Have you noticed how many quick craft activities there are on the internet? So very many tutorials and activities are aimed at being quick and easy for you and your kids to do, and that’s awesome. But what about the slow ones? By slow crafts I mean ones that take multiple sessions to complete. I tried Googling for a list of those and found barely anything.
In this day and age of ever shortening attention spans, I think it’s important to participate and have our children participate in activities and pastimes that take patience and more than one session to complete. So, I’ve collected ten activities here that will take you and your little crafter at least two sessions to complete, and in some cases more!
1. Scrap Fabric Weaving on Carboard Looms
Photo from artfulparent.com
When I was in Uni, my art teacher set up a very simple loom with a washing basket of fabric scraps in the student lounge. She wove a few pieces of fabric in a simple over-under pattern and left it there for students to add to as they pleased. A collaborative open-access art piece! I think a couple of other people added a few strips of fabric over a couple of weeks, but I had some free time one day and pretty much went nuts and finished it! I enjoyed it so much! This tutorial gives you the instructions on how to make your own loom for fabric, but on a smaller and more accessible scale.
2. Fabric Mâché Bowls
Photo from redtedart.com
When it comes to craft activities that take multiple sessions, paper mâché is an obvious choice, but I’ve never tried my hand at a fabric version of it. I think this could be really interesting, and a great scrap or stash buster, to boot! I’ve been thinking that I and my daughter both needed better stationary organisation on our desks, I think we might have to try out a few custom fabric mâché bowls!
3. Salt Dough Clay Beads
Photo form dltk-kids.com
Salt dough is cheap and easy to make (though keep it well away from pets as it can be very dangerous if eaten by them), and it is the perfect multi-session craft activity! You can get your little ones involved in the making of the dough, and then shape the beads. Then another day you can paint and decorate the beads, then another day string them into beautiful completely unique pieces of jewellery!
4. Coffee Filter Wall Hanging
Photo from artbarblog.com
I think this is so pretty! As I’ve mentioned before coffee filters aren’t widely used here in Australia, but they’re shown on T.V. and movies enough that we’re pretty familiar with them. I’d track some down to have a go at making this wall hanging! If I can’t find coffee filters, I think paper doilies might work? Either way, I like that you and your little one could sit down and paint these filters over multiple sessions, then decide how to hang them in another session. I also like that you can work collaboratively or have your own wall hangings, you could have the whole family make their own! I can’t wait to get out the watercolours and get started on this.
5. Recycled Craft Town
Photo from boxofideas.com
Here in Australia we have a children’s T.V. show called ‘Play School’, which has been on since 1966. It’s iconic and has great lessons for children and most of us have been raised on it. This recycled craft town project seems like the exact sort of thing that would be on Play School, that as a kid I would have wanted to play with because it looked so coooool! I think you and your little crafter will be shocked at how much fun you will have with this one.
6. Finger Puppet Plays
Photo from imagineforest.com
Not only will these little finger puppets take a couple of sessions to complete, but I had the idea that you and your little one could make up a play to put on with them! I gave this as an assignment to my daughter so she could work on a longer project, one that took multiple iterations (draught, revision, final piece), then act it out with finger puppets she’s made. She thought it was a great idea so I hope you give it a try, too!
7. Bumblebee Paper Mâché Craft
Photo from dltk-kids.com
Yeah, I had to include at least one actual paper mâché project, and of course it had to be one of the good ol’ balloon projects. But it’s a cute bumblebee! Fun fact, we don’t have bumblebees here in Australia. We have European bees, but we also have native bees, which are much smaller than the European bee and have no stinger! There are different varieties, but I often get the blue banded bees in my garden and they’re so tiny and cute. You could take the opportunity to learn about bees whilst engaging in the paper mâché fun of creating this bee!
8. Simple Air-Dry Clay Ornaments
Photo from firstdayofhome.com
I think these are really pretty, and love that they include natural decorative elements. That could be one of the sessions for this project, going out and finding leaves and flowers, and pressing the flowers, too. I haven’t pressed flowers in years but I’d love to teach my daughter how it works. I’ve not yet tried the method of microwaving them to dry, so we might have to do that, too. A cute alternative to working with leaves and flowers is to make ornaments from pet’s paw prints. We made one a few years ago and it’s SO cute though it’s tricky to get kitty to cooperate!
9. Found Object Collage
Photo from artbarblog.com
This is another activity where one session could simply be the collecting of the special bits and bobs that you want to include in your collage. I love how unique each of these collages are, and how the items included could be an opportunity for your little crafter to talk about things that are important to them or that they love. Adorable!
10. Crystal Geode Eggs
Photo from parents.com
I’ve made these in the past with my daughter and they were a huge hit! She loved checking the eggs every day to see how the crystals were coming along. She poured over them in detail, comparing how the different colours produced different sized crystals, which also gave us a chance to talk about dye pigments and what they’re made from. We didn’t think to keep them last time we made them, I hadn’t seen this version where they suggest to turn them into fridge magnets, so I think we’re going to have to remake them so I can have pretty new fridge magnets… that our cats will invariably knock onto the floor as they race vertically down from the top of the fridge… But still! Pretty fridge magnets!
More Fun Craft Activities For Kids To Try
10 Snowflake Craft Activities For Kids
10 Fun Butterfly Craft Activities for Kids
16 Hot Air Balloon Craft Activities for You and the Kids
12 Cute Bunting Crafts for Kids
It’s Always Fun To Do Craft Activities with Kids!
Crafting with kids is not just a creative outlet, but a wonderful way to bond, inspire imagination, and create lasting memories. The joy on their faces as they bring their ideas to life is priceless, and the shared experience fosters a deeper connection. Whether you’re making simple paper crafts or a fancy little project, the process is filled with laughter, learning, and a lot of fun. So gather your supplies, roll up your sleeves, and dive into the world of crafts—because the time spent together is as rewarding as the creations themselves!
