Crafts for toddlers and preschoolers — messy play, kneading, cutting and sticking from 1½ to 6
Crafting with a toddler or preschooler: which craft supplies suit children from 1½, 3 and 4, and what do you make together in autumn, at Sinterklaas, at Christmas or in summer? For boys and girls, with first crayons, finger paint, clay, stickers and children’s scissors.
By Sonja ·
For a toddler, crafting is mostly discovering: what does paint feel like on your hands, what happens when you squash clay flat, and does that sticker really stay on? The result doesn’t matter yet. What does matter: supplies that can take a knock, are big enough for small hands and wash easily out of clothes. A preschooler wants to do more alone: cutting with children’s scissors, painting with a brush and threading a necklace.
In this blog you’ll find loads of inspiration, for boys and girls: first craft supplies by age (from 1½, 3 and 4), then by type, from chunky crayons and finger paint to clay, PlayMais, stickers, cutting and threading beads. Further down there are ideas for every season. Is your child ready for more of a challenge? Have a look at our craft supplies for boys and girls (5 to 12) or our drawing supplies for kids.
Crafts for toddlers and preschoolers by age
These are minimum ages: what’s fun from 1½ is often still fun at 3. More gift ideas are in our gift ideas for age 1, age 2, age 3, age 4 and ages 5–6.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch.
Craft supplies for toddlers from 1½
A young toddler crafts with their whole body: kneading Play-Doh, scribbling with short, chunky pencils and sticking big stickers. Around two, finger paint joins in. The result doesn’t matter, it’s about feeling and discovering; do always stay close.
Play-Doh — starterset met 4 potjes klei
SES My first — kleurpotloden XL, kort en dik (1+)
SES My first — dierenstickers plakken (1+)
SES — vingerverf 4 basiskleuren (2+)
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SES My first — vingerafdrukverf dino’s (1+)
SES My first — fluffy vingerverf (1+)
SES My first — houten dieren kralen rijgen (1+)
SES My first — sticker-mozaïeken (1+)
SES My first — waar woon ik? dieren plakken (1+)
Play-Doh — 4 potjes klei, levendige kleuren
Craft supplies for toddlers from age 3
From three, a toddler can already do a lot alone. A Little Dutch craft case or craft box has everything to stamp, colour and stick, with Totum they thread a first bracelet, and with Djeco’s All different set they stick funny faces together. PlayMais becomes fun now too.
Little Dutch — knutselkoffer Rosa (Fairy Garden)
Little Dutch — knutseldoos XL Forest Friends (3+)
Totum — Bluey kralenset armbandjes maken (3+)
Djeco — gezichten plakken Allemaal anders (3-6)
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PlayMais — kleuren en vormen (3+)
PlayMais — brandweerauto (3+)
PlayMais — emmer met 600 stuks (3+)
Little Dutch — knutselkoffer Jim
Little Dutch — knutseldoos Jim
Little Dutch — knutseldoos Rosa & Friends (3+)
Little Dutch — pompons plakken Little Farm
Play-Doh — kikker-starterset (2+)
SES — klei-uitsteekvormen dino’s (7 stuks)
Craft supplies for preschoolers from age 4
A preschooler wants to do more alone. With watercolours and a brush they paint their first real painting, with children’s scissors they learn to cut, and with Djeco’s wooden beads they thread a necklace. Those beads are small: keep them away from younger brothers and sisters.
HEMA — waterverf (12 kleuren, met penseel)
SES — ik leer knippen, mega set (3+)
Djeco — houten kralen kleine dieren (4+)
Djeco — knippen en plakken Kapper (3-6)
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Djeco — houten kralen vogels (4+)
Djeco — kralen en chenille Schitteren in de nacht (3-6)
Chunky crayons, pencils and pens
First drawing supplies need to be sturdy: short, chunky pencils and wax crayons sit well in a small hand. Beeswax crayons, such as those from Stockmar and Medenka, are a sustainable choice and colour softly and brightly.
Already know what your child likes doing most? Below, everything is grouped by type.
STABILO woody 3 in 1 ARTY — 6 stuks + puntenslijper
Bruynzeel Kids kleurpotloden kort & dik — 20 stuks
Stockmar — bijenwaskrijtjes in blik (16 kleuren)
Medenka — bijenwaskrijtjes Junior
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Stockmar — bijenwasblokjes (8 stuks in blik)
Bruynzeel Kids waskrijtjes — 8 stuks
SES My first — kleurpotloden XL, kort en dik (1+)
SES My first — mijn eerste krijtjes
SES — mijn eerste stiften (8 kleuren)
Finger paint and first paints
Painting is the best thing there is for a toddler. Put on a painting apron and start with finger paint or paint sticks: paint in the shape of a pen, with no brush and no mess. For a preschooler, watercolours with a brush are the next step.
Verfschort voor peuters (1-3 jaar)
HEMA — waterverf (12 kleuren, met penseel)
Little Brian kleurpotloden, metallic, verpakking van 6 stuks
* Amazon-prijs van 27 okt, kan afwijken
Bruynzeel Kids — plakkaatverfsticks (6 kleuren)
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SES — vingerverf 4 basiskleuren (2+)
SES — vingerverf pastel 6 kleuren (2+)
SES My first — fluffy vingerverf (1+)
SES My first — vingerafdrukverf dino’s (1+)
SES My first — vingerverfset mijn eerste kunstwerk (1+)
Bruynzeel Kids - plakkaatverfstick - 6 metallic kleuren
Clay
Kneading, rolling and pressing are good for the little muscles in the hands. Play-Doh is soft clay from age 2 (not for eating), and with shape cutters you make a dinosaur in no time. You can also make salt dough yourself: 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and about 1 cup of water.
Play-Doh — starterset met 4 potjes klei
Play-Doh — 4 potjes klei, levendige kleuren
Play-Doh — kikker-starterset (2+)
SES — klei-uitsteekvormen dino’s (7 stuks)
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Play-Doh — 4 mini-potjes klei (2+)
SES My first — klei met gereedschap
SES My first — klei met uitsteekvormen
Grennn — uitsteker tractor
Neogrün — biologische speelklei, blauw en geel (vegan)
Rayher — zoutdeeg, luchtdrogend (350 gram)
Sticking and stickers
Sticking trains fine motor skills: picking a sticker off the sheet, putting it in the right place and pressing it down. Little Dutch’s craft boxes and cases have stickers, stamps and crayons in one box, and SES’s My first sets have big stickers for the littlest ones.
Little Dutch — knutseldoos Rosa & Friends (3+)
Little Dutch — knutselkoffer Jim
SES My first — 3-in-1: vingerverven, kleuren en plakken (1+)
SES My first — waar woon ik? dieren plakken (1+)
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Djeco — gezichten plakken Allemaal anders (3-6)
PlayMais — brandweerauto (3+)
PlayMais — emmer met 600 stuks (3+)
SES My first — dierenstickers plakken (1+)
SES My first — sticker-mozaïeken (1+)
SES My first — dierenstaarten plakken
Little Dutch — knutseldoos Jim
PlayMais — kleuren en vormen (3+)
SES — ik leer knippen, mega set (3+)
Little Dutch — pompons plakken Little Farm
Little Dutch — knutseldoos XL Forest Friends (3+)
Djeco — knippen en plakken Kapper (3-6)
Little Dutch — knutselkoffer Rosa (Fairy Garden)
Threading and tapping
Threading beads or fixing little figures with a hammer takes concentration, and a toddler is proud when it works. Start with big beads or pipe cleaners; with the Totum and Djeco sets they then make their first bracelet or necklace.
Djeco — kralen en chenille Schitteren in de nacht (3-6)
SES My first — hamertje tik
Totum — Bluey kralenset armbandjes maken (3+)
Djeco — houten kralen vogels (4+)
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Houten rijgkralen dieren
SES My first — houten dieren kralen rijgen (1+)
SES My first — krijtkralen aan een ketting (1+)
Djeco — houten kralen kleine dieren (4+)
Crafts for toddlers and preschoolers for every season
A season gives you a theme by itself, and the materials are often lying outside already. A few ideas that work with a toddler or preschooler:
- Autumn: go looking for leaves, acorns and conkers together. Press a leaf with paint onto paper for a leaf print, roll a conker through a tray of paint, or glue coloured leaves onto card to make a hedgehog or a tree. More ideas on Pinterest.
- Sinterklaas: decorate a shoe for the Sint with stickers and paint, make a drawing or colouring page to put in the shoe, or stamp pepernoten with a cork and brown paint. A preschooler can already cut and stick a mitre or a Piet hat from card, or a paper carrot for the horse. More ideas on Pinterest.
- Christmas: make decorations for the Christmas tree together: a salt-dough star or heart with a handprint (an adult bakes it in the oven, then your child can paint it), a pine cone with paint and glitter, or a reindeer from a toilet roll with googly eyes. Also fun: a Christmas tree of green handprints, a Christmas card with fingerprint lights, or a paper chain of coloured rings. More ideas on Pinterest.
- Spring: stamp flowers with a toilet roll or your fingertips, make a caterpillar from fingerprints, or glue a spring scene from bits of coloured paper. More ideas on Pinterest.
- Summer: pavement chalk on the pavement or patio, painting the fence with water, or a picture made of sand and glue. Outside, so mess is allowed. More ideas on Pinterest.
Tips for crafting with toddlers and preschoolers
- Keep it short. Ten minutes is already long for a two-year-old. Stop when it’s no longer fun, and try again another time.
- It’s about doing, not the result. A toddler learns from feeling, pressing and making a mess. A nice piece of work is a bonus.
- Choose big and sturdy. Chunky crayons, big stickers and big beads sit well in small hands, and small parts are for older children.
- Make a fixed messy spot. An old oilcloth, an apron and a cloth within reach, so you don’t have to step in all the time.
- Let a preschooler do the cutting. With children’s scissors without a sharp point they practise the cutting movement. Start with straight strips of paper, and only then curves and shapes.
- Join in and stay close. Crafting together is the most fun for a toddler, and you can keep an eye on nothing disappearing into a mouth.
Frequently asked questions
From what age can you craft with a toddler?+
From around one and a half: a young toddler loves scribbling with a chunky pencil or wax crayon, painting with their fingers and sticking stickers. Check the pack for the minimum age. SES’s My first supplies are from age 1, Play-Doh and regular finger paint from 2, and PlayMais from 3, because of the small pieces.
What can you make with a 2-year-old?+
Finger painting on a big sheet of paper, sticking stickers, modelling with Play-Doh, stamping with half a potato or with leaves in autumn, and scribbling with chunky crayons. Keep it short, a quarter of an hour is already long, and join in: for a two-year-old it’s only really fun together.
Which craft supplies do you need for a toddler?+
A few things go a long way: chunky pencils or wax crayons, finger paint, a pot of clay, big stickers, a pile of paper and an apron. Choose sturdy, big and easily washable materials, with as few small parts as possible.
What can you make with a preschooler?+
A preschooler of 4 or 5 can already do a lot alone: cutting with children’s scissors, painting with watercolours and a brush, threading wooden beads into a necklace, and sticking and folding with coloured paper. With SES’s I learn to cut sets they practise cutting step by step. From 5 you’ll find even more ideas in our blogs about craft supplies for boys and for girls.
Is PlayMais suitable for toddlers?+
From age 3, yes. PlayMais is made of maize, water and colouring, and you stick the pieces together with a little water, no glue needed. But they are small pieces, which is why most sets say from age 3. Stay close.
How do you keep crafting with a toddler a bit clean?+
Put down an old oilcloth or a wipeable mat, give your child an apron and choose finger paint that washes easily out of clothes. Paint sticks are a handy in-between step: paint in the shape of a pen, with no brush and no pots. And agree on a fixed craft spot, so your child knows where messy play is allowed.
More gift inspiration?
For older children: read our blogs about craft supplies for boys and girls, and about drawing supplies. Or browse our gift ideas by age for many more ideas.