Despite telling my kids repeatedly that I am not Julie from the Love Boat- aka; I am not a cruise and activities director, much to their chagrin; I have no magic tricks up my sleeve and despite my son’s insistence I will not don clown makeup and begin to juggle-they still LOVE to complain about their BOREDOM- I know such First world problems– they are lucky I don’t have them trekking to a well to draw water or working in a field plowing the land.

But it is officially spring break, and that’s all part of the mystique of this vacation from school-free fun for kids- they expect everyday to be a carnival thrown in their honor. And I get it– but unfortunately I am not a ring master just a mom.

So the next time your kids even utter the words I’m bored, you can whip out this trusty list of Felt Crafts for Kids I’m about to regale you with thanks to our contributor Annabelle Carter Short. These crafts are DESIGNED to entertain and amuse your kids and stave off their boredom. 

And if you live locally on Staten Island I have also rounded up some fun places to take the kids!

Activities that will keep kids from uttering the words ” I’m Bored”

Felt Crafts for Kids

Thanks to our contributor Annabelle Carter Short, a writer and seamstress of more than 7 years who has devised this post Felt Crafts for Kids.

When not working, she’s spending time with her family or putting pen to paper for her own personal pursuits. Annabelle is a mother and she likes to make crafts and DIY projects with her two kids. Annabelle is passionate about autism and she homeschools her autistic son. She also works with few organizations to provide the best resources for raising and educating a special needs child. 

Crafts can be a fun pastime for kids and even teach them new skills. However, doing the same types of crafts over and over can get dull. If you are looking for new crafts to do with your kids, you can use these ideas to grab some felt and get started!

1. Panda Finger Puppets

The first craft on our list is a felt finger puppet. These are a fun craft because it’s not only fun to make but it’s fun to play with afterward!

To get your child started on this craft, you’ll need some white felt and black felt as well as a needle and thread. Now, cut out two pieces of white felt for either side of the panda’s body. Make sure these pieces are a little bigger than the wearer’s finger. Once you have this, start to cut out black pieces to represent the arms, ears, and eyes. Sew these into place with thread on one of the white pieces from earlier. Finally, sew the two white pieces together, leaving a gap for the wearer’s finger.

 

2. Felt Tooth

photo credit

A unique idea for a craft is to help your child make a stuffed tooth of their very own. To do this, you’ll want to cut out a pair of tooth-shaped pieces from white felt. On one piece, sew on a pair of black beads for eyes and embroider on a mouth and eyelashes. Before sewing both sides together entirely, remember to add stuffing to give it shape.

 

3. Stuffed Owl

For a more colorful craft, you can collect a few different colors of felt and create owls. You will want to cut out the body of the owl alongside wings, eyes, feet, and a beak. Add the stuffing to the body after attaching the eyes and beak. Then you can add the wings, feet, and a ribbon to the top to hang it up.

4. Stuffed Bird

Similar to the owl but slightly simpler is a little stuffed songbird. To start, cut out a teardrop shape for the body and two smaller teardrop shapes for the wings. Once you have each side prepared with the attached wing and bead for an eye, you can add stuffing and a beak.

5. Flower Embellishment

This can be done as a lone project or as an embellishment for another felt creation. This one allows you to be a little more creative and detailed. You can start by overlapping different sized circles of different colors and add beading and threading to create something one-of-a-kind.

6. Felt Sheep

This one is a cute way to use simple supplies: black felt, white felt, buttons, yard, and beads. To start, create the cloud-shaped body of the sheep and make sure to add the head with black felt and button eyes. Now take four pieces of yarn and tie a know on one end of each to hold the beads for feet in place. Attach these pieces of yarn to the bottom of the body.

7. Felt Cupcakes

If your kid has a sweet tooth, you might want to consider a felt cupcake craft. To start each of these, create a circular, stuffed piece for the bottom of the cupcake. Then you can create a circular, decorated piece and attach it to the top as the icing.

8. Handmade Letters

This is a great craft to make to hang on your kid’s door or wall of their bedroom. You can cut out and stuff any letter you want. The best way to personalize this craft is to choose unique felt patterns or add your own embellishments such as flowers.

9. Felt Heart

Another easy felt craft is to cut out a pair of hears and sew them together and stuff them. You can even add details such as stars on the heart by embroidering them on the felt before sewing the two sides together.

10. Fox Keychain

You can create a stuffed fox with just a little orange felt, white felt, and thread. For the eyes and nose, you can just use a black permanent marker to color the eyes and nose. When you’re done, you can use a little braided thread to attach it to a keychain ring.

And if you are ready for some sunshine and local fun- keep reading for a few great Staten Island attractions that your kids will enjoy and  are Activities that will keep kids from uttering the words ” I’m Bored”.

Hiking in the greenbelt. We go up moses mountain- it’s a peaceful, beautiful view and feels like you’ve left urban life and you’re in another place. Bike riding in Silver Lake park: one of the best kept secrets on Staten Island, it’s closed off to traffic on the weekends, its a smooth carefree path to bike, run and Rollerblade,they’ve also got a dog run and they opened a brand new swing set and play ground, and the
lake is heavenly.

The Staten Island Children’s museum: This rivals any NYC museum, with so many hands on activities; it’s nothing like the typical austere do not touch type of museum.. They have a stage, a bee colony, a real fire truck,cooking and art workshops and so many more goodies. Plus it’s on
the grounds of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

Wolfe’s pond: You can BBQ there, go to the beach, go under the
sprinklers its like an oasis amid our urban environment.

Our libraries which are truly fabulous and chock full of programs that are free! Crafts, story time, video games, Yu-Gi-Oh card time, Read aloud and puzzle time.

The Staten Island zoo. It’s totally manageable, you don’t feel
overwhelmed, but yet you get to see so many different species, plus there’s a good old fashioned petting zoo and pony rides, and you can just tell the staff there just loves what they’re doing and are committed to education and preservation.

Historic Richmond Town…right here on our very own Island you can travel back in time and see how early State Island settlers lived–it’s truly awe-inspiring- they’ve got original buildings dress in traditional garb and host family friendly events all year long, seriously who needs colonial Williamsburg!