Kids Craft Supplies - Ideas for your Craft Box

Our craft activities follow up on things the kids are currently interested in. Dinosaurs, pirates, knights and castles, and wild animals feature a lot! Let's look at some of the things we make and then we'll look at the craft supplies we need. 

I have a number of basic activities that can be adapted based on what the kids are fascinated with on a particular day including:

• Decorate a paper doll shape as a pirate, paleontologist, knight, zookeeper, etc. This can involved paint or cutting and sticking. Often the kids will request shapes that I need to cut out from paper or card. 
• Make a collage - I cut out some shapes from construction paper and the kids arrange them and stick them down on a painted background. My preschooler often cuts out some of his own shapes too. 

• Decorate an animal. A favorite is to print out an outline of a big cat and then decorate as a tiger, leopard, cheetah, snow tiger, lion, lynx, etc. 
• Print out a themed coloring picture and decorate it. A Chinese Dragon and a Pirate Treasure Map have been very popular. 
• Sticky foam mosaic. Print out a coloring picture or draw a picture if you can. Cut out squares or other shapes from sticky foam and have the kids stick them down to make a picture. You can get kits for this, but making your own is fun and you can tailor it specifically to your kids interests. 
• Finger puppets. Make basic finger puppet shapes from card and decorate as knights and princesses, safari animals, pirates or whatever you've been talking about. 
• 3D models. We've made a castle from cardstock, a knight's shield, a pirate ship and a medieval tent for a jousting knight. We do this together the kids stick things down and hold things in place. These get played with afterwards until they disintegrate!

Here are our essential craft supplies that we use regularly:

Craft supplies can be used to make homemade gifts for family members, teachers and friends. 

A few homemade gifts ideas for kids to make:

• A picture frame for a photograph
• A collage of something the recipient likes - flowers? trains?
• A covered notebook, pocket diary or recipe book
• A bookmark 
• A sign like 'Grandma's Kitchen' or 'Grampa's Tools'
• A covered keepsake box

I've started giving craft supplies as gifts to nephews and nieces and friend's children. And also asking for craft supplies for my own kids. Everytime we get out craft supplies that were a gift, we talk about who gave them. 

Washable paint with paintbrushes and an apron makes a great gift. So does construction paper, googly eyes and glue! Or colored card stock and kids scissors. 

Craft supplies are a nice thing to ask for as a gift as people can spend as much or as little as they like. And it's always a nice surprise to see what they come up with. 

Easy Pirate Crafts for Kids - Ahoy!

Easy Dinosaur Crafts for Kids - Raah!