Working with paper can be meditative, creatively challenging, and just plain fun. It can feel good to transform something so quotidian into a work of art with just your hands and a few basic supplies. For those reasons, paper is also an excellent and safe medium for children to craft with. Not sure what project your young one should attempt? There are plenty of prepackaged kits on the market that guide budding artists through the process of folding, shaping, and even weaving.
1. Gamenote Kids Origami Kit
Gamenote’s product offers hours of hands-on fun and creativity through the timeless art of origami. This is a smartly designed kit, providing you with papers that are printed so the final product is not only shaped like the intended subject—be it a bird, a flower, or a squid—but also has all of its physical features. In addition to instructions, fold lines and numbers on each paper serve to guide you through every step. You even get blank sheets to practice on before you execute the final artwork.
2. Roylco Rainbow Weaving Mats
For a simple activity with impressive results, we recommend this option, which takes the traditional art of weaving to new, psychedelic heights. It comes with 72 sheets of sturdy, patterned paper, each presliced into strips you can gently tear off; use these to weave designs of your own making, mixing and matching patterns as you wish. An included guide shows you how to do several simple weaves.
3. Craft-tastic Paper Bowl Kit
Ideal for detail-oriented minds, this kit provides you with everything you need to turn paper into bowls. Use the assortment of patterned paper circles to cover plastic bowl molds, gluing them down with a foam applicator, one by one, as you go. The paper is a little thick, but you can get a good contour with patience. Plus, the molds are reusable, so you can experiment with your own paper once you’ve used up all the included supplies.
4. DJECO Quilling Paper Craft Kit
This kit provides an excellent introduction to the art of quilling, which involves rolling, shaping, and gluing paper into designs. It comes with a quilling needle for rolling the precut strips and a circle template board to help you create consistent circles of different sizes. There’s also a board with a preprinted design, which you lay your shapes on to create a three-dimensional scene. The process is convenient, requiring no glue; simply peel areas of the board to expose an adhesive surface.
5. Publications International Paper Airplane Kit
We like that you’re essentially making your own toys with this kit. It includes an easy-to-follow guide to folding 85 different planes, including stunt planes, distance gliders, and classic darts. You get enough paper to make 100 planes, each one featuring folding marks to help you avoid mistakes. Once folded, use the included rubber bands to launch them off for indoor and outdoor fun.