21 FUN ARTS AND CRAFTS PARTY IDEAS FOR KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Looking for arts and crafts party ideas for your child’s next birthday party? Here’s a list of 21 ideas to help you plan and host a brilliant arts and crafts birthday party, complete with ideas for arts and craft kits you can buy, craft activities you can put together for the kids yourself and tips on how to plan and host a super fun arts and crafts party for your child’s next birthday celebration.

WHY ARTS AND CRAFTS PARTIES ARE GREAT FOR KIDS

Craft activities give a party a nice, calm focus, as opposed to parties where kids are hyped up and jumping around all over the place.

Having a craft as the main activity works really well for smaller gatherings of kids and it can be really useful for getting shy children involved in party fun.

One of the best things about hosting a craft party is that the craft the kids make can be the party favour or an alternative to giving out a party bag.

So throwing a craft party can actually be a very cost-effective way of having a kids party. Just make sure to work out the cost of supplying all the crafts based on the number of kids you will inviting to the party as part of your planning.

Craft activities work really well for kids of all ages, you just need to make sure to choose an age-appropriate craft and think about how much guidance and help the kids will need to make the craft.

DECIDE WHO IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE CRAFTS

There are several routes you can go down when you’re planning a craft party.

You could come up with the craft idea yourself and buy all the necessary supplies.

You could hire an entertainment company that provides all the crafts and runs the party for you.

You could buy a set of craft kits to give out to the party guests.

If you’re going to supply the craft supplies or buy the craft kits yourself you’ll need some ideas for the best kinds of crafts to go for, so keep reading…

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST CRAFT FOR A PARTY

There are so many different kids crafts that it can be a real task to decide on the craft that will work best to centre the party around.

Clearly one way to do it is to think about the birthday boy or girl and what sort of craft they like the most. Do they like getting messy with paints, where something like painting T-shirts could work?

Are they crazy about animals? In which case, how about modelling air clay into animal shapes?

Craft parties can work really well for toddlers aged two and three year olds. Parents pretty much always stay to the party at this stage, so it’s nice to offer an activity where the parents can help their child make something fun.

This party hat craft kit is perfect for toddlers and their parents to make into crazy party hats.

Craft activities go down really well at parties for four to eight year olds. Kids in this age group are really starting to build their creative skills and abilities, but will likely still need a fair amount of adult input, even if it’s just having a couple of adults on hand to step when need be.

21 GREAT ARTS AND CRAFTS PARTY IDEAS

Here is a big long list of arts and crafts party ideas that you could use for your child’s next birthday party:

1. Finger painting – this is a pretty freestyle craft activity, great for toddlers
2. Handprint/footprinting – another great craft idea for toddlers. Provide a selection of stickers, glitter and ways to adorn the prints. You could even think about providing a frame for the finished artwork to make a really nice party favour
3. Decoupage is great for kids from aged 4 upwards. Decopatch does some lovely deoupage craft kits
4. Mask decorating is always a fun activity for 4-8 year olds
5. Origami kits are great for tweens to get to grips with
6. Jewellery making, be it necklaces or friendship bracelets – is great for kids aged 8 and upwards
7. Decorating cups and plates works well for kids aged 4 and upwards
8. STEM craft kits are really great for science-loving kids
9. Electronic circuit kits are great fun for cool computer geeks
10. Stained glass painting
11. Sewing kits, like these sock craft kits, are brilliant for kids from aged 4 upwards.
12. Ornament making is great for tweens, especially if it is a cool ornament they can make for their bedroom
13. Paper flower making is great for tweens
14. Pompom making is always fun, particularly for 4 year olds upwards
15. Balloon animal making – can lead to huge amounts of fun and laughter
16. Fridge magnet making
17. Nature crafts – paint a pinecone or decorate an autumn leaf
18. Play dough is always good for fun crafting, it’s not something they’ll make and keep, but you could give a pot or two of playdough as the party favour
19. Paint a mason jar – then provide a tealight or candle to go into it as the party favour
20. Bath bomb making – this is great for kids from aged 6 upwards
21. Lip balm making – perfect for tweens eager to have their own lip balm!

ARTS AND CRAFTS BIRTHDAY PARTY TIPS

Here are a few more tips and ideas to help make sure that your arts and crafts party is the best party ever, from planning it through to hosting.

1. HOW TO MAKE SURE THE PARTY GOES SMOOTHLY

Although having a craft party is a lovely way to let the kids get creative and express themselves, it is a good idea to have a firm idea of the schedule for the party, so it doesn’t end up a free-for-all that is super stressful for you to host.

Aim to welcome all the kids to the party before allowing them to descend on the craft making supplies. An easy way of doing this is to throw a big sheet over the craft table if you are having the party in one space.

If you’re having the party at home, you can have a room to welcome the kids and where they can enjoy party snacks after they’ve crafted, then have a separate room where the craft activity is set out.

Once everyone has arrived and been welcomed you can launch into the craft.

Depending on how long the craft takes, you could then play some simple party games to get the kids moving around a little. There is no need to do more than two or three games.

Following directly on from the craft activity or party games, you can then invite all the guests to have some party food. My top tip here is to time your party in-between meal times so that you don’t need to do more than offer party snacks.

2. PARTY SUPPLIES

You also need to consider what supplies you’ll need to provide for the craft activity. Even if you stock up on some of the great craft kits out there, you may still need to make sure to provide enough scissors and paint mixing pots or water pots.

You will also need to think about protecting the venue, be it your home or a space you’ve hired. You might well need disposable table cloths and you will likely need a good supply of bin bags and some cleaner spray to hand for messier crafts.

Think about whether the kids will need aprons as well. You could either ask their parents to pack an apron for them, suggest the kids come with a set of old clothes they can mess up and a spare set to change into. Or you could provide personalised aprons for the kids and have the aprons as the party favour.

3. HELPING HANDS

Make sure you have enough adults on hand to help run the party. There will always be at least one child who needs a little extra help or a certain part of a craft that all the kids need help with at once.

Rope in a couple of parents to stay alongside their kids or ask helpful family members to get involved.

4. ROAD-TEST THE CRAFT YOURSELF

It is well worth taking the time to road-test the craft that you are going to centre the party around before you make a final decision. I can’t imagine there would be anything worse than hosting a craft party where the kids are either bored, the craft is over in a flash or the craft is too complicated.

You also need to consider if the craft will be portable straight from the party or whether it will take time for glue to dry or something to set. You don’t want to land yourself with the task of having to get the finished craft to the kids after the party if at all possible.

So, if you take the time to try the craft out you will have a good idea of how long it will take the kids to complete, how practical it is and most importantly, how much fun it is.

It is also quite nice to have a ‘here’s one I made earlier’ finished craft on display to inspire all the kids.

5. WHERE TO HOST AN ARTS AND CRAFTS PARTY

Now, it’s really important to consider where exactly you are going to have the craft party. Think about practicalities like how many kids you will be inviting, how messy the craft is likely to be. Do you have enough space in your home to have a craft party without having your heart in your mouth the whole way through worrying if your home will ever recover from the mess?

If you’re having the party in the warmer months of the year you could do well to host it in your garden.

If you really don’t want to be cleaning up your home afterwards, you could look at hiring a local venue. I’ve got a big list of kids party venues to give you some ideas. Just make sure to check with the venue about rules and regulations for mess and clearing up.

6. EXTRA NICE TOUCHES

If you really want to go for it and create an amazing themed party around the craft activity, you could have party decorations that fit in with the craft.

You could also think about having a birthday cake that fits in with the craft. How about a ‘paint splattered’ birthday cake for example?

Oh and ahead of the party, you could send out craft themed party invitations.

7. ARTS AND CRAFTS PARTY FAVOURS

As I mentioned earlier, one of the best things about hosting a craft party is that the craft can also double up as the party favour. I’ve got a post with a big list of the best craft kits for kids birthday parties you can use for inspiration.

Think about whether the craft they’ve made will need to be packaged up to get it home safely, or if you want to have some themed gift bags ready to pop the craft into, so each child feels like they are taking home something special.

Another idea is to take a photo of each child with their creation and send that as a thank you card.

8. USE MY KIDS PARTY CHECKLIST TO HELP PLAN YOUR PARTY

If you’re already a Mums Make Lists subscriber you can simply click the link or the image to download. If you’re yet to subscribe, just pop your email in and then you can grab your copy.

PIN TO SAVE: