On platforms like TikTok, felt crafts have been gaining popularity as fun and relatively easy ways for toddlers to be creative. There are so many things little ones can do with felt. And the best part is that felt sort of sticks to itself like low-grade Velcro — so glue or sewing isn't required to create most toys or accessories or art.
For any parents who are looking to entertain their children with some inexpensive and simple crafts, we've compiled 15 easy options. Keep reading to start creating.
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Felt Flowers
Craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels sell pre-designed felt ribbon. Kids can simply roll the ribbon up to create felt flowers, succulents, and more. It's a pretty easy task and good for toddlers' fine motor skills to try coiling the felt into the desired shapes.
Wet Felting
Using wool roving (the loose fibers that make felt), kids can place patches of color in a square shape and then use soap and water to agitate the fibers. This helps them knit together and create a felted item. TikToker @cleverpatch has a helpful tutorial to get families started.
Ribbon Garland Activity
Parents can cut out (or buy pre-cut felt shapes for kids to string on ribbon to make garlands. If the little ones enjoy the activity, there are endless banner options for every holiday. And it's another good option to keep toddlers working on their fine motor skills. As they get older, they can also practice cutting the shapes out themselves.
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DIY Puzzle
The blog Toddler at Play recommends using felt sheets to make puzzles for children. Parents don't have to make them super complicated. Even just cutting a squiggly or jagged shape down the middle of the felt works to create these DIY puzzles. Young kids will have fun figuring out how to put them back together.
Finger Puppets
Parents may need to help a bit on this craft to glue (or sew) the edges of the felt together. But once the kids have the puppet template, they can draw or paint faces on the felt to make their own unique puppets. TikToker @timmsevitz has a helpful finger puppet tutorial to check out.
Tic-Tac-Toe
The best crafts are ones that kids can keep playing with long after the initial activity is over. Parents can help their little ones cut shapes out of felt to use as pieces. Then the child can draw or paint a piece of felt as the board. After that, they can keep playing with it as long as they want. As a bonus, it's a lightweight game to bring on an outing to entertain the kiddos.
Felt Pizza
Felt food can be an inexpensive and more natural alternative to purchasing plastic toy food at the store. Amazon sells all kinds of felt food pieces, or parents can help kids cut their own. One great way to play with the foods is to create a pizza on a circle of felt adding whatever toppings the kid wants. TikToker @isabellaoseguera_ has a video tutorial for this activity.
Mess-Free Pumpkin Carving
Real pumpkin carving can make such a mess and can be dangerous for young kids. Instead, try making felt jack o' lanterns like TikToker @lion_and_bear. Cut a pumpkin shape out of orange felt and then make some eye, nose, and mouth shape options from black felt. Kids will enjoy playing around with different combinations.
Decorate the Christmas Tree
When the holiday season rolls around, kids can help decorate a felt tree with felt ornaments. This is a craft that works especially well thanks to the fact that felt naturally sticks to other felt. Kids can rearrange the ornaments, add new ones, remove some, and parents can store the whole thing for use year after year. See @tiny_waste's TikTok video for a full tutorial.
'Color' on the Walls
Another great way to utilize felt's natural sticking power is by making a felt board. Attach a piece of felt to a wall and let children place felt shapes on it. It's sort of like they get to draw on the wall, but it all comes off clean. See @mama_chey_'s TikTok tutorial for more information.
Make a Cake
TikTok mom @toftoddlertime made a craft cake by covering foam with felt and then letting her little one add felt decorations. Parents need to be a little more hands-on through the process of this activity since it requires glue and cutting out the felt, but the end result is worth it.
Masquerade Costume
Toddlers who are old enough to use scissors — or younger kids with parental help — can draw and cut faces out of felt. Add some eyeholes for the kids to wear them as superhero masks. TikToker @leilooney made animal-themed masks with her kids if parents are looking for inspiration.
Silly Creature
Little ones can draw eyes or stick pieces of felt on a larger piece of felt to make funny monsters. The designs can stay two-dimensional, but it's fun to make them into plushies also. When they finish their design, parents can help them sew up the edges and add a little stuffing to bring their monster toys to life.
Colorful Crown
Parents can cut a crown shape out of a strip of felt and let kids color the felt or add stick-on gems or other designs out of felt pieces. When they're done, just attach the two edges of the strip together to make a wearable accessory. Check out @teach.craft.parties on TikTok for a tutorial.
Personalized Pennant
If parents cut a triangle pennant shape out of felt, little ones can decorate it with markers, paint, or other felt shapes. They also sell stick-on felt letters on Amazon if the child wants to spell out their name. It'll make for supercute art in their room.
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