Do you like to make homemade play items with your kids? I’m not a very crafty person, but I love to try to make easy crafts with my two kids (key word being easy).
Recently, I was assigned to make homemade playdough by my son’s preschool teacher. The kids helped, although they were a bit useless in the cleanup department!
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how simple and fun it was to make the play dough with my two young sons.
I wanted to find some other crafts that had already been tested and used by more experienced, DIY-loving people.
Here’s a list of 10 simple crafts using essential oils that you can make with your kids.
*Remember to always make sure that any oils you use are safe and age-appropriate for your children.
1. Scented Scratch Art Paper
Making designs on these sheets or scratching off the entire black surfaces occupy my sons for a long time. This might be a little bit messy, but so worth it.
Head over to Farmhouse Posey to learn how to make this fun activity.
2. Scented Cloud Dough
What’s cloud dough? I had to investigate a bit to find the answer since I had never heard of it before.
Cloud dough is sometimes also called moon sand and is a soft, moldable dough made with 2-3 ingredients that’s softer than playdough. Best of all, it’s quick to make and involves no cooking!
Find this recipe at Growing A Jeweled Rose.
3. Lavender Scented Beans (Calming Sensory Play)
This is a twist on the typical rice or beans for a sensory bin. Dye the beans and add lavender essential oil to provide a calming playtime experience for your toddler.
As for me, I’d probably lay my head down in the bin and fall asleep, thinking it was a cloud!
Read more about it at And Next Comes L.
4. Kid-Friendly Bath Bombs
A self-proclaimed PhD scientist, Justine over at Fizz the Season created a website devoted exclusively to making bath bombs after her kids became obsessed with using her bath bombs.
She developed a recipe for bath bombs that uses minimal, kid-friendly ingredients.
Try it and fizz away with your kids here.
5. Infused Crayons
I love this craft because it takes old, broken crayons and recycles them into colorful, beautifully scented crayons. It’s a win for the environment and for keeping the kids entertained!
Read more at Sisterly Strong.
6. Indoor Scented Paint
Making scented paint is incredibly easy. In a nutshell, add a few drops of essential oil into paint, and painting becomes a different experience for your child.
The Preschool Toolbox blog details this easy activity and offers a great pre-writing activity for preschoolers.
7. Slime with Essential Oils
I like this recipe because it doesn’t use Borax, a controversial ingredient which is often listed in DIY slime recipes. It also looks really pretty as far as slime goes.
I doubt my boys will admire the outward beauty, though! I also like that in addition to the recipe, the article also includes useful tips, such as how to remove slime out of hair, clothes, carpet, etc.
Read about it at Got Oil Supplies.
8. Aromatherapy Playdough
A lot of homemade playdough recipes are vague and leave you guessing about how much essential oil to add into the mix, but this one by The Prairie Homestead is specific in the number of drops for optimum scent.
The playdough is colorful, and there’s also suggestions for different oils to use to enhance your kids’ moods.
Get the recipe here.
9. Infused Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Much easier to make than sidewalk chalk, this paint is only 3-4 ingredients and quick and easy. With the weather warming up, kids will love bringing this paint outside and unleashing their creativity.
Read more from the always creative Farmhouse Posey.
10. Scented Snowman Sock Buddy
It’s springtime, but at the very moment I’m writing this article, it’s snowing.
Even though we’ve been getting our garden ready, I had to include this adorable snowman sock buddy to the list. If snowmen are not your kids’ cup of tea, it can be modified into a different animal or simply a weird alien creature.
I plan to heat up our poor snowman in the microwave as a hot pad.
Make your sock buddy/heating pad at Views from a Stepstool.
I hope you enjoy making these fun activities with your kids! Let us know how your crafts turned out or if you have suggestions on improving any of them!
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