After a long day at school, your kids may not want to do anything but watch TV or play video games, which can be detrimental to their development. Instead, why not engross them in various crafts or games that promote their mental and physical health? Below, you’ll find a wide range of ideas that’ll engage your young learners’ minds as they dabble in some amazing art projects, science experiments, and problem-solving games. Try these 28 enchanting after-school activities to keep your elementary-aged kids off the screen and actively learning!
1. Create a Catapult
Calling all of your little engineers! Challenge your students to design a functioning catapult using popsicle sticks and rubber bands! In their last step of construction, they’ll attach a bottlecap to their catapult to hold their projectile in place- marshmallows and paper balls work well!
Learn More:Kids Discovery Place
2. Spaghetti Towers
Two food items that don’t naturally go together can make for an exciting STEM activity! Dry spaghetti noodles and marshmallows are the perfect materials for your kids to build sturdy towers. If you don’t have the required materials on hand, your littles can use straws and tape. As they experiment with design techniques they can compete to build the tallest tower!
Learn More:RIGB
3. Build a Ball Drop Maze
Building a ball drop is an excellent way to use recycled materials and promote critical thinking in your pupils. To do so, they’ll take empty paper towel rolls, wrapping paper, and toilet paper rolls, and tape them to a wall with painter’s tape; constructing a fun maze for a ball to travel through. Your elementary students won’t even realize that they’re working on their fine and gross motor skills while creating this fun contraption.
Learn More:Cambridge Montessori
4. Magnetic Slime
Making slime is an activity that ALL students love. Change it up from the regular recipe by adding black iron oxide powder and liquid starch to make it magnetic! We bet your kiddos will be impressed by the new properties of their gooey toy; making it perfect for an interactive and engaging after-school activity.
Learn More:Little Bins For Little Hands
5. Minute To Win It Games
Minute to win it games are exhilarating, competitive games that can be played individually against a timer, or with teams! There are hundreds of exciting games for your kids to choose from- like stacking as many dice as they can on a popsicle stick that’s balancing in their mouth. They’ll feel the pressure as they only have 60 seconds to complete each of the tasks!
Learn More:Tiny Beans
6. Can You Fit Through An Index Card?
When asking your kiddies- can you fit it through an index card… most children will say no! Hand them a pair of scissors and see if they’re up for the task! After they struggle through a few tries, cutting different shapes and holes- offer them up the trick! They’ll see how, with the proper cuts, they can expand the size of the paper and fit their bodies through it! They’ll definitely think it’s magic and want to show all of their friends!
Learn More:Parent Vault
7. Build a Hovercraft
Your kids will surely be on board for building a DIY hovercraft after school! They’ll start by gathering the necessary materials; a balloon, duct tape, a rubber band, a straw, a CD, a pencil, a skewer, and a piece of packing foam to create their flying machines! The construction process is only half the fun; once they add their air supply they can play games and race their hoverboards all afternoon long!
Learn More:PBS Kids
8. Make a Lava Lamp
Lava lamps are a great after-school craft that’s suitable for any age. Plus, they can be used for mindfulness and calming down. All your kiddos need is some vegetable oil, colors, glitter, and anything else that they’d like to see floating around in their jars. Once they’ve mixed everything, they can seal it and watch in awe as the lava flows!
Learn More:Parent Vault
9. Egg Drop Challenge
I’m sure you’ve seen, or even remember doing, the classic egg drop activity yourself! Provide your elementary kiddos with an egg, a cup, a bag, a string, and something to cushion their egg with. Then, task them with creating a special design that can be used to house an egg and protect it from breaking when dropped from a height. Whether successful or not, prompt them to analyze their designs based on the outcome of the experiment!
Learn More:There’s Just One Mommy
10. Pop Up Cards
We all see the value in teaching our kids to be thoughtful and kind humans, right? In this activity, your students will design a pop-up card and write a sincere note to a friend or family member. Prompt them to add their own artistic touch with a pop-up flower, superhero, or any other image of choice!
Learn More:Tinker Lab
11. Make A Balloon Car
Balloon cars are a fun children’s activity promoting higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills. Challenge your older elementary kids to make the fastest car from an empty, plastic bottle and a balloon! Once they’ve added some bottle cap wheels- they’ll be all set to race all of their friends!
Learn More:Science Buddies
12. String Puppets
We love these unique string puppets, and we know your kids will too! Essentially, they’ll thread string through straws to make jointed limbs and add a paper face to decorate their puppets. Then, they can pull the tabs to make their puppets dance and move around as they entertain you with a puppet show!
Learn More:PBS Kids
13. Finger Knitting
You and your kiddos may be surprised to know that you can knit with just your fingers and some yarn! Finger knitting is an excellent fine motor activity that will calm your students down after school. Following step-by-step guides, they’ll be able to knit blankets, hats, and animals by wrapping yarn around their fingers!
Learn More:The Craft Train
14. Foil Art
Foil art is a fantastic art project that your little ones will love! All they’ll need is a piece of aluminum foil and some paint! Simply have them crumple up the foil for some texture, and then get to work painting their very own masterpieces!
Learn More:Toddler Approved
15. Suminagashi
Suminagashi is an art technique from Japan that will keep your kiddos entertained for hours on end! They’ll need marbling paints, brushes, and a bin filled with 2 inches of water. To begin, get them to place a piece of paper into the bin filled with water. Next, they can load their paint brushes with colored ink and tap the surface of the water; watching the ink instantly spread into a beautiful work of art! Finally, they can remove their sheet of paper and hang it up to dry.
Learn More:Inner Child Fun
16. Make A Kaleidoscope
These DIY kaleidoscopes are the perfect after-school activity for your kiddos to create and then play with! To make them- they’ll need a toilet paper tube, a straw, paper, and mylar strips of mirrored paper. They’ll follow the steps to piece together the eyehole before spending time coloring unique designs on the piece of paper that they’ll gaze at.
Learn More:Buggy And Buddy
17. Rubber Band Art
Rubber band art is an excellent activity for after-school time and best of all it requires minimal supplies. All your pupils need is cardstock paper, rubber bands, and a sponge. To create their masterpieces, they can wrap rubberbands around the piece of paper, dip sponges in paint, and apply them to their sheet of paper. Once the paint dries, they can cut the rubber bands and reveal all of the cool lines and color splotches!
Learn More:Babble Dabble Do
18. Popsicle Stick Weaving
Popsicle weaving will surely keep your kids busy and calm after school! With 2 craft sticks tied together in a T shape, they’ll weave yarn around the sticks to create a mandala-like design. This is a great fine motor activity with an end product that can be hung in their rooms as a decoration.
Learn More:Pretty Opinionated
19. Popsicle Stick Harmonicas
Who knew that you could make a harmonica out of popsicle sticks? This musical instrument is easy to make and only requires popsicle sticks, a straw, rubber bands, and loom bands! Your students will be surprised when they blow into their craft and it makes a melodic sound!
Learn More:My Baba
20. Leaf Rubbing
This autumn-inspired art project invites you to take your students on a walk to collect a variety of attractive leaves after school. Then, they’ll be ready to apply the leaf rubbing technique by placing their leaves underneath a piece of parchment paper and coloring over the top with crayons. The veins and intricate details of the leaves will pop into a texturized fall collage!
Learn More:KC Edventures
21. Raised Salt Painting
Your kiddies will be obsessed with raised salt painting! To start, they’ll squeeze glue onto cardstock. Then, they’ll sprinkle salt all over the lines of glue. Finally, they can carefully apply watercolors to each of the lines and let their art pieces dry. Completing this simple art activity is a quiet way for your pupils to spend the afternoon.
Learn More:Artful Parent
22. Watermelon Chess
Despite the name, this strategy game that’s been derived from China is nothing similar to the classic game of chess. This is a 2 player battle game that requires a few counters and a printable board. Your elementary kids will need to engage their problem-solving skills to be the first to immobilize their opponent’s markers!
Learn More: What We Do All Day
23. Snowflake Suncatcher
This after-school activity is sure to brighten your children’s winter days!! They’ll have tons of fun cutting snowflakes out of colored paper and adhering them to clear plastic wrap. After tearing up a rainbow of tissue paper, your students can glue the pieces into a mosaic design and cheerfully watch the sun shine through once they’re hung in a nearby window.
Learn More: Kids Activity Zone
24. Roll A Monster
Time to bring out your little one’s inner monster with this fun dice and art game! To prepare, print out the instructions and give your kids dice and colorful felt pieces. According to the number they roll, they’ll then follow the directions to craft a unique felt monster. For example, rolling a 4 means that they’ll have to add one horn, and a 5 allows them to add one leg. The fun part is that they can play this multiple times and they’ll always end up with a different Frankenstein-like monster!
Learn More: HomeMade Heather
25. Breathing Exercises
Breathwork is a beneficial practice that teaches your young ones to calm their minds and improve their mental health. A simple and effective breathing exercise is inhaling and exhaling in the shape of mountains. Another fun technique allows them to practice breathing like a cute, little bunny!
Learn More: La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools
26. The Floor is Lava
Here’s a great activity to expel your students’ energy at the end of a school day! To play, begin by scattering paper or felt stepping stones across the “lava” to protect your young one’s feet. Add some numbers or words to get them to practice math facts or recite sight words as they hop along; trying their best not to fall into the burning lava!
Learn More: Learning Resources
27. Animal Yoga
Yoga combines physical activity, mental awareness, and emotional skills all rolled into one. Pick a card and have your little ones practice flowing their body to become an elephant, crocodile, or even a tiger! To boost self-esteem, they can rehearse positive mantras to fully bring mindfulness to their thoughts!
Learn More: Washington State University
28. DIY Trees
This tactile activity is a wonderful way to bring nature to life. Begin the sensory play by having your kids crush up dry leaves from outside. Then, they can cut and paste paper in the form of a tree and glue all of their different leaf crumbs to make a colorful 3D tree!
Learn More: TikTok
29. Dreamcatchers
Chase your little one’s nightmares away by keeping this intricate dreamcatcher next to their bed at night. To create, they’ll simply need to cut the middle out of a paper plate before weaving yarn between punched holes along the circumference. Then, they’re free to decorate their dreamcatchers using markers, beads, and glitter- maybe even hanging feathers to add some finishing flair!
Learn More: One Little Project
30. Robot Dance
Dust off that boom box and get your kids ready to move!! In this musical gross motor skills game, your littles will be able to show off their best robotic dance moves as you call out different movement commands. For example; walk in a rectangle, take on giant step, and spin in a circle- all while acting as a stiff robot!
Learn More: Sara J. Creations
31. Exploring Colors
This colorful activity merges science and art as it invites your kids to explore the hues created from a chemical reaction. To set up, they’ll need to fill a tray with baking soda and an ice cube tray with vinegar and different watercolors. Then, they’ll use droplets to blend the vinegar colors with the baking soda; resulting in an awesome reaction.
Learn More: Buggy and Buddy
32. Nature Bracelet
All you need for this creative activity is a piece of tape and the beautiful outdoors. By turning the sticky side up and wrapping tape around your child’s wrist, they can walk around sticking a variety of natural textiles to their bracelets. They can use flower petals, blades of grass, and even clovers for good luck!
Learn More: Sprouting Wild Ones
33. Who We Are On the Inside
Teach your children that what truly makes them unique is their thoughts and feelings with this introspective spin on a self-portrait! First, they’ll need to fold a small portion of the top of the paper down and illustrate their faces- with their forehead meeting at the fold. Once complete, they’ll open the fold to reveal a space at the crown of their head where they’ll write or draw everything that flows through their beautiful mind!
Learn More: Art with Mrs. E
34. Water Drop Race
Get ready, get set, H2O! This is a super cool way to introduce your little scientists in training to the idea of surface tension. For experiment tools, they’ll need water, straws, and parchment paper. Challenge your students to move water from a start to a finish line by blowing the droplets across the wax paper with a straw!
Learn More: What We Do All Day
35. Coffee Filter Wall Hanging
Your students will be dying to hang their coffee filter art projects with pride! Grab some coffee filters and have your elementary-aged children decorate them with a mix of watercolors. Once dried, they can attach the painted filters to a branch with string. Pottery Barn can’t compete with this colorful display!
Learn More: Art Bar Blog
36. Seussian Sculptures
Calling all Dr. Seuss fans! This activity will unlock your child’s creativity when you present them with a colorful mix of media such as pipe cleaners, beads, pool noodle pieces, and any other whimsical material. They’ll enjoy fusing the most interesting ideas into these non-traditional sculptures!
Learn More: Scrum Dilly Do
