Have you ever heard the familiar words “I’m bored,” coming from the mouth of your child? If so, then kid crafts just may be the answer. Provide the kids with craft materials, and boredom will be a thing of the past. Read on for some good ideas about kid crafts.

Essential materials for kid crafts include paper, crayons, safe scissors, and glue. Paper for kid crafts can include construction paper, plain typing paper, cardstock of various colors, and many other options. Even junk mail and old magazines make interesting art projects. Crayons are nice for younger children, but the stores now have plenty of other options. These options include items such as washable dry-erase markers, watercolor pencils, and gel pens. Kid crafts supplies can cost a good amount of money, but even on a budget, there are many possibilities.

Other materials kids can craft with include recycled junk and found objects. By recycled junk, I’m referring to empty cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, cardboard from packaging, plastic containers, and even tin cans. If you let kids craft with tin cans however, you need to make sure the open edge of the can doesn’t have any sharp edges. Simply file the sharp edge off or squeeze them flat with a pair of pliers.

Found objects include leaves, twigs, rocks, snakeskins, and other natural items a child might find. Perhaps there is a sheep farm nearby. If there is, wool scraps can often be found stuck to the barbed wire fences. With parental help, these can be collected for use in crafts! Any or all of these items are materials for use in kid crafts.

One of the most fun and popular kid crafts is making a collage. Kids can glue all sorts of interesting objects down when making a collage. Use heavy paper for the background, and then let the creativity begin! For an extra challenge, a collage can incorporate a theme, like food, animals, or babies. Old magazines provide just the right pictures to cut out and glue to the background. An older child might wish to cut out details from magazine pictures and reassemble them in new and interesting ways. They might cut out interesting words and headlines and add them as well.

Younger kid crafts can include collages made of glued down pasta, beans, popsicle sticks, leaves, and many other common materials. Don’t forget about glitter, too. If the budget allows only a few kid craft splurges, remember that kids of all ages, particularly girls, really enjoy crafting artwork with glitter. But, whatever your kids’ sex or age, suggest some kid crafts the next time your kids are bored!