Best Art & Craft Kits for Kids of 2023

This very affordable kit is always a hit with preschool-aged children. It includes specially made egg cartons that can be painted and decorated to make six farmyard friends. Over 100 pieces, such as paints, a paintbrush, googly eyes, and stickers, are provided to complete your animals.

Clear-dry glue is included, and the kit is safe and ideal for kids 4 years and older.

The ideas book has lots of fun facts about the animals as well as some great designs to create your barnyard buddies. And the best part is, once your kids have finished their creations, they may be inspired to continue creating a host of fun creatures using your own egg cartons and a few basic craft supplies.

These magical spiral flip books look like simple coloring books at first. The thick cardboard pages have line drawings of vehicles and animals until you use the water-filled pen. This chunky pen is easy for young children to hold and reveals bright colors when used on the pad. Let it dry, and the colors disappear, allowing it to be used again and again.

I particularly like that the pen fits in its own storage space in the cover and that the whole kit is portable. My kids have enjoyed these magical water pads for years. There are many themes to choose from, and they’re ideal for traveling activities, visits to relatives, quiet times at home, or even doctor’s office waiting rooms.

Kinetic sand is a favorite in my house. One of my kids has always been drawn to sensory activities and has played with this sand for many years. Kinetic sand has such a unique feel that I love playing with it alongside my children. It feels wet even though it’s dry, and it never dries out.

It sticks to itself and is easy to mold, but it won’t stick to your kids, so cleanup is easy. It’s made from natural sand, and you get 3 pounds in this kit.

The box can be used as a beach setting for your kids to build their sandcastles in. Completing the set are molds and tools, letting your budding architect create their own castle. Kids ages 3 and over will love the imaginative play this kit brings.

Kids love colorful animals, so let them make their own with this fun kit. It includes ten paper plates with 10 pattern cards. Once your child has created their paper plate, they can put on a show for family and friends.

We found this to be the perfect group activity for playdates, as kids enjoy seeing what their friends create and can play with the animals together after completing them.

The instructions are easy to follow, with a variety of designs to choose from. All items are included to make the animals, and no cutting or coloring is required. This makes for easy cleanup and is an ideal kit for children as young as 2 years old.

Make your own decorated mini magnet tiles to place on your fridge or any other metal surface. The kit contains 12 2-inch by 2-inch tiles for your child to decorate using the paints and brush supplied. When they have finished and their work of art is dry, they can attach a magnet (also provided) and decorate your fridge or their school locker.

Kids over 8 years old can have fun creating these ornaments for themselves or as gifts for family and friends.

This kit is for your budding artist who is just starting out. It has lots of brightly colored stickers, tissue paper, crinkly paper, and fringe — 102 pieces altogether.

The easy-grip crayons are perfect for toddlers 18 months and older. Sheets of activity paper (shaped like a giraffe, a tree, and more) complete this fun, all-in-one starter kit. And we love that it doesn’t require glue, making this easier for toddlers to use without assistance and with less mess.

Alex Toys scores another winner with this busy box for kids ages 3 and over. It has 16 projects, including making dough animals, decorating paper bag puppets, farm animal collages, and tissue art animals.

Everything you need is in the box, including easy-to-follow instructions and frames for your little one’s creations.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like playing with slime? Even I enjoy sitting and squishing, stretching, and mashing this icky substance.

Kids love the feel of it too, and often use it to gross out their grandparents, siblings, or friends.

This kit is extra fun because it’s visually stimulating as well as sensory appealing. Suitable for ages 3 and up, the three different colors of glitter glue need to be mixed with a couple of household items, and voila! Gloopy, toxin-free, washable, glittery slime for lots of fun.

Given that some mixing is involved at first, younger kids will need some support to create the slime, but they will enjoy playing with it on their own.

Contained in a stylish wooden box, this art set has everything your kids need to create beautiful pictures and drawings. There are 131 pieces, including paints, paintbrushes, pencils, crayons, and markers.

Just add paper and your child’s imagination, and let them loose. The kit does contain small parts, so it’s not suitable for younger children unless they’re supervised. Due to the small parts and the inclusion of sharpeners and safety scissors, the manufacturer’s recommended age is 6 years and up.

Painting, personalizing, and hiding rocks has become a worldwide phenomenon. Sometimes called “kindness rocks,” these rocks contain images or messages for people to find and rehide or keep. This kit is suitable for crafters ages 6 to adult.

This is an activity I’ve enjoyed doing with all my kids. It’s so fun to create the rocks and imagine someone else finding them, and it’s always great to find other people’s hidden rocks to add to our collection.

This kit has everything for painting waterproof designs on rocks for kids to leave around your community. Ten rocks are included, and you can continue to use the supplies to create more rocks of your own after those ones are used up.

If your kids choose to hide their rocks, you can set up a Facebook group or join an existing one so your kids know when their rocks have been found. You can also keep your child’s creations or give them as gifts.

Choose from a variety of themed kits, including holiday, Halloween, glow-in-the-dark, pour paint, hydro dip (like tie-dye), and more.

This video shows people of all ages participating in the kindness rocks project.

Use the included 60 neon-colored papers to create animals, flowers, and more. This mess-free origami activity hones fine motor skills and is suitable for kids ages 7 and up.

Step-by-step instructions are included, and there are stickers to bring your creations to life.

There are also instructional YouTube videos to follow, like this one.

Kids will want to snuggle up in this shark sleeping bag once they have made it. This kit includes everything you need to make this wearable fishy blanket friend and introduces children aged 8 and over to sewing and knotting skills.

Easy-to-follow instructions take you through stitching the shark’s face and then knotting its sides together before finishing with its tail. All the pieces are pre-cut for ease of assembly.

Skills such as embroidery, crocheting, and sewing are loved by young and old. This could be the start of a hobby for life. This kit is aimed at kids ages 8 and older, and all you need is packed neatly in the storage case.

Details for nine projects are included, so you can make your own stuffed dog, embroidered bandana, bracelets, coin purse, and more.