Children’s Day Craft Ideas: 12 Easy Crafts for Kids with Paper and Household Things

The best Children’s Day craft ideas don’t need a trip to the stationery shop. A stack of old newspaper, a few paper plates, glue, crayons and some coloured paper are enough to fill a whole morning on 14 November, at home or in a classroom of 35 children.

Below are 12 easy, low-cost crafts for children aged 3 to 8, from a paper rose and a newspaper Nehru-style cap to a greeting card, a badge and a handprint friendship tree. There is a quick comparison table, step-by-step instructions in words, scissor-safety notes for little ones and ideas for displaying the finished work.

Children’s Day craft ideas at a glance

Rose craft for Children’s Day and other paper crafts for kids

1. Paper rose

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose birthday on 14 November is celebrated as Children’s Day, is remembered for wearing a rose on his coat, so a paper rose is the classic Children’s Day craft.

1. Cut a circle of red paper about the size of a small saucer.
2. Starting at the edge, cut round and round in a spiral towards the centre, leaving a small round piece in the middle.
3. Starting from the outer end, roll the strip tightly inwards. The spiral will open into petals as you go.
4. When you reach the centre, put a dot of glue on the round piece and press the rolled rose onto it.
5. Glue it to a green straw or stick and add two green paper leaves.

For LKG, an adult cuts the spiral and the child rolls it.

2. Newspaper Nehru-style cap

1. Take one double sheet of newspaper, folded in half along the middle crease. The fold is at the top.
2. Fold the two top corners down so they meet in the middle, making a triangle.
3. Fold the bottom strip on the front up over the triangle. Turn over and fold the other strip up.
4. To make it look more like a flat cap, fold the pointed tip down and tuck it under the band.
5. Open the bottom gently and try it on. Stick a small paper rose on the side.

White chart paper gives the look of the white cap Nehru often wore. Newspaper works just as well for practice.

3. Paper-plate smiley

1. Colour the plate yellow with crayons.
2. Draw two big eyes and a wide smile, or glue on paper shapes.
3. Glue short pieces of wool on top for hair.
4. Write “Happy Children’s Day” around the rim, or let the child write their name.

4. Children’s Day card making

1. Fold an A4 sheet in half to make a card.
2. On the front, draw a big rose, balloons or children holding hands.
3. Inside, write a short message: “You are a superstar!” or “Happy Children’s Day, my friend.”
4. Decorate the border with dots, stars or paper scraps.
5. Children swap cards with a friend or take them home for a sibling.

5. Children’s Day badge

1. Draw round a steel katori on cardboard (from an old box) and cut out the circle.
2. Glue a slightly smaller circle of coloured paper on top.
3. Write “Superstar”, “Kind Friend” or “Happy Bal Diwas” in the middle.
4. Tape two short ribbons at the bottom.
5. Pin it on with a safety pin (adult only) or stick it with double-sided tape.

6. Paper balloon garland

1. Cut 10 to 12 oval balloon shapes from coloured paper. Older children can trace round a template.
2. Draw a small triangle knot at the bottom of each balloon.
3. Fold the top of each balloon over a long string and glue it down.
4. Hang the garland across the classroom door or window.

7. Handprint friendship tree

1. An adult draws a large tree trunk and branches on chart paper.
2. Children dip their palm in green, red or yellow poster paint and press it on the branches as leaves.
3. Once dry, each child writes or traces their name inside their handprint.
4. Add the title “Our Class Is a Family” at the top.

This is the messiest craft, so lay newspaper down and keep wet wipes and a bucket of water ready.

8. Friendship band

1. Cut three pieces of wool, each about 30 cm long, in different colours.
2. Knot them together at one end and tape the knot to the table.
3. Plait the three strands (left over middle, right over middle) until about 15 cm long.
4. Knot the end. Tie it on a friend’s wrist with a bow, not a tight knot.

For younger children, thread large wooden or paper beads on a single piece of wool instead.

9. Paper kite

1. Cut a square of coloured paper and turn it so a corner points up, making a diamond.
2. Glue two straws or thin sticks across it in a plus shape.
3. Glue a long ribbon or paper tail to the bottom corner and add three small paper bows.
4. Tie a thread to the cross point. This kite is for display and gentle running, not for flying high.

10. Paper chain

1. Cut paper strips about 2 cm wide and 15 cm long.
2. Glue the first strip into a loop.
3. Thread the next strip through the loop and glue it closed.
4. Keep going in a colour pattern: red, yellow, green, red, yellow, green.

11. Rose bookmark

1. Cut a strip of card about 5 cm wide and 18 cm long.
2. Draw a rose at the top and write “Keep reading” or the child’s name below.
3. Punch a hole at the top (adult) and tie on a ribbon.

12. Compliment jar

1. Decorate an empty jar or small box with paper and stickers.
2. Each child writes one kind sentence about a classmate on a slip: “Riya always shares her crayons.”
3. Fold the slips and put them in the jar.
4. Read a few aloud at the end of the day, or let each child take one home.

Easy craft for Children’s Day in school: tips for teachers

• Prepare kits the day before. Put each child’s paper, plate and strips in a zip pouch or envelope.
• Choose one main craft and one quick one. For example, paper roses for everyone, then a badge for children who finish early.
• Use group roles. In tables of five, one child hands out glue, one collects scraps, one keeps the crayons.
• Keep one adult per messy station. Paint is fine for a small group, not for 40 children at once.
• End with a show-and-tell. Each table holds up its crafts while the class claps.

Children’s Day craft for preschool: scissor-safety notes

• Give children aged 3 to 5 rounded-tip safety scissors only.
• Teach “scissors walk”: closed blades, held in a fist, pointing down.
• Cut sitting down, never walking around.
• For Nursery and LKG, an adult cuts difficult shapes; children tear, stick and colour.
• Keep staplers, safety pins, craft knives and hot glue with adults only.
• Use washable, non-toxic crayons, glue and poster paint.
• Watch small beads and buttons with under-fives, as they can be swallowed.

Tearing and sticking paper is excellent hand-strength practice. For more ideas that build little hands, see our fine motor activities for preschoolers.

Classroom display ideas

• Rose garden wall: stick all the paper roses on green chart paper with the title “Our Garden of Children”.
• Balloon doorway: hang the balloon garland and paper chains around the classroom door.
• Cap parade: children wear their newspaper caps for the assembly photo.
• Card line: peg greeting cards on a string across the room like a washing line.
• Friendship tree: place the handprint tree at the entrance for parents to see at pick-up.

Ready-to-print card and compliment cards

If you would like part of the day ready to print, our Children’s Day Activity Pack PDF (₹49, ages 4 to 8, 23 A4 pages) includes a fold-and-colour Children’s Day card, 8 compliment cards to cut out, a kind friend checklist and a friendship web with a class yarn-web game. It also has colouring pages (including a rose and rosebud), a maze, a word search, counting balloons and certificates. All pages are black line art and print well on any printer.

Get the Children’s Day Activity Pack – ₹49

Not sure yet? Try a free sample first: a 5-page PDF with the cover, 3 real pages from the pack and a contents page. Enter your name and email at checkout and download it with no payment.

For cutting and sticking practice all year, try the Dot-to-Dot and Cut-and-Paste Worksheets PDF (₹79). More ideas: Children’s Day activities for kids, our Children’s Day worksheets roundup and these Children’s Day drawing ideas. Browse all festival packs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest Children’s Day craft for kids?

A paper-plate smiley or a paper chain is easiest. Both need only paper, glue and crayons, and children aged 3 and up can finish them in about 15 minutes.

How do you make a paper rose for Children’s Day?

Cut a red paper circle into a spiral, roll it tightly from the outside in, glue the rolled spiral onto the centre piece, then attach it to a green straw with paper leaves.

Why is the rose linked to Children’s Day?

Children’s Day on 14 November is the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who is remembered for wearing a rose on his coat, so roses are a popular Children’s Day symbol.

What crafts can preschoolers make for Children’s Day?

Preschoolers enjoy a paper-plate smiley, a handprint tree, a paper chain and a balloon garland. Adults should do the cutting while children tear, stick and colour.

How can I do a Children’s Day craft with a big class?

Prepare a kit for each child the day before, choose one main craft and one quick extra, give table roles, and keep messy paint work to small groups.