Crafts are something that kids love to do and generally parents like to do with them. These crafts are simple but fun for hours of entertainment for you and your kids!

1. Watering Cans: You can take any old jar or container, but milk containers work best. These are easy because all you have to do is decorate them to look like an actual watering can, but the kids can use their creativity there. You can cover up the container with a layer of felt or some type of paper, and then let them go wild with the decorations. These also happen to be functional so after they’re done creating, they can use them.

2. Bird Feeder: This is a really easy one and it gets the birds to literally flock to you! You just take pine cones and put them together using peanut butter as the binding material. It can get a bit messy, but it really works to hold the pine cones together. Then you sprinkle some bird seed over the top of the pine cones and voila—you have an instant bird feeder! Three simple ingredients, easy assembly, and lots of fun to watch in play.

3. Tissue Paper Flowers: So easy to make and yet the kids love them, so they serve a dual purpose! You can go crazy with the various colors of tissue paper because that’s half the fun right there. Kids can gather them up and create their own little bouquet of flowers. You them help them gather them up into one pretty bunch, and then tie them together using a pipe cleaner or some other harder tie. This works well to create a bouquet and is easy for them to make, with just a little help from you as the parent.

4. Instant Garden: If you want the kids to have their own garden, then cut a big milk jug in half. Use the lower half of it to put some dirt in, and then plant whatever seeds you want. Expose to sunlight and water daily as you would any other garden, but this is special because it’s their own little garden that they can take care of. They can also decorate the container itself to make it a bit more personalized.

5. Rainbow Streamers: You only need a few materials to create this instantly fun craft. Take a paper plate and let the kids decorate it with all the colors and decorations that they want. Let the kids pick out a few different colors of streamers that you have cut to be about 2-3 feet each. Then you punch a hole in the plate, and then gather the streamers into a bunch. Staple the streamers to the plate and then your child has their own little streamer decoration that they can use to celebrate anything.

6. Picture Frame: Every child loves to take pictures and to frame them. So you can provide them with the perfect way to do that using this handy little craft. You use popsicle sticks to create the four sides of the frame. You can then let your child decorate the frame with beads, little colored jewels, or any other ornate decorations that you find at the craft store. Once you glue the sticks together and put on the decorations, you can let your child pick out the picture that they want to put in there.

7. Stained Glass Butterflies: There’s no glass in this craft, but it sure looks like it. Use stencils to trace out the shape of a butterfly on wax paper, and then cut them out for each child to use. Then each child gets to put bright and colorful crayon shavings all across their little butterfly. You then help them by putting another piece of wax paper over the top and then put a hot iron to the top. After a minute, take the iron off and you will have your very own stained glass butterfly.

8. Macaroni Can: This is easy to make and a lot of fun to look at! Take an empty vegetable can and then cover the sides in construction paper. Then pick out a couple of different types of pasta, be sure that they are different in shape and color. Then let your kids pick them out and create different patterns—all they have to do is glue them to the sides. It may be a bit messy but it’s sure to be fun!

9. Tie Die Shirts: Every child can remember the first time that they used tie die, and it’s almost a rite of passage in childhood. This is perfect to do outdoors because the mess is contained then. Set up different colors in different containers so that the kids can dip the shirts in whatever colors they wish. Just provide them with the t-shirts that are rubber banded in the appropriate manner so that they can just dip for fun!

10. Beaded Jewelry: Everybody loves to make beaded jewelry and the good news is that it’s really easy to do. Just get some fishing line or some other firm base that can be used for the necklace or the bracelet. Then pick out a bunch of colors, shapes, and sizes of beads, and let the kids use their imaginations. They can do this for hours so just provide them with all the supplies and let their imaginations run wild.

Kids love crafts, and these are sure to keep them busy for hours. If you want to enjoy some crafts together, these are fun and easy to do.

Mary Frederick writes about how to find a well-regarded construction management degree.