Fun and Accessible Art and Craft Activities to Cure Boredom

Looking for a positive change in your kid’s life? Try out some of these arts and crafts activities! Arts and crafts stimulate creativity and expression, improve dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and help learn shapes, colors, patterns, textures, and materials that train kids’ senses. We have put together a few activities your kid may love and want to often do.

Painting on Rocks

Simple as it sounds, this activity is easy and amusing for your kids to partake in. Gather or buy some smooth, flat rocks and clean them. It is suggested that you seal the rock with a spray sealer or mod podge before they start so that the paint colors turn out more vibrant. Then, your kids can use acrylic paint to design the rocks. Some ideas of what they can paint are kids’ favorite animation characters, including Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, PAW Patrol characters, Peppa Pig, or Baby Shark. The final piece can be put on display on shelves, in the garden, be given to friends or family members as gifts, or kids can begin to create their very own painted rock collection! 

Pulled String Art

This simple activity requires no skill or prior knowledge, making it perfect for even toddlers to try out. All you need is paper, liquid watercolor paint, cups, some kind of string-like yarn, and a book you don’t mind being dirtied. Feel free to put an apron on your child to help keep clean during the project.

Before you begin, you should cut the string so that it is about 18 to 24 inches long. If you are using yarn, letting the yarn soak in water first allows for it to absorb the watercolor better. First, they can start by pouring around ¼ inch of liquid watercolor paint into the cups. Then, they can place the yarn on the edge of the cup so that around 4 inches of the yarn is clean, and they will be able to pick it up later. Afterwards, they should fold the paper in half, open it, and put the paper in the middle of the book. Next, they should take out the string and place it however they want on the paper.

To make the final piece more interesting, it is recommended that they create different shapes or loops with the string. All that is left is for them is to close the book and firmly hold on to the book as they pull the string out with their other hand. They should use a new string every time they want to use another color. This can become quite addicting, as your kid(s) may be curious about what other masterpieces they can create, making it a good activity to pass time.

Leaf Painting

Teach your kids to appreciate the beauty of nature by collecting leaves and creating a painting out of them! Having leaves of different shapes and sizes is preferable for making the art more captivating. All you need are leaves of any kind, acrylic paint, a brush, cardstock paper, and newspaper, or anything you do not mind dirtying. You can buy the leaves or collect them anywhere there are trees.

First, lay out the newspaper so that the mess won’t stain the surface your kid is working on. Next, your kid just has to paint the entire surface of the leaf with a brush. Afterwards, your kid has to place the side of the leaf that was painted side down on the cardstock paper. Once the leaf is on the cardstock, they should press firmly on the leaf so that the paint transfers to the cardstock.

Finally, all that’s left is to lift the leaf up from the cardstock, and your kid will have a leaf print. When completed, all they have to do is repeat for the other leaves. This can be done to make many different designs and patterns depending on the leaf the tree came from. If preferred, you can teach your kids about the different trees the leaves came from. Use different colors when painting the leaf to create more colorful creations! How easy is that?

Creating a Bubble Solution and Wand

We all love bubbles! But what are they exactly? Bubbles are fascinating soap films that intrigue kids when blown in the air. Kids often enjoy blowing bubbles and chasing after them, as this is a highly loved inexpensive activity that can keep your kids occupied for a while. It’s easy to make a homemade bubble mixture and even a wand!

To make the mixture, all they have to do is mix dish soap, sugar, and water together. The recommended amounts are 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and ½ cup of dish soap. First, have them pour ½ cup of dish soap into a container. Next, they should add 1 ½ cups of water to the dish soap. Then, add the 2 teaspoons of sugar into the water and dish soap mixture.

Finally, stir the mixture and you’re done! To make the wands, buy colorful pipe cleaners if you don’t have any. Pipe cleaners are easy to bend, so your kid will be able to form any shape that they want such as a star or a heart. The handle can be a new pipe cleaner that they twist to attach to the shape created.

To have even more fun, we recommend taking your kid(s) to a spacious area, so they can chase after bubbles without many obstacles. If you go to the park, use these strollers or wagons to ease travel. You can have a picnic as your child runs around blowing and chasing the bubbles. After they are tired, they will have some food ready for them to munch on. The wagons will be able to carry those items so that you wouldn’t have to carry them.

Origami

Origami can be a simple or complicated craft depending on what is being created but only requires 2 products - origami paper and scissors. instead of using origami paper, you can even re-use newspaper or any scrap paper that you own. This paper art helps improve a kid’s cognitive, motor, and concentration skills along with their patience and hand-eye coordination.

Your kids can create many different origami pieces such as animals, plants, bookmarks, boats, planes, etc. The classic origami piece that many kids adore is the fortune teller which they can play with when finished. There are so many possible origami pieces to create so feel free for your kids to become as creative as they can! 

These activities will improve your kid’s creativity and will be lots of fun for them. We suggest being encouraging while your kid is doing the activity and giving compliments when they are finished to make them feel more confident when creating art. You can display their artwork on the fridge, keep it in a folder, or store it somewhere safe so that you can look back at the work when older. Take a picture of your kid and their masterpiece to capture the moment!