At times, planning arts and crafts projects for your kids can feel overwhelming — expensive materials, time-consuming preparation and exhausting cleanup. 

To get you started with an afternoon of low-energy activities, here are some beginner-friendly and easy-to-set-up art projects that will leave your child feeling accomplished and proud of their creations. 

Window Chalk Art 

For children who have demonstrated a passion for colors, hands-on activities and creating their own designs, window chalk art might be the perfect craft to keep them occupied for hours. 

All you need is a package of window chalk, which can be purchased online on Amazon or at stores like Target and Walmart for $5 to $23. Children can use the window chalk on a mirror or their bedroom window, yet place a mat down if there is a carpet floor, or outside on a sliding glass door. 

Window chalk offers full creative freedom — paint a pink cat, doodle polka dots or draw a family portrait. If you have the time, you can also place painter’s tape on the window, allowing your child to create a mosaic-like design with clean lines. 

Macaroni and Cheese Noodle Designs 

Grab a box of noodles, preferably smaller ones like Macaroni or Farfalle, and spread them out on a table or hardwood floor. Allow your child to do as they please with the noodles, but the one goal is to create something of their own! They can turn the noodles into a heart, smiley face or a simple blob of pasta. 

If your child requires slightly more stimulation, consider turning the noodle creation activity into a game. Offer a theme for the design — create a cat or a candy cane. This is a great way for your child to become familiar with different shapes and tune their fine motor skills by using intricate hand and eye movements. 

Salt Painting 

For children who enjoy experiments, salt painting offers a combination of art and science that won’t require hours of preparation and utilizes materials you most likely already have at home. 

Gather a paper plate or cardstock, white glue, table salt, a paint brush and watercolors. Your child will then squeeze the glue in whatever design they prefer onto the paper and shake salt onto the glue. Then, have your child grab a paintbrush and watercolors and paint over the glue lines. 

The course salt and vibrant colors create a stimulating sensory experience for your child by providing different textures they can run their fingers across. 

Do-It-Yourself Potions 

Sometimes, all children want is a little bit of whimsy in their lives. In your backyard or a park, provide your child with plastic cups, bottles, bowls or dishes. Ask them to make a series of potions, and be creative — a potion that will allow them to fly, a potion to run really fast or a potion that provides mind-reading powers. 

DIY potions provide an activity for your child to practice using their imagination and improve their creativity. The experience will require your child to explore an outdoor space to find natural objects that can be used as ingredients in their potions, such as pieces of grass, flowers, pool water, pebbles or sand. 

This form of pretend play can aid as a tool for educating your child on how to create fun on their own, especially during moments of boredom. 

According to the Child Mind Institute, pretend play can improve a child’s executive functioning skills by teaching them how to problem solve and disengage real-life from make-believe. Children who consistently play pretend have also shown improved skills in short-term memory, flexible thinking and the ability to reach a goal, according to the article