Craft Ideas for Older Children

Many people think that once a child gets older, it loses its interest in crafts.  That isn’t necessarily the case.  These craft ideas for older children can help bring the artist back out in your child.

Girls seem to love scrapbooks, and who can blame them?  It gives her a chance to create a personalized book for all her memories.  You purchase a small scrapbook and allow her to fill it up.  She may surprise you by adding some journaling in it, too.  Stickers and other embellishments make them more individual.  The sky is the limit on what she can do with a scrapbook.

Polar fleece blankets have been all the rage. Your older child, girl or boy, may like to create one of these.

  • Decide how big they’d like the finished blanket to be, and then add 12 inches to the length of the fabric if they would like to create a fringe for it.  They may choose all one color, or use two contrasting colors for variety.
  • Make sure each piece of fabric is the same size and shape.  Trim any excess fabric off where needed.
  • Lay the fabric out in front of you, wrong side up, so that it is horizontal.
  • Draw a vertical line on the fabric, going up 6 inches from the cut edge.  Do this with both ends.
  • Now create horizontal lines going from the vertical line, ½ inch apart, on each end of the fabric.
  • Cut along the horizontal lines to make the fringe.
  • If you’re using two pieces of fabric, tie the corresponding fringes together to join the fabric and create one blanket.

Let your older child create their own “treasure” box by decorating an old cigar box.

  • Find a wooden or heavy cardboard cigar box, with the hinge intact.
  • Using craft glue called “Modge Podge”, paint a thin layer of the glue onto the surface they are working on.
  • They can decorate the box with photos from magazines, handwritten notes, or whatever they like.  Then paint at least three coats of the glue over the paper, allowing it to dry thoroughly before adding the next coat.
  • When it’s dry, they can add other embellishments to make it entirely theirs.

Painted flower pots have been popular for years. This could lead your child into a new business, or just allow them to release their artistic nature.

  • Purchase small terracotta flower pots and the dishes that go with them.
  • With an acrylic paint, decorate the outside of the pot however they like.
  • Decorate the dish in a similar fashion so they obviously go together.
  • Your older child can plant something in the pot after it has dried, or fill it with something else. The choice is theirs.

Just because your child is growing older, doesn’t mean that they cease enjoying crafts.  These are just a few of the many crafts an older child may enjoy.  There is also cross-stitch, painting, drawing, and a myriad of others.  Encourage them to spend some time creating; they’ll probably be glad to have the creative outlet.

More Resources

101 Easy Craft Project Ideas