15 Easy Crafts for Kids Using Things You Already Have at Home

Rainy afternoons and long school breaks can leave kids restless and parents out of ideas. Here’s the good news: your recycling bin, junk drawer, and kitchen cupboard already hold a full craft kit.

These 15 easy crafts for kids using things you already have at home turn everyday scraps into toys, gifts, and small pieces of room decor. You won’t need a special store run or pricey supplies.

Each project below comes with simple guidance, rough time estimates, and tips that keep little hands busy and safe. Grab some scissors, clear off the kitchen table, and let your kids take the lead.

How to Build a Free Craft Kit from Household Scraps

Kids craft more when supplies sit ready in one spot. A single box of saved scraps means you can say yes to a project in seconds, without a store run. Reusing packaging also shows children that “trash” can still be useful.

Save these as you go:

• Cardboard rolls, cereal boxes, and shipping cartons
• Paper plates, coffee filters, and egg cartons
• Clean jars with lids
• Old book pages, magazines, and junk mail
• Buttons, string, yarn, and leftover pipe cleaners
• Pencil shavings, twigs, pinecones, and pressed leaves

Keep the basics stocked: A glue stick, white craft glue, child safe scissors, markers, crayons, and a few googly eyes cover almost every project on this list.

Sort by type: Small zip bags or old takeout tubs stop tiny bits from vanishing into the bottom of the box.

Clean before storing: Wash jars, wipe out egg cartons, and let nature finds dry fully so nothing turns moldy.

Set up a craft zone: An old tablecloth or a flattened cardboard box on the table makes cleanup fast.

1. Pencil Shaving Ballerina Drawings

Save those curly pencil shavings next time homework ends. On this spiral sketchbook page, twelve stick figure dancers wear ruffled skirts made from colored pencil shavings.

Each skirt keeps the pencil’s painted rim, so you get yellow, pink, green, blue, purple, and orange zigzag edges for free.

Kids draw the head, arms, and legs in black pen first. A dab of glue under each shaving should hold it in place, though the exact adhesive isn’t clear from the photo.

Little doodles like hearts, stars, grass tufts, a balloon, and a flower fill the gaps between dancers.

This one works for ages five and up and takes around twenty minutes. Sharpen slowly and turn the pencil evenly to get a full, round ruffle. Broken shavings still work as tutus for smaller figures.

2. Cardboard Halloween Wall Hanging on a Stick

You’ll need: a fallen branch, plain cardboard, chalk pastels or crayons, a black marker, colored string, and small pumpkin beads.

Plain cardboard cutouts hang from a bare twig in this cheerful Halloween mobile.

Look closely and you’ll spot a sleepy blue moon, two skulls, a pink striped pumpkin, an orange pumpkin, and four ghosts. Soft pastel scribbles in lime, pink, yellow, and blue cover most shapes, letting the brown card peek through.

Tiny pumpkin beads with drawn faces sit along the strings between cutouts. They look like ridged pasta painted red, yellow, green, and orange, though they could also be clay.

Tie each strand to the branch with a simple knot and adjust the heights so shapes don’t overlap.

Upcycle idea: Cereal boxes swap in for shipping cardboard and are easier for small scissors to cut.

3. Glowing Paper Ghosts with Fairy Lights

• Materials: White paper, black and pink markers, and a string of warm fairy lights
• Make: Cut tall ghost shapes with rounded tops and wavy or zigzag hems
• Finish: Draw goofy faces, then dot pink cheeks under the eyes
• Display: Place the ghosts over the light string so bulbs glow through the paper

Six ghosts glow against a gray wall here, each wearing a different face. One grins with closed eyes, while another shows a wobbly, nervous mouth.

Thin, slightly crinkled paper lets the warm bulbs shine through like little moons. Kids can make the whole set from printer paper in about half an hour.

Safety note: Use battery LED fairy lights only, since they stay cool against paper.

4. Fresh Flower Vase Collage on Cardboard

Best for: Spring and summer afternoons after a garden walk

Real flowers become the bouquet in this sweet collage. Thin black marker stems run across brown cardboard, ending in fresh pink wild roses, a blue cornflower, yellow poppies, a dandelion, and purple columbines.

Below, a white vase covered in lavender polka dots holds the whole arrangement.

A second, smaller board shows a hand tied bouquet with gray and white twine looped into a bow. Small hands are pressing tiny white daisies into place, so this version suits younger crafters.

It’s one of the simplest kids crafts with household items, since cardboard and a marker do most of the work.

Care tip: Fresh petals wilt within a day, so press flowers in a heavy book for a few days first if you want the art to last.

5. Leaf Face Family with Pinecones

Autumn leaves get round paper eyes and pink cheeks in this nature collage on kraft paper. Three red maple leaves, a yellow ginkgo, and two brown leaves fan out from a twig like a little tree.

Pinecones, pine sprigs, and a crossbar stick finish the base. Nature supplies almost everything for this easy craft for kids at home.

Make it easier: Use ready made sticker eyes so toddlers can skip the cutting and drawing.

Outdoor option: Turn the collecting into a backyard or park hunt, and let kids pick leaves with interesting shapes.

Glue tip: Thick pinecones and sticks need strong tacky craft glue, while a glue stick handles flat leaves. Press leaves dry for a day before gluing so they don’t curl.

6. Paper Roll Walrus Family

Two chubby walruses lounge on a purple surface in this clever recycling build. Each body looks like a squashed cardboard roll, possibly a paper towel tube, with one end pinched into a tail.

Gray egg carton pieces seem to form the ridged muzzles and flippers, while white paper tusks and a red tongue add character.

Why it works:

• The pinched tube gives a natural sloping body with no extra parts
• Egg carton texture already looks like whiskers and wrinkly skin
• Small eyes placed high on the head make the face read as walrus fast

Skill level: Expect about forty five minutes and some grown up help, since egg carton tears easily when cut.

7. Hanging Toilet Roll Bats

You’ll need: two cardboard toilet rolls, brown coffee filters, black pipe cleaners, googly eyes, a black marker, and white paper scraps.

Upside down bats dangle from a willow branch dotted with fuzzy catkins. The lower end of each roll is pressed inward to form two ears, and pipe cleaner feet hook over the twig.

One bat spreads its scalloped wings wide, while the other wraps them around its body like a cozy cape.

Grumpy little eyebrows and tiny white fangs give both bats a funny, sulky look. Brown coffee filters seem to be the wing material, judging by the pleated edges.

Cut a wavy bottom edge on each filter so the wings look webbed.

Placement tip: Hang a bare branch above a window or bookshelf and clip the bats on for a quick Halloween display.

8. Paper Plate Curled Crocodile

One paper plate turns into a curled up crocodile with very little cutting. The center is snipped out in a jagged zigzag ring, which forms the croc’s spiky back and teeth.

Its head pokes into the middle, smiling with big pink eyes and two nostril dots.

Bright lime green paint covers the plate, and the ridged rim adds scaly texture for free.

Four green pipe cleaner legs, bent at the feet, stick out from the bottom. Thin black outline traces the edge, so the shape pops against the blue wall.

Kids aged four and up can paint it, though an adult should handle the zigzag cut. Plan on thirty minutes plus drying time.

Among easy crafts for kids made from household basics, this one also works as a door sign for a reptile fan’s bedroom.

9. Cardboard Box Mailbox for the Kids’ Room

• Materials: A small cardboard box, extra card for the roof, and acrylic or poster paint
• Make: Cut a mail slot near the top and a door panel below it
• Finish: Paint the body sunny yellow, the curved roof coral, and the door pink with yellow dashes
• Display: Mount it on a bedroom wall or door at a height kids can reach

This yellow post box comes with a hand painted POST sign and a little green key cutout.

The letter in the photo is addressed in German to Hannah’s kids’ room, so it’s clearly built for pretend mail. Two coats of paint will likely be needed to hide any printing on the box.

Kid friendly: Leave daily notes, drawings, or stickers inside to build early reading and writing habits.

10. Popsicle Stick Face Puppets

Best for: Rainy day storytime, playroom shows, and pretend play

Six cheerful puppet faces sit on wooden craft sticks in this bright set. Each round face is cut from colored card, with crayon textured hair, pink cheeks, and simple drawn smiles.

Little details give every character a personality, like a purple crown, a green cap, round blue glasses, a yellow flower, and a blue bow.

Have kids draw people they know, then put on a show from behind the couch.

Older children can cut hair pieces from separate paper and layer them for depth. Younger ones may prefer drawing everything straight onto one circle.

Budget swap: No craft sticks at home? Use clean ice lolly sticks or a strip of folded cereal box instead.

11. Autumn Leaf Lion

Golden autumn leaves form a big, shaggy mane around this proud lion. The face is painted pale yellow on what looks like a cardboard roll, with an orange nose strip, a black muzzle, small ears, and dot eyes.

Layered leaves in yellow, amber, and rust brown fan out behind the head like a sunburst.

Color note: Mixing lighter and darker leaves gives the mane depth, so collect a range of fall shades.

Scale note: Bigger leaves belong at the back and smaller ones near the face, which keeps the features easy to see.

Time needed: Plan about forty minutes once leaves are gathered, making it a great weekend pick among crafts made with things you already have.

12. Popsicle Stick Elephant with Book Page Ears

Four gray craft sticks lined up side by side make the face of this sweet elephant. Big floppy ears, a curved trunk, and round feet are cut from an old printed book page. Two large googly eyes sit right above the trunk.

The text on the paper gives the elephant a soft, wrinkled look without any extra drawing.

Gray stain or watered down paint likely tinted the sticks, since the wood grain still shows. A small tail curls out from the right side.

Old magazines or junk mail work just as well as book pages. Glue the sticks to a strip of card on the back first so they hold together while kids add the parts. Expect a fifteen minute build that suits preschoolers.

13. Paper Strip Scarecrow Faces

Kraft paper strips arranged in a circle create the straw face of these fall scarecrows. Each strip seems backed with white paper, giving the edge a neat outline.

Yellow straw, huge googly eyes, an orange triangle nose, and a stitched black smile finish each face. Leftover scraps around the table show how little waste this project creates.

Why it works:

• Strips let kids practice cutting in short, easy snips
• Fringed hat brims hide uneven edges, so mistakes still look intentional
• A glue stick handles every layer, so there’s no waiting for wet glue

Upcycle idea: Brown grocery bags give the same kraft look, making this one of the cheapest easy crafts for kids at home this fall.

14. Paper Plate Ice Cream Cones

Best for: Summer birthday parties, classroom walls, and sweet treat playdates

Four smiling ice cream cones sit on a paint smeared table in this colorful summer setup.

Each scoop is half a paper plate painted teal, yellow, lilac, or pink, with the rippled rim looking like melting ice cream. A pom pom cherry sits on top, and paper sprinkles scatter across every scoop.

Button cheeks and googly eyes create the cute faces, along with drawn smiles and lashes. Kraft paper triangles with brown crosshatch lines make the waffle cones. Let kids pick their own flavor and paint color.

Accent idea: Stack two plate scoops on one cone for a double dip version older kids will love.

15. Pom Pom Turkey Jar

• Materials: A clear plastic jar with a metal lid, pom poms, googly eyes, and card scraps
• Make: Fill the jar to the top with pom poms in mixed sizes and colors
• Finish: Stick on two googly eyes and a tan paper triangle beak
• Display: Tuck three paper feathers behind the lid and set it on a shelf

Bright pom poms in pink, yellow, orange, teal, and sparkly tinsel pack this clear jar to the brim. With maroon, tan, and orange feathers peeking over the lid, the jar reads as a cheerful little fall turkey. Rounding out these easy crafts for kids using things you already have at home, it also makes a handy color sorting game afterward.

Safety note: Pom poms and loose googly eyes are choking hazards, so keep this one for kids over three with an adult nearby.