30 Fun & Easy Paper Crafts For Kids

Do you feel like the little monsters in your home are about to launch an attack?

Well, don’t just put them in front of screens! Instead, hand them a few sheets of construction paper alongside other crafting supplies and watch as they whip up some seriously fun stuff and unleash their inner artist.

Paper crafts, from simple origami to colourful paper puppets, are the perfect way to keep kids entertained, spark their creativity, and well… avoid meltdowns! And all that without breaking the bank.

For all the crafty sunshines, we’ve curated 30 paper craft ideas so easy-peasy and engaging, that your kiddos will be begging for more:

Fold, Cut, Create! 30 Crazy Cool Paper Crafts For Kids

1. Paper Aeroplanes

Ready for takeoff? Grab some sheets of paper and soar with paper aeroplanes! There’s no limit to the fun you can have with those.

Plus, it’s a neat way to sneak in a bit of STEM learning while the kids are at it.

2. Dancing Puppets

Cut out fun shapes from construction paper and attach them to toilet paper rolls or craft sticks with tape.

Draw silly faces on one side and then with some strings attached, your kids will have some puppets ready to put on a show!

3. Fancy Folded Hats

Birthday coming up? Skip the store-bought hats and have a hat-making party! Construction paper turns into magical crowns, pirate hats, or silly animal ears with a little folding magic. Find instructions online or make up your own wacky designs.

4. Slithering Snakes

Long paper strips accordion-folded and then glued to a piece of cardboard tube become harmless slithering friends with some paint and googly eyes. You can even add paper tongues that dart out!

5. Paper Bag Critters

Boring brown paper bags turn into playful animals like bears, foxes, owls, and pandas (and even their favourite cartoon characters!) with some paint, construction paper cut-outs, and maybe some pipe cleaner whiskers.

6. Blooming Flowers

Flower paper crafts for kids are superb for a reason! They’re easy to make with colourful circles, cupcake liners, or coffee filters, and look stunning in a homemade paper vase.

7. Paper Rockets

Blast off to outer space with rockets made of paper and straw! Let your kids decorate them further with markets, flitter, and even construction paper flames.

8. Fingerprint Zoo

Have your kids decorate paper circles with their fingerprints. Add wiggly eyes and details to turn them into cute lions, friendly elephants, or silly chimps!

9. Rainbow Mobile

Brighten up a rainy day with a cheerful mobile. Cut out different-sized paper circles and string them together.

The children can then paint them in all the bright and vibrant colours of the glorious rainbow!

10. Paper Plate Frisbee

Who says you need fancy toys to have fun outdoors? With just a few paper plates and some tape, your kids can make their very own homemade frisbees!

They’re perfect for backyard games and will keep kids of all ages busy with hours of fun time. Plus, these lightweight discs are easy to customise with colourful designs.

11. Paper Lanterns

Colourful paper lanterns are a breeze to make with cardstock/construction paper and string. Hang them up and watch them sway in the wind!

12. Silly Paper Masks

Cool construction paper cut-outs of funny faces, animals, or even moustaches get attached to craft sticks for some silly photo booth fun!

Similar Guides:

• 21 Monkey Crafts For Preschoolers
• 25 Flower Crafts For Kids
• 35 Best Fall Crafts for Kids

13. Paper Chains

This classic craft is as simple as cutting strips of colourful paper and linking them together to create chains of all shapes and sizes.

Hang them from the ceiling, drape them along the walls, or even use them as festive decorations for birthdays and other special occasions!

14. Dazzling Dreamcatcher

Ward off bad dreams with colourful paper dreamcatchers. Use a paper plate as the base, poke holes around the rim, and weave yarn through them.

Decorate with feathers, beads, and anything else that sparkles!

15. Paper Spinners

Make paper spinners with circular construction paper cutouts and strings.

Draw designs inside the discs with coloured pencils and markers. Wind up the spinner and watch it swirl and twirl!

16. Corner Bookmark  

Encourage their love for reading with personalised corner bookmarks! Simply cut coloured construction paper in various shapes and decorate with markers, stamps, or stickers, then fold it into a neat pocket shape and slip it over the corner of a book page.

17. Paper Bag Vase

Looking for more flower paper crafts for kids? Turn ordinary paper bags into beautiful flower vases with this simple craft!

Cut the top of a paper bag into a scalloped or zig-zag pattern, then ask your kids to decorate the outside with painting materials.

Fill the cases with fresh flowers from the garden or create colourful paper flowers to brighten up any room!

18. Confetti Cannon

This one might be the coolest construction paper crafts for kids so far! Use up those paper tube rolls, fill them with confetti made of coloured construction or tissue paper, and get ready for a celebratory shower. (Just be prepared for some clean-up afterwards!)

19. Flapping Butterfly

This one requires a little more folding but creates a gorgeous butterfly that flaps its wings!

There are plenty of templates online, with instructions on folding the paper strategically to create a body section and wings.

Once the kids are done decorating their butterflies, attach some straws with tape – and watch your little ones flap the butterflies’ wings like puppets!

20. Paper Plate Ring Toss

Make a fun ring toss game out of ordinary paper plates! Start with a ring toss base with a paper plate and tube, and cut out the centre of the other plates to make the rings.

Set up the rings at varying distances and have your kids toss them to see how many they can loop onto the base.

It’s a fun way to develop their hand-eye coordination and encourage friendly competition while having a blast indoors and outdoors!

21. Paper Roll Kaleidoscope

Travel into the magical world of patterns and colours with a DIY paper roll kaleidoscope.

Cut some strips from mylar or mirrored sheets and fit them inside a cardboard tube. Have the kids decorate some paper circles with crayons and markers in different designs. (Add a few beads and sequins for extra sparkle!)

With the circle placed onto a straw taped to the kaleidoscope, let the boys and gals take a peek inside and see them mesmerised by the shapes and patterns shifting and dancing before their eyes!

22. Accordion Butterfly

Cut some coloured square pieces of construction paper into half, then hand one piece to your crafty toddlers and ask them to fold the squares back and forth repeatedly to create an accordion effect. Take the other strip and fold it into a concertina across the short width.

With both pieces folded in half, use glue or tie with a thread or ribbon to secure them.

Let your kids unleash their imagination onto the butterflies with markers and stickers and display them with their wings spread open!

23. Paper Roll Binocular

Got a pair of adventurous explorers in your house? Help them see the world in a whole new way with DIY paper roll binoculars!

Simply decorate and attach two empty paper rolls with glue or tape, add a string or ribbon for a neck strap, and let their birdwatching expeditions in the backyard and safari trips in the living room begin.

24. Lucky Shamrock Wreath

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a festive paper wreath! Cut out shamrock shapes from green construction paper and glue them onto a decorated paper plate. It’s a lucky craft that’s perfect for the little leprechauns!

25. Papercraft Creeper

Minecraft fans will love this one. Find a free Creeper template online, cut out the shapes from green construction paper, and fold and glue them together. Add googly eyes for extra cuteness (even creepers can be cute, right?)

26. Paper Fish

Craft a whole school of colourful fish! Fold a construction paper into a triangle, cut slits into it with a scissor, unfold the paper, and fold and glue each slit inward. Use a piece of circular paper for the fish’s head, and don’t forget the googly eyes!

We’ve covered more marine-themed crafts in a separate post, which you should definitely check out from the link below. Your kids will be ready for undersea adventures in no time!

• 25 Fun Ocean Crafts For Toddlers

27. Paper Woven Basket

Does your little one need something to stash their treasures as they roam around the house? All you need is scissors, a stapler, glue, and colourful construction paper.

Just cut strips, weave them together, and glue the ends to make a handy basket for your child’s treasures.

28. Tissue Paper Sunflower

Get your kids involved in creating a vibrant tissue paper sunflower to bring sunshine to your home on a gloomy weekend.

Start sketching out a simple sunflower on a cardstock, then scrunch up small tissue paper pieces and glue them onto the cardstock in appropriate spots!

29. Balloons Birthday Card

Have your kiddo craft a homemade birthday card for their best buds. Fold a cardstock in half for the card, then glue pom-poms onto the front in random sports and draw balloon strings with a black marker.

Tie a piece of yarn into a bow and glue where the balloon strings meet.

Most importantly, make sure they don’t forget to add a heartfelt message inside!

30. Water Lily Art

Channel the inner Monet of your kid by having them recreate beautiful water lily paintings!

Grab some coloured cardstock, a glue stick, and cupcake liners. Let your child tear blue and green paper into strips for a ripply water effect.

Then, glue the cupcake liners onto the “water” and add some crumpled pink paper in the centre – those are our beautiful water lilies!

Messy Masterpieces

There you go—30 fun and easy paper craft ideas to keep your little Picassos entertained for hours and their creativity flowing.

We hope you and your kids have a blast exploring new and unique crafts together (minus the mess afterwards, but that’s also a part of the fun!).

But the fun doesn’t have to stop there. We’d love to see the masterpieces your kids create –  snap a picture and drop the links in the comments below! Also, let us know what other paper crafts or DIY project ideas you’d like to see next!