Felt is a fun fabric fashioned from natural or synthetic fibers. Since felt is an easy fabric to work with and inexpensive, it is popular in early childhood and primary classrooms. Felt is available online or at local craft stores in an array of fabulous colors and is ideal for seasonal, holiday, or just because art projects for kids. Classroom teachers don’t have to have all the fun though. Parents and caregivers can get in on the excitement at home too. Felt projects for kids are a wonderful way to keep your 6-year-old busy on a rainy day or can be used to create decorations for parties and holidays. Here are five simple felt crafts for kids to do anytime.
Felt projects for kids
Butterflies
These butterflies won’t fly away and can even be used to decorate a butterfly tree as a centerpiece for the kitchen table of a party. They’re easy to make, too. All you’ll need is two different-sized felt circles. Four and five-inch circles make small butterflies while seven and six-inch circles make larger ones.
Materials
- Felt in various colors
- Yellow or black chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
- Glue gun (you can use fabric glue too)
- Clean jar lids to use for circle pattern (lids should be different sizes)
Directions
- Use different sized jar lids to trace circles using different colors of felt (can cut templates from cardboard or paper too)
- Cut circles
- Cut rectangles 2″ in length and 1/4″ wide
- Take cut circles and cinch in middle to create butterfly wings, putting the larger circle on top
- Glue together with a hot glue gun or fabric glue
- Bend chenille stem in half and place under the cut rectangle
- Wrap around the center of the butterflies with the chenille stem on top
- Glue rectangle where ends meet to keep it in place
- Curl edges of chenille stem antennas if desired
For a butterfly tree, take a small tree branch, place it in a vase, and hang butterflies on empty branches.
Felt bookmarks
Materials
- Felt in assorted colors
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Fabric markers or rhinestone stickers
Directions
- Using a ruler, measure and cut 2″ by 6″ rectangles in various colors
- Cut rectangles for bookmarks
- Decorate bookmarks using fabric markers or rhinestone stickers
Felt flowers
Materials
- Felt in assorted colors
- Green felt or green chenille stems
- Scissors
- Glue gun or fabric glue
Directions
- Make a template for a simple flower shape like a tulip from paper or cardboard
- Trace onto desired felt and cut
- Cut stems from green felt or use a green chenille stem for a stem
- Using fabric glue or a glue gun, attach a stem to the back of each flower
Make a flower garden and glue it onto a large felt square to display or use individual flowers as bookmarks.
Felt apples and pumpkins ornaments
Materials
- Red, green, yellow, and orange felt
- Scissors
- Glue gun or fabric glue
- Craft puncher
- Green yarn
Directions
- Make small apple and pumpkin templates from paper or cardboard
- Trace and cut red, green, or yellow apples using the template
- Trace and cut orange pumpkins using the template
- Use scraps of green to make leaves
- Glue leaves on the top of each apple and pumpkin with a glue gun or fabric glue
- Using a craft puncher, put a hole in the top of each apple and pumpkin
- Cut two-inch yarn pieces
- Put a yarn piece through the hole and tie
- Hang on a decorative branch for a seasonal decoration (can use a natural branch from the yard too)
*Substitute snowflakes or heart shapes for winter, flowers for spring, or suns for summer.
Decorative felt wreath
Wreaths are a stylish way to dress up the house for the seasons or holidays. These easy felt wreaths can be made with pre-cut felt pieces or felt cut by hand.
Materials
- Large paper plates
- Scissors
- Felt in various colors or pre-cut felt pieces
- Glue gun or fabric glue
- Hole punch
- Black chenille stem
Directions
- Cut the center out of a paper plate to make a wreath (thicker paper plates work better)
- Using felt square-cut fun shapes
- Glue hand or pre-cut felt shapes all around the edges of the paper plate to decorate the wreath
- Using the hole punch, place a hole in the top of the wreath
- Thread the chenille stem through the hole and connect by twisting
- Hang on a doorknob as a decoration
Felt is a fun and functional fabric kids can do a lot with. These five felt crafts for kids are ideal for 6-year-olds and are a great fit for an inclement weather or sick day. Six-year-olds can handle tracing and most cutting. Felt is an easy fabric to handle and budget-friendly, which is why it’s utilized in early childhood and primary classrooms for crafts. It turns out felt projects can be pretty cool at home, too.
Adults and caregivers may need to lend a hand if kids are using a glue gun or fabric glue to complete any of these cute felt projects. Felt projects for kids can also be used to decorate the house for the holidays, an upcoming party, or the change in season. Felt bookmarks make for a quick homemade gift. Kids can also use felt scraps to cut and glue on construction paper for an abstract design.
