15 Arts and Crafts Projects for Kindergartners

Craft time not only exercises kindergartners' creativity and imagination but helps them sharpen motor skills and critical thinking as well. Here's a bank of great go-tos for when your little ones need a bit of guidance with their making.

01 of 15

Shape-Osaurus

Little Family Fun

Teach kids shapes while building cute dinosaurs out of craft foam and glue sticks. Vary your colors and add more advanced geometry for the second round of prehistoric creatures.

Shape-Osaurus from Little Family Fun
02 of 15

Paper Bag Jellyfish

No Time for Flash Cards

Venture under the sea with your little one to inspire this brown paper bag craft. Have kids paint the bag (the more color and interest the better), then cut tentacles using decorative scissors. Add googly eyes to bring jellyfish to life.

Paper Bag Jellyfish from No Time for Flash Cards
03 of 15

Paper Feathers

A Little Pinch of Perfect

Kindergartners can work on motor skills by using scissors to make tight cuts into the sides of feather shapes. The final product mimics the texture of a real feather, and is a great stand-alone make-believe prop, or can be combined into a number of other art projects.

Paper Feather from A Little Pinch of Perfect
04 of 15

Cardboard Roll Scribbler

The Craft Train

Tape washable markers to an old toilet paper roll to make one awesome mega-marker. Kids will love creating abstract masterpieces with their new multicolored media. Design color schemes around specific projects, or go rainbow for full-on technicolor drawings.

Cardboard Roll Scribbler from The Craft Train

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05 of 15

DIY Fake Snow

@nadydelarosaphotography / Instagram

Bring the pure joy of a Snow Day inside where it's warm with this recipe for faux snow. Baking soda and shaving cream get the glitter treatment and become a mold-able alternative to slushy ice.

DIY Fake Snow from The Spruce
06 of 15

Fruit and Veggie Stamps

A Beautiful Mess

Experiment with a variety of produce to halve and press, as well as surfaces to pattern. This project is a great alternative to the trash bin as well—mealy apples still stamp well, as do celery hearts and partially-eaten corn cobs.

Fruit and Veggie Stamps from A Beautiful Mess
07 of 15

Rainbow Slime

Little Bins for Little Hands

Baking soda, glue, and saline make a super-stretchy and super-safe slime that's perfect for kindergartners. Kids can create slime in a bunch of different colors, then squish around for hours relieving some built-up kinetic energy.

Rainbow Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands
08 of 15

Egg Carton Flowers

Where Imagination Grows

Sprout a DIY indoor garden using recycled egg cartons. Kids practice using scissors, paint, and glue to create this 3D art project. This one's great for celebrating springtime or breaking cabin fever.

Egg Carton Flowers from The Spruce

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09 of 15

Ball Maze

A Happy Wanderer

Spare cardboard and a little creativity bring the arcade home with this project. With some adult help, kids can structure a series of ramps to send a ball cruising down to the finish line.

Ball Maze from A Happy Wanderer
10 of 15

K-Cup Frog

Artsy Momma

Upcycle used K-Cups into cute little animals, like frogs on lily pads. Add googly eyes and foam legs and let kids' imaginations run wild: ladybugs, kitties, and dragons are all possible with clean K-Cups, construction paper, and colorful paint.

K-Cup Frog from Artsy Momma
11 of 15

Popsicle Stick Animals

Craftionary

Refresh tired Popsicle stick crafts with a menagerie challenge! Feathers, foam, pipe cleaners, and pom-poms give kids endless options to create their own personal petting zoos. Add a friendly Popsicle stick cactus or tree for the atmosphere.

Popsicle Stick Animals from Craftionary
12 of 15

Indoor Bulb Garden

Fun at Home with Kids

Little ones can get nice and dirty helping plant bulbs in clear containers—all in the name of science. Clear plastic gives children front row seats to sprouting plants and will help engage them in daily watering and plant care.

Indoor Bulb Garden from Fun at Home with Kids

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13 of 15

Coffee Filter Monsters

ABC's of Literacy

With a little magic (a spray bottle full of water), kindergartners can watch marker-ed coffee filters turn tie-dye in seconds. Decorate with construction paper and coffee filters become monsters (or peacocks, or insects, or flowers).

Coffee Filter Monsters from ABC's of Literacy
14 of 15

Rainbow on a Stick

Kindergarten Lifestyle

Combine snack time with craft time for a cute, edible project that little ones will love to construct and then devour. Kids can practice their colors using Froot Loops, and then enjoy a sweet reward for an activity well done.

Rainbow on a Stick from Kindergarten Lifestyle
15 of 15

Homemade Playdough

Living Well Mom

Save money with DIY playdough, and don't stress when little ones leave their sculptures out to harden. Kids can get in on the dough-making by helping knead and stir (supervised, of course).

Homemade Play Dough from Living Well Mom

15 Arts and Crafts Projects for Kindergartners

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