If you’re looking for an activity you can do with your kids, crafting might be just the thing you need. Crafting is very amusing, while it also helps children develop and improve their creative play skills. There are plenty of easy and frugal projects you can do with your kids, from making popsicle stick frames to arranging a bouquet of coffee filter flowers. Create a fun set of activities both you and your kids will enjoy.

Popsicle stick frames

Turn popsicle sticks into memory keepers for fridges in just a few steps. You’ll need regular popsicle sticks, a washi tape, glue, and magnets. Roll out a strip of washi tape – sticky side up. Lay your popsicle stick on top and wrap the washi tape around the edges. Wrap as many sticks as you want depending on how big you want your frame to be. Then, take two plain sticks and put a line of glue down them. Lay your decorated sticks across them in the opposite direction. Glue a magnet on the top center of the back of your frame. Once it dries, decorate them with wallet-sized pictures. You can glue, tape or use a push pin to attach your pictures.

Turn over a new leaf

Paint elegant tree limbs on a canvas, and have kids deck out the branches with button “leaves.” Start by choosing your design and painting an image onto a blank canvas. You can use a bare tree for your basic shape, or you can choose a solid shape to fill in with buttons, for example a giant button heart. Collect your buttons and put them into a large pile. This can also serve as a useful lesson about sorting by shape, size and color for younger children. Use a small amount of Tacky Glue to attach the buttons to the canvas. Continue adding buttons until you achieve the desired look. You can even choose to layer buttons upon buttons for extra dimension. Allow glue to dry thoroughly before hanging, and you’ve made a wall art for the entire family to admire.

Wrap dolls

Dress up clothespins using some embroidery floss and hot glue. Wrap the thread around the clothespin in the outfits you desire, for both girls and boys. Stripes are always a good fashion choice, and for a girl’s combination you can opt for a flattering skirt. Glue the lengths of thread at the waist and unravel the pieces to make it fuller. Give the boy a stylish haircut by covering his head in hot glue and rolling it in tiny pieces of embroidery thread to make fuzz. You can use different embroidery patterns and plenty of craft supplies for your designs. Your kids will love it.

Coffee filter flowers

If you’re a coffee drinker and need a colorful boost, why not make some delightful bouquet of coffee filter flowers? Apart from coffee filters, you’ll need food coloring, a paint brush, a shallow baking pan, paper towels, scissors, a masking tape and pipe cleaners. First, dye the coffee filters with food coloring. Mix together a couple of drops of food coloring with some water to dilute it. Place a couple of coffee filters in a shallow baking pan. Then, give your kid a paint brush and let them dye the filters different colors. Once dyed, place them on paper towels and let them dry. Once they’re dry, take three filters and fold them all together in half. Continue doing so until you get an eighth of a filter. Then, cut out petal shapes. Take one flower and scrunch it in the middle. Place a pipe cleaner right next to it. Then, scrunch another coffee filter and place it next to your pipe cleaner. Tape everything together tightly with masking tape. To cover up the masking tape, fold up your pipe cleaner and twist it around your masking tape to hide it with lovely green pipe cleaner “stem.” You got a wonderful bouquet for your home or as a gift for someone special.

Crafting projects provide fun and educational experience for both you and your children. Use these ideas to let your children express themselves creatively.

About author: Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She feels she knows a thing or two about raising happy, healthy and confident kids, and offers helpful advice in hers parenting articles. Her motto is: “Live the life you love, love the life you live.”