for even kids to do (even though it was originally invented by ancient Chinese mathematicians). This cool holiday craft combines the art of folding paper with a little bit of creativity—and makes a pretty gift that anyone would love to receive.
This kind of paper sculpture is so easy it’s silly, but you’ll be amazed by the creativity and originality that kids can bring to their own work.
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You don’t need any special skills—just some basic supplies, a couple of different colored papers, and some patience. If you think about it, the process is much like painting a picture: Kids choose a base color for their snowflakes (or cut-outs or whatever else they want to make) and then they add features with other papers or paint.
A neat thing about this activity is that it can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. You can give your child pre-cut shapes or blank paper, or you can get out the scissors yourself. You can even use glitter or confetti instead of just plain paper—whatever you have around the house will probably work just fine. Even if your child isn’t working on a project at school, this is a good way to keep them busy while they learn some important skills in an informal way. Whether they know it or not, kids are learning how to plan ahead when they design something from start to finish. They’re also developing their fine motor skills by cutting out shapes.
2. Colorful Cardboard Zoo Animals
Kids love playing with cardboard boxes, so why not get them in on the crafting action? One of the most popular DIY crafts for kids is the cardboard zoo animal. Not only is it super-fun to make, but also, it’s a great way to introduce children to the concept of recycling and upcycling waste materials into something new and exciting.
After you have your cardboard animal template printed out, all you need is some colorful paper and scissors. You can use any kind of paper (glossy or matte), so long as it’s thick enough to stand up straight on its own, and cut the pieces out. Once they’re cut out, your children can play around with different patterns and designs to create their own unique animal. The best part is that you can customize each piece to fit a child’s specific tastes! They can choose what colors they want to use, which ones will go where, and even how many legs their animal has.
3. Paper Glass
Paper filters are pretty, but they’re also functional. We think it’s a shame to just throw them out after one use. These delicate, translucent pieces of art can be hung in windows or in front of lamps for an added dose of ambience. All you need is a stack of coffee filters and some school glue (that’s right, the stuff you used to use to paste your worksheets in elementary school).
Use the coffee filter to cut out a heart shape, using a drinking glass as your guide. You can go freehand if you want, but having instructions will help you get the shape as close to perfect as possible so that it sits nicely in your window or lampshade.
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This is when the fun part starts: soaking your coffee filters in a bowl of water with a few drops of food coloring. When the filters are thoroughly soaked and then wrung out (you’ll probably want to wear gloves for this step), they’ll be ready for some glue action! You can let your kids have at it like crazy—they don’t have to worry about making mistakes because it’s only going to look better when they’re finished.
4. Paper Cats
Paper cats are a classic example of the small, cute things that can be made out of paper. They’re also an excellent choice for kids to get into paper crafts, because they’re so simple and so fun! There’s very little chance for anyone to mess them up, and even if you do, you can just try again!
Tearing up paper is always fun for kids, especially when they’re young enough that it’s still awkward and clumsy. (Think about your own experience with ripping up wrapping paper…you were probably pretty bad at it as a child!) You can show them how to rip or tear a rectangle into a cat shape and then glue it together, or you can also have them draw their own cat shape with markers or crayons before tearing it out. In the end, it doesn’t really matter as long as they have fun trying!
5. Paper Stars
Paper stars are a simple, classic craft that can be made with just a few sheets of paper. They look great on their own or as decorations for gift-giving, decorating parties, or other holiday occasions.
These paper stars are really easy to make and any child old enough to handle scissors can do it. The best part is, these paper stars can be made from just about anything—a magazine page, a piece of junk mail, fabric remnants from your scrap bin—so you can have fun experimenting with different materials!
6 Paper Fans
For many Asian cultures, the fan is both an object of practicality and one of fashion. Used to keep cool during the hot summer months or used for decoration at special events, fans have been used for a variety of purposes for hundreds of years.
Although the traditional folding techniques are still widely practiced and admired, today’s paper fans take on a more fantastical role. When children practice their paper-folding skills, they can become ninjas or princesses or other characters from their favorite stories, and when they use their imaginations to paint the paper, they can make fans that are uniquely theirs. Whether you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your kids or you just want to try your hand at some simple origami yourself, check out these simple tutorials—you’ll soon be on your way to making beautiful paper fans!
They’re a classic, delicate-looking design that’s easy enough for even the youngest crafter to make on their own. For those who appreciate traditional things, the look of these fans will still be appreciated by all ages long after the project has been finished—they’re so classic and simple that they’ll never go out of style.
