Here are 12 fantasy crafts perfect for playtime and summer fun! Below you’ll find instructions for crafts that imaginative preschoolers and children will love to create. There are swans, dragons, wands, and more to amuse children for hours!
1. Paper Roll Fire-Breathing Dragon
Supplies:
- Toilet paper roll (can also use paper towel roll cut in half or even a wrapping paper roll)
- Glue (or tape)
- Hot glue*
- Your favorite color of construction paper, white construction paper
- Red and yellow tissue paper cut into long, thin strips
- Scissors
- Craft pom poms in your favorite color
- Black pen
*Have an adult use the glue gun
Directions:
- Begin by cutting your favorite colored construction paper into a smaller rectangle and wrapping it around the toilet paper roll. We chose green! Overlapping is okay—it doesn’t have to be exact.
- After gluing the paper around the toilet paper roll, cut two circles out of the white construction paper and draw a black circle on each for the eyes.
- With the help of a parent, use the hot glue gun to attach two pom poms to the top and bottom of the roll and to attach the eyes to the pom poms at the top of the roll. Now your dragon has eyes and a snout!
- Lastly, with regular glue, paste the bottom edge of the tissue paper strips to the inside of the bottom of the toilet paper roll (closest to the pom pom nostrils). Blow through the top of the dragon and watch the “flames” dance!
2. Toilet Paper Swan
Supplies:
- Toilet paper roll (can also use paper towel roll cut in half or even a wrapping paper roll)
- Scissors
- Paint
- Paint Brush
- Sharpie
- Glue
Directions:
- Squash your toilet roll flat.
- Now cut the toilet roll flat into a swan shape. See photo for reference!
- Use the extra cardboard to cut two leaf-shaped wings.
- Pop the toilet paper roll back into a round shape and bend the pointy edge down so it looks like a swan’s neck.
- Glue on the wings.
- Paint and decorate your swan however you’d like and add two dots for eyes!
3. Playtime Wand
Supplies:
- 1 sheet of felt in color of your choice
- 4 (7-inch) pieces of ribbon
- 9-inch dowel
- Hot glue*
- Scissors
*Have an adult use the glue gun
Directions:
- Fold the sheet of felt in half and trace a shape of your choice. Folding the sheet in half allows you to have a front and back for your wand. Cut out your shape and set aside.
- Cut out 4 (7-inch) pieces of ribbon. You can either cut four pieces of the same ribbon, or cut pieces from different types of ribbon.
- Lay out the two pieces of felt and hot glue two of the ribbons on one of the felt pieces. Then, glue the remaining ribbons and dowel to the other felt piece.
- Glue the two felt pieces together, and your wand is ready for playtime!
Use a small twig for your wizard’s magic wand!
Arrr! Add an eye patch and get ready to play.
Make a pretty horn and mane with creative paper combinations.
7. Monster Popsicle Stick Craft
Add a magnet to the back and keep your monster on the fridge.
An adorable frog—complete with a crown!
Gallop and fly with these fun finger puppets.
10. Princess Hats
Fun craft for a birthday party!
11. Handprint Castle
Add towers, a drawbridge, a moat, and a coat of arms!
12. Tin Foil Knight
Piece together foil and make a knight in shining armor!