It’s raining or snowing, or just nasty Canadian weather and the grandchildren are staying over, or just coming for a visit! They love crafts, but you want some new ideas. Where do you find them quickly… .
I sifted through dozens of craft websites and found that arts and craft sites offer the same things, each in their own way. Just google “paper crafts for grandchildren” and you get 5,780,00 results in 56 seconds.
One thing I noticed was that the top-ranked sites i.e. the ones Google puts at top of the search results have so many ads it is actually distracting. It’s good for the owner of the site as they make money from them, but for us not so much. To view paper craft websites is to tolerate ads.
As I waded through the choices, I had five criteria:
- Paper-based arts and crafts designs
- Simple materials you would have around the house
- Really good instructions
- No expensive cutting machines like Cricut is needed
- No membership is required to access templates
I have chosen seven paper craft websites that either Canadian and/or offer intriguing approaches and for different ages groups.
They are not in any order other than the Canadian ones are listed first.
happyhooligans.ca a Canadian website
enchantedlearning.com a time saving index of paper crafts
thecraftpatchblog.com paper crafts for older grandchildren
funhandprintartblog.com finger art makes dazzling paper crafts
messylittlemonster.com famous artists inspired paper crafts
howweelearn.com homemade cards that warm the heart
thesprucecrafts.com origami – Japanese paper art
redtedart.com paper mache – the opportunities are endless
happyhooligans.ca: a Canadian website
I would love this site for no other
reason it is Canadian, which means all the items listed are available to us as Canadian grandparents. But Jackie Currie, the creator of these little hooligan crafts is a daycare provider, who really knows how to connect with kids through paper crafts. I like the positivity that resonates through the projects like the rainbow happiness craft. There is a good page on sensory play designed to get multiple senses going that ultimately helps them process information. If you like to acknowledge special days, you will find some fun ones here like International Mud Day and more traditional ones like Canada Day.
Jackie openly admits she is a big fan of Sharpies, a must-have-on-hand for any grandparent. As such, she has a whole section on sharpie art. Super easy to do and keeps the grandchildren busy for hours. Don’t be surprised if you are drawn into the fun. (yes, pun intended)
enchantedlearning.com: a time-saving index of paper crafts
This is a grandparent’s dream website. It has every type of craft you can think of in alpha order for easy access or featured on the main page. All the crafts are made from things around the house which makes last-minute activities feasible. Pick a topic and you will probably find a craft.
It is also divided by type of material. Just for paper, there are paper crafts, paper plate crafts and paper mache crafts. Sorting by materia
ls comes in handy when you have lots of one thing. I have been looking at the paper plate crafts because I have a lot that turned out to be too flimsy for serving food.
Keep in mind this is an American site, so if you are looking for paper crafts for significant Canadian days like Canada Day, you will only find American ones like Columbus Day or Independence Day.
thecraftpatchblog.com: paper crafts for older grandchildren
This site has good pap
er crafts for older grandchildren that create things they would use. The geometric bowls and paper butterflies caught my eye. I could see them being useful in the pre-teen or teen bedrooms.
Jennifer is the craft lady behind this site. She shares what she makes so you know what is possible.
funhandprintartblog.com: finger art makes dazzling paper crafts
If you and your grandchildren like finger art, this 
is for you. It is all based on handprints, meaning they all use hands, and sometimes feet, as the focus of the craft. The selection is exceptionally wide including some intriguing ones like Cute Winter Wall Hanging Handprint Craft. There are also activities for kids depending on their age e.g., Fingerprint math activities for preschoolers. This is an easy-to-read website to navigate and is delightfully easy to get lost in all the ideas from animal crafts, keepsake crafts and holiday crafts.
There is a craft for everything with endless possibilities. It’s a great site to bookmark, especially for those times when you are stuck for ideas.
The creative genius behind funhandprintartblog.com is Amanda, an ‘artsy momma’ to two kids who love making crafts just as much as she does.
messylittlemonster.com: famous artists inspired paper crafts
One thing I like a
bout this site is the art part of the arts and crafts. With a degree in education and art, Louise encourages children to appreciate their artwork and learn from it with her famous artists-inspired projects. The artists include Andy Warhol, Picasso, and Van Gogh. I loved the Edvard Munch Scream painting for kids.
One fun one is her Rousseau jungle craft. Henri Rousseau, was a French painter who’s more known for his native style paintings of jungles and wild animals.
howweelearn.com: homemade cards that warm the heart
Birthday cards, get well cards, thinking of you cards – cards are great ways to stay connected and make connections. This site has some fun options for homemade cards that will show your creative grandchildren how to get started or stir up some ideas of their own.
One consideration is making
“thinking of you” cards and sending them to retirement or long-term care homes. There are often residents who don’t have family in the area. Call first to see if there are any criteria for sharing cards with residents. If you are in West Vancouver area in B.C., contact volunteergrandparents.ca about their Letters to Seniors program.
Sarah, the teacher behind howweelearn.com has thought out how to help children make cards from her own experience with her three kids. All of her site is done from the learning perspective.
thesprucecrafts.com: Japanese paper crafts
To me, the ultimate creative use of paper crafts is origami, the art of folding paper to create objects – something all grandchildren love doing. Join them in learning the fundamentals with these seven origami crafts, including an origami cube, finger puppets and a butterfly. Build new ideas from there.
One consideration is an origami envelope. Learn those basics then get creative making fun animals. This YouTube video shows how to make some cute animal envelopes. The size made is too small to mail, but the idea is good to adapt to a larger size if you wanted to. If you made an envelope for mailing (the minimum size in Canada is 3.5” high and 5” long), you could exchange letters using your creative origami envelopes. Check out how to keep in touch as pen pals. 5 reasons Canadian grandparents penpal their grandkids.
redtedart.compaper mache: the opportunities are endless
Anything you want to know about paper mache is here. Start with the how-to make paper mache -both written instructions and a youtube video. Check the project ideas for all ages from paper mache necklaces to to ornaments to erupting volcanos! Maggie is a crafter extraordinaire who likes to share easy, do-able and fun crafts for all ages
I hope you found this useful. Feel free to leave a comment or to ask a question.
Hugs to all grandchildren!
