22 Very Simple Art And Craft Ideas For Babies

Babies’ interests are always changing as they are constantly growing. Thus, coming up with interesting craft ideas for babies can help them create something new and improve their creative skills while they are at it. Keeping children involved in crafting activities requires continuous supervision, and it also has numerous benefits and is worth it. Read on for some easy and indulging nursery decor ideas to keep your child occupied.

Benefits Of Art And Craft For Babies

The initial years of a child are crucial for determining their health, mental growth, learning, and success in life (1). Art and craft help develop babies’ (2)

• Sensory skills
• Hand and eye coordination
• Cognition
• Creative thinking
• Overall brain
• Motor skills
• Balance
• Body control and coordination

All these allow the babies to explore the world around them.

Tips For Introducing Art and Craft To Your Baby

One must be careful while choosing age-appropriate craft activities and materials, as babies tend to put everything in their mouths.

• Use skin-friendly material and mild colors.
• Use eco-friendly and edible craft material.
• Try easy simple craft activities.
• Use hand-sewn or handmade soft toys.
• Avoid art that involves cutting and use of sharp objects.
• Monitor the baby continuously.
• Help the baby by participating in the activity.

22 Easy Baby Craft Ideas And Activities

Have a look at this curated list of quick and easy baby craft ideas and keep your baby active.

1. Edible playdough

Try edible dough with added food colors. It could be a mixture of rice, cereal, corn starch, apple sauce, vegetable oil, and food colors. Teaching a baby to make different shapes with this dough is fun. Animals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, utensils, clothes, transport vehicles, or anything else could be molded out of this edible dough.

2. Playing with rice

Rice grains are tough to hold as they slip off. Playing with rice enhances gripping and holding techniques of the baby. Hide the baby’s favorite snacks or plush toys under a heap of rice. Let them explore and find things for themselves and experience overwhelming joy.

3. Ice painting

To get colorful ice cubes, drop a single drop of edible colors in each compartment of the ice tray. Insert a craft stick into each compartment of the ice tray and set it to freeze. Once frozen, these colorful ice cubes with craft sticks can be given to the baby to paint on cards or hard sheets

4. Bubble wrap painting

Place a piece of bubble wrap on the ground with the bubbles facing up. The baby can apply colors on the bubble wrap. A piece of paper can be given to be pressed by the baby onto this painted wrap. When taken off, the paper is imprinted with colorful bubble patterns. Introducing colors to the baby is easy with bubble wrap painting. Popping the bubbles in the wrap also works as an exercise to strengthen the fingers.

5. Spaghetti sensory play

For this, regular spaghetti is cooked and tossed with oil. Food colors are added and spaghetti is dried by laying on a parchment paper. It is a great sensory experience for the babies. The spaghetti feels slimy and slips through the babies’ fingers easily, making them enjoy this activity.

6. Sensory bead bags

This is a great mess-free sensory play activity to develop babies’ language skills. Sensory bead bags are also effective for babies who suffer from Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) (3). The bead bags could be filled with beads of different textures, colors and even beads that produce sounds. When the beads bag is pressed by the baby, there can be many possibilities; as there are varieties of beads such as butterfly beads, Christmas ornaments, money beads, ocean creatures, plants, animals, and birds’ beads. Elderly supervision is a must as the baby may bite the bag, which can result in a choking hazard.

7. Stamped apple art

Cut an apple into two halves and let your baby dip one half in some edible color to create a stamp. Now, hold this stamp and make a colorful impression on a paper. You can create small or large shapes and patterns in the half portion to add more variety.

8. Colored rice art

Rice grains can be added to vinegar and organic food colors to obtain colored rice. Draw a simple sketch on a sheet by gluing the sticks. The baby can drop the colored grains onto this sketch. The grains stick to the glue, forming beautiful art. You could also let the baby scribble through the scattered grains using their fingers to encourage sensory play.

9. Ribbon clouds

Adults can help babies in this activity. Just cut out clouds on a piece of cardboard. Get your child to either paint them or decorate these with cotton, glitter, or any other craft’s decor accessory. Now sew all these clouds together to complete the look.

10. Paper plate fruits

Draw sketches of various fruits on colored paper plates. Let the baby try painting these sketches according to the colors of the fruits. Another way is to get ready-made stickers of fruits, and let the baby stick them on the plates. This craft stimulates pictorial memory, as the baby relates to the names, colors, and shapes of fruits.

11. DIY scented rainbow bubbles

The sheer joy of having colorful scented bubbles is incomparable as babies love to play with bubbles. As a DIY activity, adults need to arrange for:

• Dish soap
• Glycerin
• Essential oils
• Food coloring
• Bottles or jars (with lids)
• A smooth stick with a loop at one end. (Avoid wire as it may hurt the baby)
• For various colors:

Cinnamon: Red

Sweet orange: Orange

Lemon: Yellow

Peppermint: Green

Vanilla: Blue

Lilac: Purple

Grapefruit: Pink

You have to prepare the scented colorful soapy liquids and pour in small pots for babies. Babies hold the blowing stick, dip it in one pot and blow bubbles. They can repeat this for all pots one by one. The result is rainbow bubbles all over. The baby learns about different scents and develops color recognition from this activity.

12. Felt princess crown

This craft should be performed by an adult in the presence of the baby. Even though the baby participates passively, they can learn a lot by watching. You would need:

• Colorful felt
• Glitter iron-on
• Cricut maker
• Iron or easy press
• Sewing machine or knitting needles and thread

Cut out the princess crown using a cricut maker. Then fuse the glitter iron-on to the crown using an easy press or an iron. Using a sewing machine, a thread, and needle, attach the extended straps to the end of the crown. To tie the crown onto the head, elastic ribbon could be used.

13. Shaving cream clouds

Making the baby learn about the rain and the clouds is easy. It could be achieved using household stuff such as shaving cream which can help in making clouds. Fill a clear cup/glass with water and add a layer of shaving cream to it. Several drops of blue food coloring can be added to this mix. When these shaving cream clouds get too heavy, the drops fall through as rain. Explain to the baby that when water droplets grow heavy in the sky, it rains

Shaving cream mixed in with colored ice cubes in different shapes can also be used for a fun sensory experience. Mother of three boys, Kate Naylor, writes, “My boys helped me squirt the shaving cream into the bin and push the ice out from the ice molds. We played for a good hour before it was time to go inside and tub for the night…My three (her three-year-old son) loved throwing the ice on the ground and watching it break into pieces. Toward the end, he sat in the shaving cream and thought it was so funny he had shaving cream on his toosh. My 23 month old loved grabbing a piece of ice and washing the shaving cream off with a hose (i).”

14. Thumbprint keychain

Take a piece of clay and embed the baby’s fingerprint or thumbprint on the surface of the clay. Take a keychain and secure the imprinted clay at the end of the keychain.

15. Confetti bookmarks

Babies can try making these bookmarks under adult supervision. Beautiful and colorful confetti bookmarks inserted in the story book enhances a baby’s experience of listening to stories, looking at pictures, and creating pictorial memories. This also lays the foundation for the habit of reading. You will need:

• Clear sheet protectors (heavyweight ones make a sturdier material)
• Confetti
• A fuse tool or a sewing machine
• A hole punch maker
• Ribbon (for embellishment)

Fill the clear sheet protectors with colorful confetti and seal the edges by a fuse tool or sew it. Punch a hole and tie a colorful ribbon through it.

16. Homemade sidewalk chalk

Sidewalk chalk is typically a large and thick piece of chalk available in multiple colors. It is mostly used by children and adults for drawing on pavements or concrete sidewalks. Your baby may use the floor of the house for this activity. This art activity improves the child’s fine motor skills. You will need

• Plaster of Paris (dry powder)
• Tempera paint
• Silicon mold
• Water
• Disposable cups
• Plastic spoons

Mix POP, water, and paint. Pour the mixture into the molds and let it dry. The colorful sidewalk chalks are ready for use.

17. Baby created wall art

Provide your baby with paper and crayons, and let them scribble to their heart’s content. Mixing organic food colors in a cereal makes a safe paint for babies. Babies may dip their hands in this color and make impressions on paper. The paper can also be laid on the ground, and the baby may put their feet in the color and create footprints on the paper by walking on it.

18. Baby-safe marble painting

This simple craft idea is easy to create. Bring a cardboard box, paper, marbles, and some paints. Now tape the paper inside at the bottom of the box. Drop a few dollops of paint and marbles inside the box. Close the box and shake it well. This shaking is not only entertaining for the baby but may also help in strengthening their shoulder muscles.

19. Baby abstract art

Place some paint spots on a canvas and cover it with plastic. Let the baby spread colors with their hands and try to go after each paint spot. Help the baby spread the paint evenly and avoid random globs of paint. Remove the plastic after completing the activity and let the canvas dry. The baby may enjoy how colors blend and spread over the canvas. 

20. Art with carpet square samples

You will need the following supplies for this craft.

• Organic food colors
• Medium-sized rubber bands
• Carpet square samples
• Painter’s tape
• Paper plates
• A long piece of butter paper

Tape the long piece of paper to a smooth and flat space. Next, tape the paper plates next to the butter paper. Pour a color of paint on each paper plate. To make it easier for the baby to hold the blocks of carpet squares, slide a rubber band over each carpet square. Push the rubber band into the carpet. Now, let the baby hold this carpet square sample and dip it in the plate with color. As the baby stamps this on the taped paper, a beautiful design emerges.

21. Mess-free painting

Cleaning the mess after a painting session with your baby can be a cumbersome task. Mess-free painting is a simple activity that will help you have a good time with your baby. You’ll need ziplock bags, colorful washable paint, and strong tape. Put different paint colors in the bags, seal them, and tape them to a flat surface. Let your baby touch and move the paint around inside the bags without making a mess. It is an excellent way for them to explore colors and textures. Just take off the bags and clean up quickly when they are done.

22. Diaper trike

Want to have a good bonding time with your little one? Get creative and make a tricycle with rolled diapers. Create two wheels, make a cardboard frame, and add more rolled diapers for the seat and body. Stick on handlebars in the front and decorate with ribbons and baby items. This activity will enhance creative thinking in your baby.