You know what they say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure—but what if you could turn your trash into your kids’ treasure? You might not recognize Kimberly McLeod at the grocery store, but her platform The Best Ideas for Kids has a community of 4 million followers on social media. Plus, she’s been featured on TODAY and Good Housekeeping.
What makes her platform so special? She’s constantly coming up with new, creative crafts for kids—for free! The Best Ideas for Kids offers everything from DIY crafts using recycled materials and screen-free, science-based activities to recipes, printable worksheets, and more. Whether you’re on the go or need to find fun ways to keep the kids entertained with indoor crafts, this mama’s got you covered. I recently got the chance to talk with her, and here’s what she had to say:
What inspired you to start The Best Ideas for Kids?
I was on maternity leave with my first son and just started making things with him [like] handprint crafts that I wanted personally to have as keepsakes and memories. I started sharing those online and created a blog over 10 years ago.
Pinterest was just taking off, and some of the crafts went viral. I thought maybe I have a talent for coming up with crafts that people like. I love reusing things we already have around our home. I have so many recycled craft ideas that I created a book with 60+ crafts [from my] little over 10 years of creating and sharing. I want to be the ultimate resource for parents to go for free resources.
Parents are always looking for easy wins—what are your go-to indoor crafts that require minimal supplies but keep kids engaged the longest?
Not one craft, but one parent hack: I created an art cart. (Like IKEA.) When my kids were little, I put together an art cart with washable markers, washable paints, stickers, popsicle sticks, construction paper and made it all accessible on this cart. When they’re bored, [I tell my kids] “Go to your art cart.” Because it is out, kids will sometimes go to it on their own and create their own things from their own imagination. They put their own spin on it. It’s a great starting point—creating independent fun!
What makes a craft or activity truly “kid-approved” in your experience, especially for younger kids with short attention spans?
I always try to make things super easy—as easy as possible. Even as an adult, I love easy too. Using recycled materials is great because kids love to turn trash to treasure. A paper roll becomes a butterfly. [I prefer] low mess! For example, I like to use glue dots instead of white glue or hot glue, which you don’t want to use with little kids. (It’s safer for littles [to use glue dots] before they can operate a hot glue gun for adding a pompom.) There’s also alternatives to using paint if you don’t want to use it either.
For busy parents, what’s one screen-free activity you recommend that can be set up in under 10 minutes?
One of my favorite activities that’s super easy to set up that a lot of my followers love is the color-by-number pages. There are free printables on my website. I think adults like it too. The satisfaction to see it. You can print them out, put the coloring pens out, and it keeps them busy. All you need is a printer.
For Older Kids:
They’re still learning how to follow instructions and how to build fine motor skills (cutting, gluing) for a step-by-step instructions craft. They are encouraged to make it their own. My daughter made her own purple paper roll frog. You don’t have to make it exactly like that—you can use it as a starting point.
Are there certain types of crafts that work especially well for different age groups, like toddlers versus elementary-age kids?
When they’re really little, the cutting is harder for them. Things you can put out that don’t involve a lot of cutting are great. When they get older, you can use more of the tools like the hot glue gun and scissors. My now nine year old can do hands-on more complicated and advanced crafts. Some things she can do on her own while being supervised, like gluing on pompoms to a claypot snowman. I have a wide assortment of age-related crafts and I have an index where you can sort by age on the website.
Craft Ideas:
- Air-dried clay like pinch pots and clay dishes
- Friendship bracelets
- Decor-type crafts (like wooden spoon crafts)
- Nature crafts like leaf art (can get much more intricate with it or use pressed flowers)
Studies that show that when you do art/crafting, you’re using the part of your brain that cancels out anxiety. It’s therapeutic and calming. There’s a lot of value in teens and adults doing crafts as well.
What are some everyday household items parents can repurpose into fun crafts or activities without buying anything extra?
Here are my top 3 favorite recycled household items:
- Cardboard
- Paper rolls
- Egg cartons
Other Household Items You Can Use:
- Popsicle sticks
- Jars (any kind that can be cleaned out)
- Brown paper bags
- Newspaper/magazines for scrap paper or can be painted
- Scrap paper (cardstock or construction)
- Tissue boxes
- Bubble wrap
- Tissue paper (save it, you can use it in crafts even if it’s wrinkled!)
You’ve built a community of millions of parents—what kinds of activities do you see resonating most with families right now?
One of the favorites that I have that everyone seems to love is snowdough. It’s kind of like a playdough, but with no food dye. It’s more of this smooth, softer doughy feel. Basically all you have to do is half a cup of lotion and 1 cup of corn starch and knead it until it becomes a dough. You can get out cookie cutters, or build snowmen.
One of my favorites every year is to turn a paper roll into a heart. You form it with your hands. Then you can use it to stamp paper with it or a banner. You can also cut it in that heart-shape and paint inside the paper roll.
For rainy days or long afternoons at home, what’s one simple activity that consistently saves the day for parents?
I like to have my kids create a bored jar. Save a recycled jar with popsicle sticks or paper inside it with ideas. When you have those rainy days, they can pull those out and have an idea of something they can do. As a parent, we kind of forget the classic rainy day things:
- Hide & seek
- Building a fort
- Floor is lava
- Simon says
- Keep the balloon up
- Freeze dance
It’s great to write them down!
What advice do you have for parents who feel intimidated by crafts but still want to create meaningful, creative moments with their kids?
Starting with the art cart is the best thing to do, and then simple, printable activities like the color-by-numbers or print, cut, glue, put-together activities. Don’t put a ton of pressure on yourself if you’re not a crafty person. Just start somewhere. The kids will kinda make their own thing anyway. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. Start with whatever you can manage and go from there. Moms and parents have enough pressure on themselves. Keep things easy, keep things light.
One of the other fun games that my kids and a lot of my followers love is Would You Rather questions. I have a ton of questions on my website, but I also have a book of 101 Would You Rather questions, which is great for pulling it out when traveling or at dinner. It’s a fun game because we can all come up with our own questions, but sometimes we run out of ideas. What I love about Would You Rather questions is we always ask the question, but then we say, “Why would you choose that?” and it sparks conversation and learning about your kid in a whole new way. I have a ton of resources available for those as well.
Follow her on Instagram (@bestideasforkids), Facebook (@thebestideasforkids), and Pinterest (@bestideaskids) to be inspired for your next free craft.
