Parenting Today
Winter months sometimes bring lots of days when you need indoor projects for the whole family. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend money on fancy supplies to make some truly unique and fun crafts that will keep everyone entertained. With a little bit of imagination, you can find winter crafts for every age group and skill level this season.
Crafts for Kids Under 5
For toddlers and preschool-aged kids, crafts are a great way to develop fine motor skills and reinforce lessons about shapes, colors, and the world around us. Kids can learn about textures, lights, and nature just from a simple project. Remember that the process is more important than the end result for these youngest kids, so have fun!
For some nature-inspired crafts, make a cookie-cutter birdseed feeder for the birds and squirrels who stay in your area over the winter. Talk about animals and what they do during winter with your kids while you complete this craft together. You can also make some winter tree art from materials you find outside when you’re hanging the bird feeder! Little kids love to explore and find treasures, so this craft is the perfect way to put those items to good use.
If your little kids love glitter, these sparkly icicles are easy to make and require a lot of fine motor control and strength. You can also keep the glitter more contained with a cute snow globe snowman. Depending on your child, let them help cut some of the pieces in these projects to practice that critical skill.
Projects for Ages 5-10
For the elementary school crowd, crafting is all about exploration and executive planning skills. How will I get from all these raw materials to my finished product? What happens if something goes wrong or I’m missing supplies? You can help your kids problem-solve by modeling solutions, but part of the fun is to see what they come up with when they have space to be creative!
Snowflakes are one of the easiest winter crafts for kids, and there are so many variations that will fill your winter weekends with fun. You can use salt crystal snowflakes to sneak some science into an art project; your kids will love to see the final result after the water evaporates and leaves behind stunning crystals.
Adorable paper plate snowflake yarn art or these curled paper snowflakes are perfect for kids because they’re simple projects that require patience and precision. Encourage your kids to think about symmetry when they’re making these snowflakes, too!
For a different kind of craft, try this winter paper lantern art project. You may not have tracing paper on hand, but this small purchase is worth it for the wow factor in your final result. This paper lantern craft is fun for the whole family, including younger and older kids, because the design of the lantern is entirely up to the artist.
Some pinecone winter owls are an excellent craft for animal-loving kids who have made about a dozen penguins in years past. You can even turn the project into a nature walk to gather the pinecones ahead of time.

Innovative Ideas for Older Kids 10+
Older kids and teens can miss the ample crafting opportunities they had in elementary school, so using crafts at home can be a special way to bond and have fun. Choose crafts that allow your older kids to express their personality and try some higher-level skills.
A yarn-wrapped snowman is an easy DIY craft that uses materials you likely already have at home. Older kids can complete everything on their own, start to finish, including using the hot glue gun. Make it a family affair by incorporating fun accessories into the snowman’s decorations and then comparing designs.
For a completely different kind of craft, these winter shower melts are an excellent way for older kids to make something practical while still having fun. Encourage your kids to experiment with the essential oils to create a scent that’s uniquely their own! Another practical winter craft is a hand-sewn warm beverage cup sleeve for those hot drinks all season long. This project is easy to do with either a sewing machine or hand-stitching, so your older kids can take the wheel.
And for your older kids who love to decorate their rooms or the family table? Festive snowy candle holders are the answer. If you don’t have fake snow (and don’t want to buy any), challenge your kids to create an alternative out of materials at home; this creativity will likely lead to some stunning results!
No matter what ages you have at home, these unique winter crafts are perfect for family bonding during a magical time of year.