Mardi Gras Crafts For Kids!

Memphis is so close to New Orleans - how could we not get in on the fun!! We have something for every age group!

Paint With Mardi Gras Beads

We love simply letting kids play with art. Painting with unconventional items is a great way to do just that! This is also a great project for the little guys to experiment with making different types of textures and marks on their paper. Simply dip the beads in paint and have at it. We used fun Mardi Gras colors. Just be sure not to mix the purple and yellow together too much or you'll get brown!

*Tips: Use Crayola Washable Paint. Some brands that say they are “washable” will actually stain your walls and children! Crayola is hands down our favorite brand. It is non-toxic and is really easy to clean up. Also, we recommend getting a craft tray like this one or use a rimmed baking sheet for painting.

Make a Model Magic King Cake

After beads, King Cakes are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking of Mardi Gras. We thought it would be fun to make one out of Crayola Model Magic Clay and use glitter or sand for the "sugar." Simply divide ball of clay into 3 pieces, roll them out long and braid them together. Next, form your braid into a circle and pinch to secure. Finally, paint glue or glossy Mod Podge on top and sprinkle with colored sand to look like sugar. You can also use glitter if you don't have colored sand on hand.

Make a Parade Float

Kids love working with recycled materials, so we thought it would be fun to have them build their own Mardi Gras float. First, find materials - we found Mac and Cheese boxes to be a great size. Wrap box in paper. We made "fringe" for the bottom of the float by taking long strips of construction paper and cutting feather like slits in it. We finished our float by adding glitter, tissue paper and painted toilet paper rolls.

Collage a Fleur De Lis

We provided kids with a template of a Fleur De Lis and lots and lots of fabric/paper scraps in Mardis Gras colors. After it was finished, we thought it needed an outline. We used Crayola's Metallic Markers to do this. You could also add glitter!

Mard Gras Mask

Of course, you can't have a Mardi Gras week without a mask! We provided a template for the mask & poster board. Younger kids will need help cutting the eyes out with scissors or an x-acto knife. We wanted kids to have instant gratification and be able to wear their mask immediately, so didn't want to use too much glue or glitter. Instead, we gave them Kwik Stix and Crayola Glitter Markers. Kwik Stix are fabulous because they are tempera paint that dries in 90 seconds. After the mask is decorated, tape on a feather and a craft stick and it is good to go!