15 Fun Activities That Let Kids Get Crafty Without Destroying Your House
In winter with lots of time inside to kill, your kids might be hungry for indoor activities. And although projects like baking cookies or doing science experiments are fun, they can also be time-consuming, requiring a variety of materials, complicated set-up, careful adult supervision throughout the activity and, of course, lengthy clean-up.
For single parents, working families or anyone with less energy when it’s cold out, winter can be a daunting time to keep little ones occupied and the house some flavor of “clean.” So to help you fill up time this winter without needing even more energy after the activity is done, we’ve rounded up the best no-mess creative kids’ kits and games.
Every item listed comes with all the supplies you’ll need and along with a glowing review from a busy parent about its low-maintenance, easy clean-up status. These are activities your little one can likely do independently, so you don’t have to constantly help with cutting or gluing. (Unless otherwise noted, each craft is suitable for kids ages three and up.) Best of all, none of these materials will end up on your walls or carpets.
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Rainbow scratch paper
Create colorful art without markers or paint with this set of rainbow scratch paper. It comes with five wooden styluses as well as plastic stencils to make tracings and free draw.Promising review: "These seem very well made and they don't make any kind of mess. If you want a fun little project for younger kids that lets them draw in color without needing ink or paint this is the way to go!" — Lewis
You can buy the rainbow scratch paper from Amazon for around $17.
A spill-proof paint set
This semi-solid paint set won’t drip or spill and washes cleanly from skin and clothes. It comes with a paintbrush and 20 activity pages, though you can use the paints on any type of paper. Promising review: "My 2.5 year old loves painting with this set. It truly is spill proof gel like paint, but it’s still easy for her to paint with. But I have ZERO mess. No drips anywhere. Love the pages it comes with to paint too. We have played with this for days!" — Brooke Harvey
You can buy the spill-proof paint set from Amazon for around $14.
An invisible watercolor painting set
Crayola's invisible watercolor set comes with six paints, 18 sheets of magic paper and a light-up paintbrush connected to the pallet. It only works on magic paper and won't leave color on fabric, furniture, skin or anything else. Promising review: "For everyone tired of cleaning up painting messes, this is AWESOME. Our kids love this kit and we’re so happy that getting a replacement is so easy." — David K Loomis
You can buy the invisible watercolor painting set from Amazon for around $23.
A reusable doodle book
This reusable doodle book is eight inches square closed and comes with 14 reusable pages and 12 watercolor pens that wash off easily with water and a rag. It's easy to pack up to use in the car or on the go and help little ones learning numbers and letters. Promising review: "I was going on a long road trip with my 5 yr old who loves to draw and this watercolor doodle book was perfect! He loves it! No mess and the pages are easy to clean! Highly recommend!" — Legal Beagles
You can buy the reusable doodle book from Amazon for around $11.
A burlap kid's sewing kit
Get your little one into the sewing groove with this needle set for kids. It comes with an embroidery hoop, two pieces of burlap, four colors of yarn and a plastic needle. Say goodbye to glue, paint, little pieces of paper or tiny craft items you'll find under the couch in a year. Promising review: "These little sewing kits are just the best! My three-year olds have been pretending the sew for about a year, and they took to these kits right away. The needles, yarn, burlap, and embroidery rings are all perfect. I’m glad I got some extra burlap in our original order, because I can tell we’ll using these a bunch! Thanks so much!" — Aubrey McCullen
You can buy the burlap sewing kit from Etsy for around $17.
A dry erase table with four chairs
Leave your little one to color and don't stress about getting your furniture ruined with this dry erase drawing board table with four chairs. Promising review: "This table was semi easy to put together. And it’s fantastic for my four little ones ages 8, 7, 6 and 4 for school and play and even dinner. It’s super easy to clean and it’s fun to be able to let them write or draw on the table. My boys are very rough and it seems to be standing up to their constant tests. I highly recommend it…." — Christina Duenas
You can buy the dry erase table with four chairs from Amazon for around $160.
A foam make-your-own-purse kit
With pre-cut foam pieces, pre-measured yarn and kids' plastic needles, this purse set contain enough materials to make five small purges and bags. Your little one will love having an item they made and you'll love that they don't need scissors or glue. It’s best suited for kids ages 5 and up.Promising review: "Of all of the birthday gifts my 5 yr. old granddaughter received, this is the one she dove right into! Her 7 yr. old sister asked to do one of the projects and they each did one right away. They took off to her bedroom and got busy. We didn’t hear from them until they were done! So cute and easy for them to figure out in their own! The projects were adorable. I plan to buy this for my other 5 yr. old twin grandkids! I HIGHLY recommend this adorable sewing kit!" — jSuz
You can buy the make-your-own-purse kit from Amazon for around $21.
A wooden beading kit
With larger, thicker beads that won't get stuck in your carpet, Melissa & Doug's beading kit is a great way to build fine motor skills and make some gorgeous jewelry and key chains. It comes with a wooden box to keep everything together as well as 220 beads and eight cords. It’s best for kids ages four and up.Promising review: "This set made for a fabulous craft gift project for my students! Best selection of colors amd designs and the lace strings were the easiest to use No mess...just love this kit!" — La RUBITA
You can buy the wooden beading kit from Amazon for around $12.
A lace-up shape set
A perfect early "sewing" kit for little ones, this lace-up set comes with three dinosaur shapes and three shoe laces for weaving. Teach your little one how to go over and under and let them create in the car, waiting room or other travel time. Bonus: If you're feeling extra daring, you can paint the wooden pieces at the end. Promising review: "So cute! Bought for 3 year olds birthday to keep him distracted in the car :) I had fun painting them for him... would be a fun activity to do with your kiddo too. (they do have a firewood scent to them, I just washed them in soapy water and let them dry and that helped)" — Nya Norling
You can buy the lace-up shape set from Etsy for around $12.
Magnetic Picasso tiles
Keep your little one entertained for hours with this set of colorful magnetic Picasso tiles. Build towers, forts, buildings, flowers and more. And when you're all done, throw it all in a basket. Promising review: "My son’s go to toy! He loves it! It really encourages open ended play and can play with it for hours, it’s even entertaining for adults. Clean up is a breeze since it’s all magnetic. Going to purchase further sets." — Zein Ak
You can buy the magnetic Picasso tiles from Amazon for around $46.
A two-sided reusable drawing board
With a wipe-off surface on one side and a sealed-in gel side for finger painting, this kid's tablet by Crayola will be in your daily rotation. Use washable crayons on the white side or hands on the gel for hours of creative play. This is safe for kids ages two and up.Promising review: "I purchased this for my 2 year old little sister for her birthday and she absolutely loves it! it's easy to clean and keeps her busy!" — Minghao
You can buy the two-sided reusable drawing board from Amazon for around $11.
A sticker coloring book
Color without coloring with this set of 500 easy-to-peel stickers. The set comes with four double-sided canvases, making eight pieces of art, and encourages young ones to "paint by number" only with stickers. Promising review: "Little kids yearn to express themselves through artistic means, but the line between art and a major mess is pretty small. This Dot It set is an ideal solution to the mess - lots of colors and creativity, zero mess! There are three sets of ten pages of color stickers in just about every hue imaginable to use on the four double-sided poster pages. The posters have some areas left white for kids to fill in with the stickers. I love that the stickers come in slightly different sizes as well as different shades. There is a lot of room for creativity with this set! I'm going to introduce this activity with a mini introduction to pointillism... I think the combination will make sense to my five year old while encouraging the use of a variety of colors to create new shades. I'm very excited about these activities, and I know my daughter will be, too!" — SnowWyte
You can buy the sticker coloring book from Amazon for around $15.
An old school pot holder loom
It seems like every generation makes these loom pot holders and for good reason. Projects are easy to clean, will keep little ones busy and create a useful craft that looks good in any color. It’s best for kids ages six and up.Promising review: "The 8-year old and I loved working on a new bright potholder together! The elastics are a great quality and were easy to work with. The look of self-satisfaction on her face when we were finished was priceless. She created something that is both a useful tool and attractive. She wants to make more!" — Amazon customer
You can buy the old school pot holder loom from Amazon for around $32.
Mess-free markers
Finally, a set of markers you won't see on your walls, floors or anywhere else. These mess-free markers only show up on special mess-free paper, so you don't have to worry about little ones coloring on themselves or your house. Note the markers and paper are sold separately. Promising review: "These are great for young kids. My kids love these and love that it can be only used with certain markers that they cannot use on tables, chairs, walls, etc." — Jennifer Smith-Sattison
You can buy the mess-free markers from Amazon for around $11 and mess-free paper for around $10.
Air-dry clay
Get your little one into the art of sculpting with this set of air-dry clay. The clay is lightweight, unscented and gluten-free and comes in 14 different colors including glow-in-the-dark. This set comes with googley eyes and three tools for sculpting. Promising review: "Easy to clean up, lightweight, easy to use and doesn't smell too bad!" — Katy E.
You can buy the air-dry clay from Amazon for around $25.
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