You don’t need a craft store haul to keep kids busy. Cardboard, jars, socks, and scrap paper are already in your house and make great craft supplies. These 25 projects cost next to nothing and work for a wide range of ages.
Paper and Cardboard Crafts
1. Toilet paper roll animals. Paint or wrap the tubes, then add paper ears, eyes, and tails.
2. Cardboard box castle. Cut battlements and a drawbridge, then let kids paint it.
3. Paper plate masks. Cut eye holes, then decorate with paint, yarn, and feathers.
4. Egg carton caterpillars. Cut a carton strip, paint it green, and add pipe cleaner antennae.
5. Newspaper collage. Tear and glue old newspaper into pictures for a fun texture lesson.
6. Paper bag puppets. Draw faces on lunch bags and put on a show.
7. Cereal box puzzles. Cut the front panel into pieces for a free custom puzzle.
Fabric and Nature Crafts
8. Sock puppets. Buttons and felt scraps turn lonely socks into characters.
9. Button art. Glue buttons onto cardstock to make trees, flowers, and rainbows.
10. Painted rocks. Collect smooth stones and paint them as ladybugs, faces, or kindness rocks.
11. Leaf rubbings. Lay leaves under paper and rub with a crayon to reveal the veins.
12. Pinecone bird feeders. Spread peanut butter (or sunflower butter) on a pinecone and roll in birdseed.
13. Stick picture frames. Glue twigs around cardboard for a rustic frame.
14. Fabric scrap bookmarks. Cut felt or old cloth into strips and decorate with markers.
Jar, Bottle, and Can Crafts
15. Jar lanterns. Decorate glass jars with tissue paper and place a battery tea light inside.
16. Plastic bottle rockets. Decorate a bottle with paper fins and a foil nose cone as a display piece.
17. Milk jug bird house. An adult cuts the opening, and kids paint the outside.
18. Tin can pencil holders. Cover clean cans with paper or paint (tape over any sharp edges).
19. Bottle cap magnets. Glue small pictures inside caps and add a magnet on the back.
Fun Extras
20. Cotton ball clouds. Glue fluffy clouds onto blue paper and add raindrops.
21. Pasta necklaces. Paint dry pasta and string it on yarn.
22. Magazine collage. Cut out colors and shapes to build mosaics.
23. Coffee filter butterflies. Color filters with markers, spritz with water, and pinch into wing shapes.
24. Crayon shaving art. Sandwich shavings between wax paper, and an adult irons it on low.
25. Cardboard tube binoculars. Tape two tubes together for a backyard exploring tool.
Final Thoughts
Keep a “craft bin” of clean recyclables so you always have supplies on hand. The best crafts are the ones where kids make the decisions, so let them experiment and don’t worry about perfect results.
I’m Grayson Watson, your frugal companion and the brain behind this money-saving extravaganza. Strap yourself in, because we’re about to embark on a wallet-friendly adventure like no other. Learn More!