Paper Crafts for Kids: 30 Fun Projects You'll Want to Try

Rainy day? Bored kids? Try making some paper crafts! If you need a craft idea to make with kids, paper is such a great way to go. It’s cheap, and you probably always have paper around! Here are 20 fun crafts to make with this simple, budget-friendly material. You may need to add a little tape, maybe some markers, and a pair of scissors, but I think you’ll find these crafts to be both FUN and do-able with very few supplies.

Origami for Kids

Some origami projects are quite complex, but there are so many ideas out there that are perfect for kids! I highly recommend grabbing some 6 inch square origami paper for these projects. The weight of the paper is just right for folding, and there are so many fun colors.

One of our favorite projects is to fold Paper Ninja Stars. Make them out of plain paper or colored paper, and decorate them if you want!

What Do We Do All Day has a really neat variation on paper ninja stars – make Origami Transforming Ninja Stars. They can transform from a circle to a star! Super cool.

Kids will love making Origami Paper Cubes. These are just such a cool design. They are not difficult, and this is a great project for beginners.

Also from Red Ted Art, make some adorable Origami Paper Dogs. So cute!

These Origami Jumping Frogs look like a lot of fun! When you push on the back of the frog, he will jump. From Easy Peasy & Fun.

Also from Easy Peasy & Fun, here are instructions for making Origami Tulips.

These Origami Dogs and Cats come with a free printable from One Colorful Day. Such cute faces! Folding instructions in the post.

Paper Games and Toys

Use ordinary paper to create a new toy! Some of these projects are printable things, while the others just require a little creativity and some scissors and drawing supplies.

My favorite paper toy of all is these Flextangles from Babble Dabble Do. We’ve tried this project, and it’s so much fun!

I love this Folded Paper Cup and Ball Game from Red Ted Art. Can you catch the ball in the cup?

Make a Spinning Paper Helicopter. Fun project for Babble Dabble Do.

Use paper and markers (or pencils) to create paper scenery for toy trains. I love this creative idea from Picklebums!

Fold some Paper Claws. My boys love to make these and pretend to be Wolverine! Or a dragon, etc.

Make Paper Houses with this simple template from Babble Dabble Do! Add some toy cars and paper roads, and you can create a whole town.

This requires a few supplies in addition to paper, but this Paper Airplane Launcher is super awesome! It will take regular paper airplanes to a whole new level.

Paper Crafts

Create all kinds of paper crafts for kids! The paper chains are perfect for a rainy day, and I love the folded bracelet idea.

Make some classic Paper Spinners from Make and Takes. Do you remember playing with things like this as a kid?

Make a 3-D Paper Alligator. This project is from Krokotak, which is one of the best blogs for paper crafts for kids.

Also from Krokotak is this awesome Paper Fish Craft. It’s such a clever design, and the fish MOVES!

Make Folded Paper Bracelets from Picklebums. This is a totally cool, classic kids’ craft! Use plain paper, colored paper, or recycle paper that kids have painted on.

Also from Picklebums, see How to Cut Paper Chains with so many different shapes! Cut out chains of paper dolls, but you can also make chains of flowers, sailboats, and more. So cool.

Make a Paper Weaving Sea Turtle from Homeschool Preschool. This is super cute and paper weaving is a good skill to learn! Print the template or create your own design.

These Mixed Media Flowers from Buggy and Buddy would be fun to try! Made with newspaper, paint, and cupcake liners.

Art Projects with Paper

Don’t get in a rut just drawing and watercolor painting! There are so many ways to explore art with paper crafts for kids.

We made these Watercolor Flowers last year with our preschool co-op, and they were a big hit! Certainly not just for preschool. I’d recommend this for elementary school too. Fabulous idea from Nurturestore.

Make gorgeous Landscape Collages with Marbled Paper – love this idea from The Artful Parent. This is best suited for kids age 8+.

I love this Surprise Ferocious Beings drawing idea from Craftwhack. SO fun and creative! It looks like a normal fish, but then it opens its BIG mouth – ha!

Colorful Leaf Art with Black Crayon & Watercolors – this crayon leaf rubbing project is especially great for fall, but you can do this any time of the year.

Paper Marbling is a satisfying art process with beautiful results! We love to do Shaving Cream Marbling – it’s so easy and amazing. If you’re willing to get some oil-based paints, this Paper Marbling from Hello, Wonderful is absolutely beautiful!

Make Stained Glass Butterflies with black glue and watercolor paints. Print the template from the post, or draw your own! Such a creative idea from View from a Stepstool.

Kids of all ages will enjoy these Doodle Cubes from The Artful Parent. Make 3-D paper cubes and draw a different design on each side.

Do you remember doing scratch art as a kid? Here’s a cool way to make your own Scratch Art Paper, also from The Artful Parent.

Wow, who knew paper was so versatile for so many different projects? Just looking at these photos makes me inspired to do some art with the kids. Have fun crafting with paper!