Around age 12, kids are between childhood and the teen years, and a good craft gives them something to be proud of. The ten projects below suit ages 11 to 14, use everyday materials, and most take under two hours. Each one lists what you need, how hard it is, and a few steps.
How to Pick a Craft for a 12-Year-Old
Pick something they can finish with little help and without endless hours. It helps if the result is useful: something for their room, the house or a gift. Boys and girls can usually do the same crafts, so just change the colors and style to fit the kid.
- Start with their interests. A kid who likes lettering will enjoy the yarn letters, one who likes fashion will like the stamped shoes.
- Allow mistakes. Show them how to cover up or work around a slip instead of redoing it.
- Offer praise. It keeps kids motivated to finish.
- Supervise tools. Hot glue guns, spray paint and nail polish are fine for most 12-year-olds with an adult nearby, in a ventilated space, with a low-temp glue gun if possible.
Top 10 Crafts for 12-Year-Olds
Crafts cover art, jewelry, sewing, home decor and more. Here are ten that work well at this age.
1. Decorative Yarn Lettering
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 10+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 to 45 minutes.
Wrap cardboard letters in yarn to hang on a bedroom wall. Use one letter for their name, or spell a word that inspires them.
You need: yarn in their favorite colors, cardboard, a stencil or printed letter, glue and scissors.
- Trace the letter onto cardboard and cut it out.
- Glue the end of the yarn to the back and wrap it around the letter until no cardboard shows.
- Glue down the loose end on the back.
2. God’s Eyes (Ojos de Dios)
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 8+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 to 60 minutes.
A God’s eye is a weaving of yarn on crossed sticks. The craft comes from the ojo de dios tradition of the Wixárika (Huichol) people of Mexico, where these were made as ritual and protective objects. It is worth sharing that background so kids know the craft has a cultural history. At home, it makes a good bedroom decoration or ornament, and you can pick any colors.
You need: two craft sticks or twigs, floral wire or a bit of yarn, 3 to 4 colors of yarn, scissors and glue.
- Cross the sticks and glue the center. Secure it by wrapping a little wire or yarn around the middle. If you use wire, tuck the ends in so they are not sharp.
- Tie the first color on and wrap it around each stick in turn, going over and around, so a small diamond grows outward.
- To change color, cut the yarn, glue the end down and start the next color against the edge of the diamond.
- Stop about an inch from the stick ends, glue the last end, and add a loop of yarn to hang it.
3. Stamped Shoes
Source:https://www.happinessishomemade.net/geometric-patterned-stamped-shoes-tutorial/
Age: 11+. Difficulty: medium. Time: 1 to 2 hours plus drying.
This works for any kid and gives you a pair of shoes they can wear. The look is inspired by skater-style slip-ons, but personalized. It is also a fun one to do together so everyone ends up with matching shoes.
You need: plain white canvas slip-on shoes, fabric paint (the original tutorial uses Tulip Soft paints and Tulip Puffy dimensional paint), a carving block, a carving tool, and newspaper. Pick a stamp shape that repeats well in rows, such as a triangle. Carving tools are sharp, so an adult should help younger kids.
- Stuff the toes with newspaper to keep them firm.
- Pour out one or more paint colors and dip the stamp in.
- Stamp a staggered pattern on the toe of the canvas top only. Keep the same pattern on each shoe.
- Leave gaps for other colors, add dimensional paint accents, and let the paint dry fully before wearing.
4. Huge Paper Bag Stars
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 11+ (hot glue). Difficulty: medium. Time: 30 minutes per star plus decorating.
These stars decorate a party, a bedroom or a classroom. Kids can paint them pastel as stars or flowers, or go dark and metallic for a mechanical look.
You need: seven paper lunch bags per star, a hot glue gun (an adult nearby), and scissors. Bags can be plain or patterned. Hot glue burns, so use a low-temp gun and keep fingers clear of the nozzle and glue.
- Stack seven bags facing the same way with the openings at one end.
- At the top of the stack, glue a T shape and press the next bag on. Repeat until all bags are joined.
- About three inches from the top, make a diagonal cut up each side so the top forms a point.
- Glue a T on the outside of the stack, fan the bags out, and join the two outer bags to close the star.
- Decorate with paint, chalk markers or glitter, and hang.
5. Geometric Watercolor Painting
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 10+. Difficulty: medium. Time: about 1 hour plus drying.
This is a nice way to get into painting, and the result can be framed for a bedroom. It also gives kids practice with shapes and measuring.
You need: a sheet of heavy poster board or watercolor paper in a standard frame size, 4 watercolor colors that go well together, painter’s tape, a pencil, a compass and a ruler.
- Find the center of the board by measuring height and width, and mark the middle of each edge.
- Run painter’s tape across the marks to form a cross, making four panels. Tape a 1-inch border around the outside edge so a white frame remains.
- Pick two geometric designs and use each twice. Draw them with the compass and ruler.
- Fill the shapes with watercolor, repeating the patterns in different colors. Let it dry, then peel off the tape.
6. Decorative Chalk-Marker Leaves
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 6+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 20 to 30 minutes.
A fall project: decorate leaves with a white chalk marker, then use them as table decor or glue them to poster board for a wall.
You need: a handful of leaves and a white chalk marker. Choose leaves that are not too dried out, since dry ones crumble. Collect four or five and let kids draw patterns, words or doodles on them.
7. Tissue Paper Art
Source:https://whereimaginationgrows.com/tissue-paper-collages/
Age: 6+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 to 45 minutes plus drying.
This introduces abstract art and color mixing, and it can be framed when it is done.
You need: poster board, colored tissue paper (leftover gift tissue works), glue and scissors.
- Cut or tear the tissue into shapes, freehand or by tracing cups and rulers.
- Arrange the shapes on the poster board and overlap them to make new colors.
- Glue them down and let it dry.
8. Washer Necklaces
Source:https://www.artbarblog.com/13-crafts-for-teens-and-tweens/
Age: 9+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 minutes plus drying.
Painted washers make modern necklaces that work for boys and girls. Washers come from the hardware store, and size and type do not matter, so mix big and small.
You need: metal washers, craft paint or nail polish, cord or string, and metallic spray paint if you want a metal look. Use nail polish and spray paint in a ventilated space, with spray paint outdoors and handled by an adult or teen.
- Paint both sides of each washer and let it dry.
- Add words, dots or designs on top once the base is dry.
- Thread the cord through the hole, tie it with a loop knot, and make sure it fits over the head or is long enough to slip on comfortably.
9. Decorated Flower Pots
Source:https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/crafts-for-tweens-1254269
Age: 8+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 1 hour plus drying.
This is also a way into gardening: once the paint dries, plant something in it.
You need: small to medium terra cotta or plain pots, acrylic craft paint, sticker letters, painter’s tape, sponges, stencils and brushes. Glitter spray paint is optional and should be used outdoors by an adult or teen.
Method 1, letters: Stick letters on the pot in a line, paint over and around them, and peel them off when dry so the word shows in the pot’s color. Finish with dots or lines.
Method 2, painter’s tape: Tape rows or a diamond lattice onto the pot and paint the gaps in different colors. Peel the tape for crisp lines.
Method 3, sponge painting: Dab a base color with a sponge, leaving gaps. Fill them with a second color, then add a third on top for depth.
They can also combine methods.
10. Personalized Beach Towels
Source:https://fromabcstoacts.com/diy-kids-summer-beach-towel-think-outside-the-toy-box/
Age: 8+. Difficulty: easy. Time: 30 minutes plus overnight drying.
A towel in a kid’s favorite colors may make family beach trips more appealing. The paint is unsweetened drink mix (Kool-Aid) and water.
You need: a white cotton beach towel, packets of unsweetened drink mix in different colors, water, disposable cups, paintbrushes, and optional sponges and stencils. Wear gloves, since the dye stains skin and clothes.
- Put a different color of drink mix in each cup and stir in about 1 tablespoon of water, just enough to dissolve it without thinning the color.
- Lay the towel flat on a plastic tablecloth or newspaper, since color can bleed through.
- Paint with brushes, or use sponges and stencils. Load the sponge with a brush first.
- Let it dry flat overnight (the source tutorial suggests at least overnight) before use, because wet color can stain skin and other fabrics. Colors from drink mix may fade with washing, so wash it separately the first time.
Wrap-Up
Doing crafts together gives you time to talk and shows kids you can be creative too. If everyone joins in, it can become a family tradition that helps through the teen years.
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