Arts & Crafts - Ideas for kids

Feed the bunny –Try out this ‘bunny feeding’ game which helps children recognise different shapes. If the children are a little older you can make it more difficult by turning the carrots into more complex shapes.

Rock painting – Let your imagination run loose and have a go at rock painting. You could paint animals, insects, funky patterns, aliens and more. Have a look here for some inspiration. Don’t forget to share your designs on our nanny Facebook group.

Shadow drawing – If it’s still sunny outside, have a go at drawing around shadows. Line up some of your favourite toys or other funky-shaped objects from the house, next to some paper, and draw around them. If you can’t get outside, have a go at making these shadow animals with a lamp or shadow puppets with some card.

Disney Shake Up Games – this website has fun 10 minute Dinsey themed activities that will get the children moving. Pick one of the 1+ player games so it won’t count on you being together in person, but don’t worry, you’ll still be able to do the game together over video. There are dancing games, balancing games, running games, and obstacle games, and they’re based on a range of different films, so pick what you and the children will enjoy most!

Grow a rainbow – Grow a rainbow using just coloured washable markers, kitchen paper, and a couple of small glasses of water.

Diverse handprinting – Everyone’s skin colour is unique, and it’s difficult to represent that when you’re relying on paint colours straight out of the bottle. No set colour is ‘skin colour’. Learn how to mix different skin colours from just red, blue, yellow, and white to paint portraits of your friends and family, or make a handprint wreath.

Broccoli painting – Painting does just have to be with brushes, hands, fingers, or sponges…have a go at broccoli painting instead. Use a broccoli to paint trees in different seasons. Don’t forget to share your masterpieces on the Koru Kids Facebook groups!

Make a toilet roll animal – this craft activity is easy to adapt to your favourite animal. This tutorial shows how to make a lion from an empty toilet roll, some paper, scissors, glue, and a marker. If the children want to make another animal, help them think of how that animal’s features are different from a lion. Does it have paws or hooves? What does its face look like? Does it have a pattern on its body?

Make toilet paper roll binoculars – it’s really simple to construct these but then you can spend as long as you like on decoration. We had toilet paper that was individually wrapped in patterned tissue paper so used that to decorate and it turned out beautifully. It’s such a lovely way to reuse your waste.

Create a tissue box monster – use an empty tissue box, some card, paint markers, scissors and glue to make a monster. You can use this tutorial for inspiration.

Make a Family Tree – Help the children to make a family tree. Use photos or draw pictures to show the children’s family members and learn words and symbols to show relationships between family members.

Make a rainbow wind catcher – These a so simple and beautiful. If you’re looking for something to hang in your window to show your gratitude for NHS workers, look no further. Find out how to make one here.

Draw with Rob – Each day Rob posts a tutorial on Twitter teaching children to illustrate. He encourages children to share their creations.

Diverse Character drawing – Get inspired by Julie Morstad’s art and create characters with different skin colours and hair types. Begin by mixing a range of skin colours using the technique we learned last week (here’s a reminder) and using them to make face shapes. Once the paint is dry go over with a black marker to add in their hair and facial features. Check out an example here.

Make marble paper – Have a go at making your own rainbow paper and marble paper. Once you’ve perfected the techniques, cut them into shapes, find other textures around the house and in your craft cupboard, and make a collage.

Grow your own pets – For this activity you’ll need raw eggs, soil, grass seed, and anything you have to decorate with in your craft cupboard. Put the raw eggs you crack to one side for later – don’t let them go to waste! You should see your pet’s hair grow in around 5-10 days, so keep checking on it each day to make sure it’s fed enough water. You could also take photos of it each day and then make a video time lapse.

Emma Scottschild Art Club – Each morning Emma will set a task and then asks families to share their creations at the end of the day.

Make a ‘Guess Who?’ game of family members and friends. If you have the game board you use these instructions to make your own cards. If you don’t have the original game, don’t worry, you can still play. Just lay your cards out flat, put something between the players so you can’t see each other’s cards, then turn the cards face down rather than flipping them over when you’ve ruled that person out.

Make your own instruments – Use recycled materials to make your own instruments.