It is getting cooler around here which means two things in our home: more time inside and time for arts and crafts for kids! That’s right friends, get ready for the time of year when art projects and crafts flood this space.

This year I thought I would start things off with one of the biggest resources that has ever been created for you. This post contains enough arts and crafts ideas to get you through the winter (and likely every other winter you endure …)

I decided to have this resource include both art ideas AND craft ideas. The difference?

Well, as far as I am concerned, art ideas for kids are all about the process and experience. Each art project may look very different from one another. Art activities are excellent for helping children become creative and unique.

In contrast, craft activities are more sequential and step-by-step, with each craft generally looking similar. I strongly believe there is still a place for crafts in childhood. Crafts help children strengthen fine motor skills, follow directions, learn to do things sequentially, and remember the order of steps. All very important skills!

So this post includes ALL of these wonderful, creative, crafty things. They are divided neat and tidy so you can clearly find an art project when you want one, or a craft project. All at your finger tips!

So without further ado …

Arts and Crafts for Kids:

Arts and Crafts for Kids that Use Paint

Art

Nature Painting – When you head outside to explore with children you are bound to come inside laden with treasures! Painting nature is an awesome art exploration as nature provides so many different textures to explore. 

Snow Painting – now this art activity I included under “painting” but it is actually markers and water – the effect, however, is amazingly paint like!

Crayon Resist Winter Art – we enjoyed this beautiful painting project a few winters ago and have repeated the activity every winter since!

Pulled String Art, By Tinkerlab – With some paper, string and liquid watercolors you can create this amazing effect.  You won’t believe how easy it is!

Recycled Bottles Painting, By Hello Wonderful – Pour any paint into any non-toxic household spray or squeeze bottle and let the kids loose!

Sand Painting, By Emma Owl – What a fun and easy way to add a different texture to your child’s art!

Funnel Painting, By Still Playing School – This beautiful process art helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. A rich and rewarding experience, if you ask me!

Rubber Band Art, By Craftulate – Invite your child to paint the rubber bands and then SNAP them to create a SPLAT-ERRFIC work.

Painting with Yarn, By Buggy and Buddy – This one could get a little messy but the effects created and the fun that follows are well worth it!

Yarn Resist Birch Tree Paintings, By The Pinterested Parent – While you have the yarn out, try these stunning resist masterpieces! They look complicated but are super easy to make!

Crafts

Birch Winter Tree Art– This is such a fun painting craft to do for winter. It could be an art activity as well, but since this one has an expected outcome, I decided it was more craft like. The results of this pretty craft is stunning!

Watercolor Doily Snowflakes, By Kitchen Table Classroom – Why make a regular paper snowflake when you can make a doily snowflake?  Preschoolers will need help cutting their snowflakes but they can definitely paint it!

Fork Painted Bear, By Glued to My Crafts – This painting technique can be used for any craft that requires a textured look – like a furry bear!

Symmetry Butterfly Painting, By The Artful Parent – This one could go both ways. Since our goal is to create a butterfly and have both sides match, I have this under crafts. 

Arts and Crafts for Kids that Use Items from Nature

Art

Clay Bird’s Nests – give those little one’s some clay and let them create amazing bird nests. A little bit of grass, some sticks, maybe a leaf or two and you have a wonderful art activity!

Blossoming Spring Craft – using sticks from outside and some tissue paper this art activity is teeming with sensory fun!

Nature Assemblage, By Art Bar Blog – “Assemblage is the art of assembling bits and pieces together to make 3D art.” I love how open-ended this art is and how uniquely beautiful it turns out in the end.  Assemble multiples on a larger stick and you could have a window chime or porch decoration.

Nature Imitating Nature, By Modern Parents Messy Kids – Turn anything you find in nature into… well, anything! These would look beautiful pasted and framed on a wall!

Nature Smash, By No Time for Flashcards – This sensory and gross motor art activity allows kids to explore the natural colors that nature provides.

Seed Art – I actually have a post FULL of nature arts and crafts for kids already. Each and every idea shared includes creating with seeds.

Craft

Rock Photo Holder, By Buggy and Buddy – This easy craft makes for a beautiful gift or keepsake.  Your child gets to pick and paint their own rock and add their own beads to the holder.

Embellished Nature, By Mairtown Kindy – Practice fine motor skills and create a one-of-a-kind craft with nature and man-made elements. This could make a great centerpiece or photo holder.

Maple Key Dragonfly, by Filth Wizardry – Use paint, maple keys and sticks to create these stunning and realistic dragonflies.  These make a great addition to an outdoor mobile, wind chime or garden decor.

Leaf Crown – Creating a leaf crown with your little one is the perfect thing to do on a crisp fall day! The imaginative play after this craft is fabulous. 

Arts and Crafts for Kids that Use Clay or Playdough

Art

Exploring Texture Process Art, By Stir the Wonder – Giving your child materials with a variety of textures gives them the opportunity to explore imprinting with clay.

Clay Structures, By Meri Cherry – For children that may struggle to manipulate the clay, set them up with a few clay logs.  Collect items from nature and invite them to use both to create abstract structures or little worlds to play in.

Clay Fingerpainting, By Mini Monets and Mommies – I love the amazing effect created by squishing clay in a finger painting motion!  Creating these masterpieces will also strengthen fine motor skills – bonus!

Coloring Play Dough with Markers, By Homegrown Friends – Your child can create some wonderful effects and learn about color mixing with this activity.

Craft

Nature Clay Imprints, By My Bright Ideas – These beautiful clay imprints are so easy to make and turn into beautiful gifts and keepsakes.

Air Dry Clay Leaf Bowls, By Emma Owl – Find a few leaves with thick veins and roller them onto a slab of air dry clay.  After a few coats of paint and optional sealant you have a rewarding craft and beautiful gift!

Clay Mobile, By Crafts by Amanda –  Children of all ages can make this easy craft as simple or as elaborate as they’d like.  This could turn into a creative holiday decoration, or as an adorable addition to a preschool classroom.

Clay and Dyed Pasta Mosaic, By Buggy and Buddy – If your child is seeking to recreate a specific image, like flowers, this activity becomes a craft.  If you  simply present them with the materials and leave it open-ended, this activity is more like process art.

Rainbow Mosaics, By Sunhats and Wellie Boots – Alternatively to the idea above, you could cut your clay slab into your child’s favorite shape and they can fill it in with pasta or beads.

Arts and Crafts for Kids that Use Paper and More

Art

Newspaper Art, By Pocket of Preschool – Cut and paste pieces of newspaper, flat or crumpled, and paint over them for a visually textured effect.  

Mountain Landscape, By The Garden Art Blog – Preschoolers and young kids can easily create this captivating art.  Parents may simply need to help layer the paper to create a landscape effect.

Tissue Paper Bleed, By S&S Blog – Bring out those spray bottles that we know everybody loves! Have our child experiment with colors and layering to create fabulous effects and beautiful backgrounds for other art.

Crafts

3D Paper Flowers– These cute flowers pop right off the page! It is a great paper craft which is easy enough for children about 5 or 6 years of age. 

Paper cup flowers – This craft is the best of both worlds. A great process art activity, while still being a craft as you end up with very pretty flowers.

Paper / Fabric Collage, By Stay at Home Educator – The more materials and textures used in a collage the merrier!  Use this technique to cover any surface on any craft or art project. 

Tissue Paper Stained Glass, By Fun a Day  – Use cut-out shapes or torn paper to create stunning stained glass to add color to any room. One method uses contact paper, the other uses a starch coating that is painted over top. 

Magazine Strip Craft, By Running with Sisters – This craft does not need to use thin, perfectly straight strips of magazine paper in order to look stunning.  Your child can pick their favorite animal or object to cover in long magazine strips that they cut themselves. 

Paper Plate Animals, By Mess for Less – Paper plate crafts, like these farm animals, are classic ways of encouraging cutting, pasting and overall creativity.

Paper Fan with Children’s Art, By Gluesticks – Here’s a brainteaser: use your child’s process ART to make a paper CRAFT! Mind. Blown.

Rainbow Paper Chain– Create a pretty rainbow and strengthen those fine motor skills and pincer grip while you are at it! 

Arts and Crafts for Kids that Use Unique or Recycled Materials

Art

Monochrome Art, By The Artful Parent – This project is a great study in color.  Children of all ages will enjoy collecting and adding unique items to texture their work.

Paper Towel Roll Sculptures, By The Pinterested Parent – Turn a paper towel roll into literally ANYTHING and bring it alive with some bright paint!

Sand Paper Painting, By Fun Littles –  Explore three ways to paint with sand paper.

Cardboard Structures, By Picklebums – Okay. So this art will require an adult to use a hot glue gun and cut (A LOT) of cardboard shapes. But the results are pretty awesome, don’t you think?

Crafts 

Yarn Circle Weaving, By Happy Holligans – These stunning weaves are simple to make and require little materials.  Learn how to get your littlest child learning pre-weaving skills and find out how to turn them into beautiful gifts.

Egg Carton Flowers, By The Imagination Tree – Preschoolers can explore color mixing with this easy, low-prep craft. Parents will have to cut the egg cartons and perhaps glue them to a surface. Your child may want to attach stems with sticks or grouped pipecleaners.

Fabric Bowl, By Mosswood Connections – This fabric scrap bowls gives kids the chance to practice cutting and makes for an adorable gift.  It’s easier than it looks!

Carton Birdfeeder, By Craft, Create, Cook – Little kids are naturally curious about nature and love the idea of caring for their critter friends. Taking the time to decorate a bird feeder is a perfect act of creative caring and will certainly build memories.

Arts and Crafts for Kids with Movement

Splat Art, By Fun-a-Day – Using watercolors and pom-poms, your kiddos can explore gravity through this fun splatter art!

Body Trace and Paint, By Busy Toddler – Kids of all ages will get a kick out of this art project!  Older kids may enjoy painting elements that reflect their personality or preferences. 

Human Spirograph, By Myrtle and Eunice – Do YOU remember Spirograph? Turn that idea into a full body art exploration!

Fly Swatter Art, By Play, Teach, Repeat – Get those bodies moving with this fun process art where kiddos get to explore different textures and mixing colors.

No-Mess Splatter Art, By Sunny Day Family – Place paper in a jar with paint and beans, then shake it up!  Voila!  

Tricycle Art, By Pink Stripey Socks – After some of us have recovered from the heart attack of seeing this young lad roam in paint, we might start to feel that it’s not such a bad idea after all…

Collaborative Arts and Crafts for Kids

Art

Group Tennis Ball Painting, By Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education – Take the classic marble painting in a box and make it collaborative!

Lids and Bottle Cap Art, By Rowdy Rascal Kids – You will not believe the amazing art you can make with lids and bottle caps! Your kiddos will also learn so much about size, proportions and color. 

Paper Towel Drip, By Play to Learn Preschool – Kids will have a hoot using droppers to mix colors and observe how the paint travels!

Plunger Art, By Teach Preschool – What an adorable and hilarious way to collaborate with friends on a huge art activity!  A quick and fun idea for a party!

And that my friends is over 50 AMAZING arts and crafts projects that are sure to get you through the winter. Heck, you might even love the winter this year! 

It’s a long shot … but really, these crafts are stellar. Are they love winter stellar? Well …

I hope you found a few that are perfect for you and yours to enjoy. Thank you so much for reading friends!