Looking for simple crafts that are fun but don’t take a lot of materials? In this article, I’ve included 15 easy toddler crafts with 5 materials or less. It’s my hope it’ll make your crafting time easier to handle and still a stimulating adventure for your toddler!
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A few months ago, we moved into a new home. Prior to that, most of my craft supplies were put in storage during some major life transitions for my family.
And now that we’re in a new home, I can finally pull out my crafts and get cracking on some fun projects with my twin toddlers!
But if you’ve recently moved or you’re just starting to build your craft materials stash, you may be looking for craft projects that don’t require a lot of supplies. In fact, below is a list of every material you’ll find in this round-up post.
Supplies you May need for easy toddler crafts
I’ve compiled a list of everything below. (And I bet you have a lot of it just hanging out in your house somewhere!) If you wanted to make every project on this page, here is what you’d need:
- Small Flower Pots
- Rocks
- Paint (all colors)
- Googly Eyes
- Paper Plates
- Cotton Balls
- Tissue Paper (all colors)
- Glue Sticks
- Cord/Thin Ribbon
- Tape
- Zipping Plastic Bag
- Construction Paper (all colors)
- Scissors
- Pen/Pencil/Marker
- Paper Towels
- Paintbrush
- Food Coloring
- Pipe Cleaners
- Cardboard Tubes
- Tissue Boxes (2)
- Duct Tape
- Rice/Beans
- Eye Dropper
- Water
- Paint Cups
- Sponge
- Clothespins
- Wax Paper
- Rubber Band
- Pom-Poms
- Stickers
- Corrugated Cardboard
However, you may not need all of these supplies! Especially if you’re not planning to make every single one of these easy toddler crafts. But there they are in one place for your convenience, should you need them!
What are some fun, easy toddler crafts to do with my kids?
Seriously, the sky is the limit! There are so many craft ideas out there–why, just look at Pinterest! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And of course, not all of them are easy toddler crafts. There are adult crafts using cutting machines like the Cricut, crafts for elementary kids or secondary kids… there are crafts that are messy, no-mess, intricate, simple, colorful, monochromatic, and even many that celebrate holidays and special events.
Everything under the sun. You name it, it’s been done.
And how wonderful is that? If you want to be creative with your kids but you don’t know where to begin, you can easily search the internet for some ideas.
Below, I’ve included 15 easy toddler crafts that will get you started. And BONUS! None of these projects use more than 5 materials! (**Note: Sometimes a project uses multiple colors of paper, but I count “construction paper” as one material, since they usually come in a variety pack.)
Ready to see the list? Here you go!
Craft #1: Cute Cactus Pet Rocks
MATERIALS:
- Small Flower Pots
- Rocks
- Paint
- Googly Eyes
- Paintbrush
Aren’t these pet rocks from The Best Ideas for Kids adorable? And so easy to make. Your toddler can paint the rock green if you want, while you can help with the prickles. Or, you could even switch things up and not do cactus pets at all… make them rainbow rock pets that your toddler paints in any color(s)!
**Note: Make sure your child is old enough to handle Googly Eyes, as they are small and could come off the rocks to be handled and swallowed. If you want, you could simply draw black circles for eyes with a Sharpie instead.
Craft #2: Hanging Streamer Rainbow
MATERIALS:
- Paper Plate
- Streamers/Tissue Paper
- Cotton Balls
- Glue
- Cord/Thin Ribbon
Rainbow crafts are a big hit with little children, and this one from Happiness is Homemade would be no different. Simply cut a paper plate in half and glue on the cotton balls and streamers or tissue paper. Then, if you want it to hang in their room, you can also glue on a thin ribbon loop to the top-back of the plate. Your kids will love all the colors, and it’s a great opportunity to teach them the order of the rainbow.
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Craft #3: Smush Painting Activity
MATERIALS:
- Zipping Plastic Bag
- Paint
- Paper
- Tape (if needed for reinforcement)
This is a totally mess-free craft from Happy Toddler Club that will excite and stimulate your young toddler. I mean, how can you not like smushing paint, right? Think of it also as a sensory learning tool.
Craft #4: Tissue Paper Wreath
MATERIALS:
- Tissue Paper
- Paper Plate
- Glue
- Scissors
- Ribbon/Cord
Making a wreath out of tissue paper is great fun for a toddler! This one from Happy Hooligans is a fall wreath, but you can switch up the colors to make it for any season or holiday you’d like! And your child will love crumpling small pieces of tissue paper to glue on the paper plate ring. Another sensory art project.
Craft #5: Paper Towel Butterflies
MATERIALS:
- Paper Towels
- Food Coloring
- Pipe Cleaners
- Dropper or paintbrush
These butterflies from Makeit-Loveit are cheery and beautiful, and you can easily make them with your toddler, too! All you need are four types of material and you’re set to usher in spring.
Craft #6: Heart Stamps
MATERIALS:
- Cardboard Tube
- Paint
- Paper
- Tape
Perfect for Valentine’s day, or really any day of the year, this heart stamp craft idea from Rust and Sunshine are sure to please your toddler. The cause-and-effect of placing the tube in paint and creating shapes on a piece of paper with it is pretty mesmerizing. You can even make other shape stamps, too!
Craft #7: Dinosaur Shoes
MATERIALS:
- Tissue Boxes
- Scissors
- Construction Paper
- Glue
This is one I KNOW my toddler boys would love! They are so into dinosaurs and monsters right now. This project from Rainy Day Mum is one of those easy toddler crafts that has big bang for the buck. Not only do they get to make the shoes… they get to WEAR them, too! I can already see my boys stomping around the house and roaring. Lol!
Access all our crafts & homemaking freebies in our resource library!
Craft #8: Handprint Butterflies
MATERIALS:
- Construction Paper
- Marker or Pen
- Scissors
- Googly Eyes
- Glue Stick
How sweet are these handprint butterflies from Simple Everyday Mom? I know my kids are fascinated when I trace their hands and they see their handprint on a piece of paper. This one would be sure to delight!
**Note: Make sure your child is old enough to handle Googly Eyes, as they are small and could come off to be handled and swallowed. If you want, you could simply draw black circles for eyes with a Sharpie instead.
Craft #9: Sesame Street Handprints
MATERIALS:
- Construction Paper (red, blue, white, black)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
How absolutely adorable are these Sesame Street Elmo and Cookie Monster from Simple Everyday Mom? Simple to construct, your toddler will adore creating these easily-recognizable characters.
Craft #10: Shaker Instrument
MATERIALS:
- Toilet Paper Roll
- Duct Tape (colored is fun!)
- Rice or Beans
This easy shaker instrument from Twin Mom Refreshed only has three materials, making it a super simple yet fun craft for your toddlers! While you might need to wrap the toilet paper roll in duct tape, the kiddos could probably help pour in the rice or beans. Close it up for a mess-free toy and let them shake it to their hearts’ content!
Craft #11: Painting with Droppers
MATERIALS:
- Paper
- Dropper
- Paint
- Cup
- Water
With toddlers, I’d probably lay down cardboard, newspaper, or a table cloth before this craft, but honestly, the fun my kids would have painting with a dropper would be worth it! This craft idea from Buggy and Buddy will be sure to thrill your kids, too!
Craft #12: Sponge Painting
MATERIALS:
- Sponges
- Clothespins
- Paint
- Paint Trays (or containers)
- Paper
How fun would these be? This painting with sponges craft from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds is a sure winner for toddlers. The sponge makes fun shapes and textures while the clothespin makes the tool easy for little hands to hold, limiting the mess.
Craft #13: DIY Kazoos
MATERIALS:
- Cardboard Tube
- Wax Paper
- Rubber Band
- Paint or Markers
Kids Steam Lab created these fun DIY Kazoos, and they’d sure to be a success! Toddlers will love decorating the tubes and then singing or talking into them.
Craft #14: Pom Pom Flower
MATERIALS:
- Pom Poms
- Construction Paper
- Glue
Sunshine Whispers created this sweet flower out of pom-poms. With a little direction, your toddler can glue pom-poms with the best of them!
Craft #15: Paper Cupcake Decorating
MATERIALS:
- Construction Paper
- Corrugated Cardboard
- Glue
- Stickers
- Scissors
Easy toddler crafts like this one from The Mummy Bubble are good for fine motor skills and practicing the pincer grasp. And stickers are very popular with toddlers (as are cupcakes!).
Conclusion to 15 Easy Toddler Crafts with 5 Materials or less
There you have it! A curated list of 15 ideas to get you started. Did you find one that excited you? Let me know in the comments!
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You’ve been given a creative spirit. Use it to make the world beautiful!
Until next time,
Access all our crafts & homemaking freebies in our resource library!
