23 Winter Crafts for Kids to Keep the Cold Weather Blues at Bay

Head to Pink Stripey Socks for a pipe cleaner craft that produces very pretty and highly customizable snowflake charms. Have your kid pick any colored beads they want (and any message they choose) and then simply string it all together using pipe cleaners, and voila—a lovely ornament that can be hung on the tree, or used as a keychain accessory for their backpack.

These icicle decorations from Kids Craft Room are eye-catching and kids will have a blast making them—not least of all because there’s lots of glitter involved. Best of all, precious few other materials are required (think: aluminum foil and twine), so you might not even need to go to the craft store to pull this one off.

I love toilet paper roll crafts—namely because they almost always involve things you have on hand (old rolls included). This one from Arty Crafty Kids is a great example: adorable and easy enough for even the youngest kids to complete with very little assistance. Plus, the materials (cotton balls, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc.) are all very kid-friendly and fun to work with.

Yearning for spring? Kids Craft Room has a project for you. This melting snowman craft is a fun and funny cardboard tube craft that kids of all ages can complete with a few basic craft room materials (pom poms or buttons, glue, construction paper, etc.) and real twigs. Start this one off with a little outdoor scavenger hunt and you have an activity that will keep your kid engaged for a good chunk of time.

Here, another craft, courtesy of The Best Ideas for Kids, that incorporates real twigs. Kids will love the mixed media approach, and parents will love that finished product is so aesthetically pleasing that it actually deserves to be done on a canvas and hung on the wall. (Because let’s be real—not all crafts are.)

The hardest part about this kid-friendly winter craft from I Heart Arts n Crafts is preventing your little one from eating the materials before they’re pasted on construction paper. Go ahead and let them snack on the marshmallows and pretzels; then get started on the remarkably easy task of using said snacks to create a (highly customizable) snowman.

When it comes to the toddler and pre-k crowd, you really can’t go wrong with a paper plate craft. Here, a very fluffy and cozy idea from Kids Craft Room that requires little more than cotton balls, cardstock and glue. Cut. Paste. Success.

The trickiest part of making this mobile is cutting it into a twirly shape, but if you follow the tutorial from Pink Stripey Socks, it’s really a breeze. Have your child make the paper snowflakes while you do the mobile; then hand them a glue stick and this gem will be dangling above somebody’s bed in no time.

Stretchy, fluffy and oh-so easy to make—this recipe for snowman slime from The Best Ideas For Kids calls for only a few ingredients (baking soda, contact lens solution, shaving cream and glue) and the process of making it is a fun sensory activity for kids of all ages. Just keep in mind that the initial steps are very sticky, so you might want to do this one with a kid who’s old enough not to run off and start smearing slime everywhere.

You literally need nothing but craft sticks and glue to accomplish this impressive snowflake craft from Mom Endeavors. It’s a fun and very straightforward activity that will boost their visual reasoning skills and yield a very festive work of art. As for the glue, regular Elmer’s will do the trick, but super glue or a hot glue gun will make the snowflakes sturdier. Bonus points if your kid decorates them with paint and/or glitter once the glue has set.

Depending on how advanced your kid’s scissor skills are, this project from Crafts by Amanda might require some assistance. That said, I made this one with my own kids and they enjoyed the entire process (even though the finished product didn’t turn out quite as polished as what you see in the above image). Bottom line: This is a fun and easy project that requires very few materials—just glue, felt and cardboard—and leaves plenty of room for creativity (and error).

Recycled plastic, clear tape, and Sharpies are pretty much all you need to make these downright adorable gnome sun catchers from Pink Stripey Socks. Your little artist can definitely draw their own gnome, but there’s also a free printable available in the tutorial, if they’d like some help.

My artsy tween was so excited to try out the scrape painting technique used to create these eye-pleasing Christmas tree baubles from Arty Crafty Kids, and the results were great. You will need string, beads, card stock and paint to tackle this craft, but it’s ultimately a very easy project that affords kids plenty of freedom and creativity.

Have your child put on a cozy winter sock (preferably not one they’re very attached to) and then dip their little foot into some acrylic paint to make this adorable penguin-on-canvas piece of art from Crafts by Amanda. It’s easy to do, and the end result is worthy of a place on the wall.

This DIY snow globe from Hey, Let’s Make Stuff is a fun and easy mason jar craft that can be assembled using a bottlebrush, Elmer's glue and glitter. It also doubles as a “calm down jar”—you know, for those days when it’s too cold to go outside and your kid starts climbing up the walls. (Psst: You can find other ideas for keeping your kids sane indoors here.)

I love a good rock painting craft, and this snowman one from One Little Project is such a delightful winter idea that’s easy for kids to accomplish. Simply take a stroll outside and scavenge for some smooth-surfaced (i.e., easy to paint) rocks, then bust out the craft supplies. Depending on the age of your child, you might need to help with the hot glue gun step—but beyond that, kids will have no trouble making these ridiculously cute painted rocks all by themselves.

We have One Little Project to thank for this beginner-friendly snowflake craft, which uses a shower ring and yarn to create lovely woven snowflakes. I would recommend this craft for older kids (i.e., it’s a little too complicated for a toddler or preschooler to master) but once your crafter gets the hang of the looping and knotting process, they’ll be able to make these in their sleep.

My partner recently purchased a circle loom for my tween daughter, and knitting has since become a hobby they really enjoy doing together. So far their efforts have yielded some pretty lovely knit hats, but I love this idea from Alice & Lois of keeping the yarn on the loom and using it as wall decor. It takes a little while to master the art of weaving, but slightly older kids are totally capable and you don’t need much to get started—just an embroidery hoop, yarn and cording.

This throwback craft, courtesy of Alice & Lois, scores bonus points for nostalgia. (Making book covers, snowflakes, puppets and all those other things you learned you could do with a paper bag when you were little.) Plus, you only need paper bags, scissors and a hot glue gun to make these beauties—though it’s worth noting that this craft is probably best suited to tweens and teens if you’re expecting an outcome that looks as lovely as the one pictured here.

My kids have been asking to help me bake a lot this winter, so I’m excited to tackle this apron-decorating project from Crafts by Amanda. I’m also fairly confident that they can pull the whole thing off themselves, since it requires little more than an eye dropper filled with rubbing alcohol and some original Sharpie artwork.

Start with a nature scavenger hunt and finish with this cheerful pinecone ornament craft, courtesy of One Little Project. The crafting process involves using a hot glue gun to stick colorful pom poms in place, but if your child is old enough to handle a low-temperature glue gun, then all you have to do is supervise.

Head to I Heart Arts n Crafts for this straightforward Popsicle stick craft, which yields a very pretty and oh-so dainty sugar plum fairy. A lot of detail goes into these fairies—you’ll need metallic silver, a little tuft of tulle and a very fine paint brush for precision—so this one is best for kids with more developed fine motor skills. Still, the end result is well worth the artistic effort and can be used for a puppet show. (Can’t you see them dancing in some stuffed animal’s dreams already?)

The weather outside is frightful, and there’s never been a better time to enjoy a warm, relaxing bath. Take it up a notch and add a festive touch by tossing one of these DIY bath bombs from Happiness Is Homemade  into the water. Some of the ingredients used (citric acid, isopropyl alcohol and epsom salt) are best handled by an older child or under close adult supervision, but the mixture is a cinch to whip up and can be customized with an essential oil fragrance of your child’s choosing.