Holidays are a great time to share your love of crafting with little ones. And if you have kids coming to visit, having a few craft supplies and kits on hand are great, too.
I’ve rounded up my 15 favorite craft gifts for kids, separated into price ranges. I lean towards craft projects for kids that are more open-ended and creative, rather than just assembling something. Of course, not all craft ideas are suitable for all ages- and I’ve tried to include the age ranges to help you out so you can make the best choices for your kids!
STOCKING STUFFERS: (Under $15.00)
- Ten-In-One Retractable Ink Pen (Age 4 and up.) You can find these in souvenier shops all over, but they will just as easily fit in a stocking or Christmas Cracker. Great for boys and girls, you will encourage hours of doodling, drawing, and creative writing!
- Staedtler Watercolor Pencils, (Age 3 and up.) It’s a pencil and a watercolor paint in one! Kids can color with them and draw with them, but then with just a moistened paintbrush- WHOOSH! It’s watercolor paint. Fun for quiet time play and travel, too. Both boys and girls will love them.
- Clementine Art Natural Modeling Dough (Ages 3 and up.) Who doesn’t love to squish some clay around? And with a few kitchen tools they can make designs and be creative for hours. This product is natural, too- so if it ends up in someone’s mouth, you won’t have to worry.
- Craft Lace– Remember the plastic lacing jewelry and keyfobs from camp? Guess what- they still do that. And there’s a reason why: most kids over 5 can string with it, make bracelets and lanyards, and with glow-in-the-dark, neon, and tie-dye versions available, it’s still fun and cool for both boys and girls.
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CRAFT KITS AND PROJECTS (Under $75.) The good news is that most of these products are well under that price- it’s nice that most kid’s crafts are cost-effective, too!
- Artterro Bubble Wands Kit (4 and up with adult help) Let the kids (or your own inner child) create their own bubble wands. I reviewed this kit and tried it with my own children- and it was a mega-hit. $19.99, and the kit makes 2 wands.
- Perler Beads Bucket (7 and up) I love that you can follow a diagram or be completely original! Fuse beads are fun and creative as long as you have an iron handy for a grown-up to use. Under $12.00.
- Character Needle Felting Kit From Dimensions( 7 and up)- be creative by learning to felt small creatures. Even my son tried these kits out and gave them a thumbs up. Teaches them a how to be careful with needles, too.
- K&CompanySmash Book (5 and up) What a great way to get kids- both boys and girls- introduced to memory keeping! The pen/gluestick combination is like a MacGyver tool, too. Under $15.00
- Young Artist Texture Painting Set (3 and up) Fun brushes, paint, sponges and a palette- everything you need in a kit to unleash your inner artist- and for only $18.00!
Now, if you’ve got extra cash and space, here are some really great “luxe” craft ideas for kids!
- KidKraft Art Table with Drying Rack and Storage To be honest, I’m jealous of those kids 3-10 who will get to sit at this great art desk. There’s a place for a paper roll, supply storage, even drying racks for your works of art. At $175, it’s an investment in your budding artist.
- Martin Creation Station Art-Hobby Table Don’t let your tweens and teens feel left out- here’s a cool hobby/art table with a tilt top and storage drawers. Plus, it’s on casters so you can move it around easily. Under $140.00
- Royal Langanickel Art Set. OK, it’s actually UNDER $75 on Amazon.com, but the MSRP is actually higher. But your budding artist over 8 will feel like a million bucks with the built in easel, over 150 items, and high-end look.
- My Playhouse Theater OK, so this is really a puppet theater- but I’m including it because you’re kids will be making puppets out of paper plates, socks- anything they can get their hands on! So it really is kind of crafty, right?
- Interlochen Visual Arts Camp. Designed for kids in 6-12th grade, it’s a full week- or more- of high-quality art training. Can I go?
I hope this gives you some good ideas!
Disclosure: some links above my be affiliate links. Using them will support free reviews and content on CTD.
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