Friday Fun is all about simple craft projects for family, classroom and group craft time. Some families are setting aside a time each week for family crafting fun. Why not join in the fun?
Greeting cards for kids: For pop-up cards and more easy to make greeting cards that children can create, see the projects listed in Greeting Cards Kids Can Make.
Also, check out Gifts Kids Can Make for Dad and Gifts Kids Can Make for Mom.
Browse down this page for descriptions and illustrations of the projects in date order, then select a project and have some crafting fun!
Clip-Art or Photo Stick Puppets - Nothing is off-limits in this creative puppet project. Craft simple stick puppets from magazine photos, clip art, coloring book cutouts, or other paper images! You can even use photos you’ve taken to put on a special play starring you and your friends—just make sure to ask Mom first.
VERY EASY
Gift Tags from Recycled Cards - Recycle greeting cards and paper scraps into fun and unique gift tags. The whole family can join in on the cutting and pasting to make these special additions to your holiday gifts. The tags can even be grouped into packages for sale at a Christmas bazaar or for a fundraiser.
VERY EASY
Cookie Cutter Felt Ornaments - Simple and durable ornaments can be made with cookie cutters, felt and imagination. No sewing is required! The cookie cutters are used as templates for making the ornaments or use Aunt Annie's printable pattern with Christmas-themed templates.
VERY EASY
Miniature Christmas Tree Ornament - A simple cone of green paper can be made into an ornament in the form of a Christmas tree that everyone will enjoy. With just a few common craft supplies, you and your children can make and decorate these little paper Christmas trees. Make cones from other colors of paper to create bell and Santa hat ornaments.
EASY
Shaped Cards for Christmas - Make simple and fun holiday cards in the shape of a pine tree, Santa, or an angel. These cards are easy enough for younger children and people with special needs to make. While the cards are very simple to make, they are easily enhanced with glitter, cotton balls, sequins, and other creative touches. Let your imagination soar!
VERY EASY
Picture Puzzles - Turn drawings, photographs or any image you love into a picture puzzle. This is a simple craft for groups of children. Why not have each child make a puzzle and then trade the puzzles back and forth so everyone has the chance to work several puzzles.
VERY EASY
Fall and Thanksgiving Refrigerator Magnets - See how easy it is to make seasonal refrigerator magnets for fall and Thanksgiving with Homemade Modeling Dough. Make the dough in less than 15 minutes, and then use your fingers to shape magnets using ideas in the project or design your own creations.
EASY
Miniature Turkeys - In this project, you'll make miniature turkeys modeled from Homemade Modeling Dough, or air-dry clay, to use as playing pieces for the game of Turkey Trot. Or make the turkeys for a diorama, to decorate for Thanksgiving, or just for fun!
EASY
Pine Cone Turkey - Turn a pine cone into a colorful turkey to brighten your Thanksgiving table. This is an easy craft project for children that can be combined with some outdoor fun. Take a walk in the woods to find pine cones; then, with bump chenille stems (or pipe cleaners) and glue magic, turn them into little turkeys.
EASY
Halloween Trick or Treat Bags - It's quick and easy to make trick or treat bags in any size you like to collect treats as you go from door to door. All it takes is a stack of books and a sheet of paper to make the basic bag. You can also create smaller bags for Halloween party goodies or to hand out to the trick-or-treaters who come to your door!
EASY
Colorful Tissue Ghosts - What could be cuter than little ghosts in a bowl? Tissue ghosts are an easy, inexpensive way to decorate for Halloween. In this project, you'll see how to make a colorful version of the traditional tissue ghost by adding fading color accents.
VERY EASY
Creepy-Crawly Spider Bracelet - Make a creepy, crawly spider that can wiggle and twist about with a few movements of the wrist. Traced fingers are the basis for this animated spider toy, and a paper fastener allows it to swivel around. This is a fun and easy Halloween project that is especially good for mixed-age groups of children.
VERY EASY
Silly Faces Mix-and-Match Cards - Just a few simple materials and a little instruction is all it takes to make a set of mix-and-match cards. Cut all the cards into three pieces and mix them up to make silly faces. Giggles are a sure thing!
VERY EASY
Thaumatrope (or Mini-movie) - Kids will have fun making this spinning toy known as a thaumatrope (or mini-movie.) It appears to magically create one picture from two and demonstrates one of the visual concepts behind movies and videos.
EASY
Chinese Paper Lanterns - Chinese paper lanterns make colorful and inexpensive decorations. Best of all, they are so quick and easy you can get the kids involved in making them. Follow the simple instructions in this craft project to make colorful lanterns using a single sheet of paper.
VERY EASY
Spy Glass Color Wheel - Use red, blue and yellow cellophane to make a color wheel that teaches about combining the primary colors. Have your child see how many colors can be made by overlapping the cellophane layers. To see even more colors, the color wheel doubles as a spy glass that your child can look through to make the colors around them change.
EASY
God's Eye - If you are looking for a craft that kids love and is great for groups, look no further. God’s Eyes are made with just a few supplies and even small children get wonderful results.
VERY EASY
Bubble Print Paper - Use paint and bubble blowing liquid to make this kid-safe alternative for marbled paper. With this technique you will make pastel-colored prints of soap bubbles on paper that then can be used for other craft projects.
EASY
Tic-Tac-Toe Travel Game - Tic-tac-toe is a classic, whether played with pen, lipstick, or this handy reusable game board! Take it on car trips, picnics, or to the beach. Wherever you go, X (or O) marks the spot!
VERY EASY
Bath Buddies - In no time flat, you and your kids can make enough soap buddies for weeks of bath time fun! Kids of all ages enjoy the squishy fun of making little soaps in a variety of shapes and colors. Shape them into balls or create cute shapes with soap molds.
VERY EASY
Circly Paper Chain Snake - Link rings of construction paper together to form a long multi-colored snake that makes a terrific decoration hung from the ceiling, draped around the room, or framing a bulletin board. Turn the activity into a contest to see who can make the longest snake, create the funniest (or scariest) snake, or the most creative snake.
VERY EASY
Sweet Strawberries - Make strawberries from walnuts in the shell that are painted red. This is a quick and easy project that both kids and adults will have fun doing! The strawberries can be used as decorations on gifts or around the house and make a wonderful gift to brighten anyone's day!
VERY EASY
Doorknob Hangers - In this project, see how easy it is to make doorknob hangers to communicate with your family and friends. Create a hanger with any message and pictures you like. You might put 'Do Not Disturb' on one side and 'Wake In Time for School' on the other side. Use your imagination!
VERY EASY
Love Bugs - Make cute little bugs to give as gifts. They are molded in plastic spoons using plaster of Paris. This craft is great for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or any gift-giving occasion. Children of all ages, even as young as two, will enjoy making these love bugs as pins or magnets.
VERY EASY
Seed Catalog Garden - Make a make-believe garden anytime of the year by cutting up seed catalogs or magazines—you could even use clip art you download and print. Cutting pictures, making the garden, and playing with it will keep kids busy for hours.
VERY EASY
Suede Leather Bracelets - In this project, create a bracelet from scraps of suede leather. Cut a strip of leather, glue on motifs of a contrasting color and fasten with a Velcro® fastener. This is a good first leather craft project and requires no special leather craft tools.
AVERAGE
Marbled Eggs - Here’s a technique for making marbled eggs that requires no special materials, and produces beautiful results with very little effort.
VERY EASY
Valentine Flag Banner - In this craft, simple-to-cut flags are decorated with hearts, then strung together to create a banner. Hang the banner in a doorway, over the mantel, or in the window, or use it to decorate a Valentine-themed bulletin board. No pattern required—just cut, glue and string.
VERY EASY
Simple Valentines - This project features quick and easy Valentine designs that are simple to make and perfect for classroom giving! Select from printable Valentine's Day card patterns with either six or nine Valentines to a sheet. You likely have everything on hand needed to make these Valentines!
VERY EASY
Valentine's Day Pins - Create plaster of Paris pins using simple candy molds, pin backs and paint. Choose a candy mold with heart shapes to create beautiful Valentine's Day pins to give as presents to your loved ones.
EASY
Finger Painting on freezer wrap using homemade finger paints is fun and easy!
Make designs on tissue paper in any colors you like then use it to cover boxes or wrap gifts.
