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No screen time and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg? Talk about a win-win!

I am a contributor and former BuzzFeed Shopping writer based in Cincinnati, OH where you can find me curating lists on ~a little bit of everything~ (and adding a few things to my own cart in the process).

This comes with everything you need to create the perfect slime — containers, stirring sticks, jelly cubes, a manual, clay, fishbowl beads, foam balls, inks, glitter, a tool knife set, pearl beads, slime activator, glue, scents, and snow powder. 

Promising reviews: "The Original Stationery Unicorn Slime Kit is a dream come true for kids who love crafting and creativity, designed specifically to enchant girls aged 10–12 with the magic of making their own unicorn-themed slime. This comprehensive kit includes everything needed to create a variety of slimes, from glittery to glow-in-the-dark, ensuring hours of fun and imaginative play. Safe and easy to use, it's an ideal gift for encouraging scientific experimentation and artistic expression in a whimsical and engaging way." —Angela

"This is the best slime kit I’ve come across. I saw it last minute before my daughter’s birthday (11) and thought I’d get it as an add-on to her presents. It turned out to be her favorite gift! Her brother (8) joined in and made slime with her, and she still has enough to make more of all types." —Elizabeth

Get it from Amazon for $21.98+ (available in four styles).

It has gels, molds, gloves, gelling-solution pellets, a strainer, and a jar.

Promising review: "My kids had so much fun with this! They spent hours making the little water pets and playing with them afterward. It kept them entertained for a long time, and they really enjoyed seeing their creations come to life. Such a fun and creative activity for kids. Definitely a hit in our house!" —Nisha Patel

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (also available in a jumbo version and solution refill).

Promising review: "This journal kit was a big hit with my 10-year-old granddaughter. She loved all the trinkets and supplies. She even liked the box with all the sections to organize everything. She chattered away about all the fun projects she would be able to do." —Kindle Customer

It comes with 15 aqua puffs, 10 markers, two water pens, six keychains, string, and instructions.

Promising review: "My 5-year-old granddaughter made three of these last night when she was visiting. She loved coloring the pictures carefully, and then dripping the water on them. She made one for her backpack, one for her friend, and one for me. I keep craft supplies on hand, for my grandchildren to do when they spend time with me. They have a lot of fun with them, and are proud to show their creations to their parents." —Kaycee

Get it from Amazon for $19.97+ (available in four versions).

It comes with paint, brushes, and a palette. 

Promising review: "Bought this as a Christmas gift for my youngest sibling, who is a bit artsy fartsy. She absolutely loves it; she had a blast painting and customizing this cute little cat. It was easy for her to set up and do it all on her own. It seems pretty well made from what I have seen of it on her nightstand. She had no issues with paint or stickers staying on. There are no weird lumps, shapes, or textures on the lamp. It is also the perfect light as a night-light; it isn't too bright to be disruptive, but still offers enough for her to feel better at night." —Emily

Get it from Amazon for $12.98 (also available in five other animals). 

The kit comes with 44 pre-cut and pre-sanded wooden pieces, 12 paint tub, three wooden paint brushes, four sheets of racing stickers, and a wood glue pen.

Promising review: "This was such a fun activity! The wooden race cars were easy to put together and came with bright, colorful paints that kept my son entertained. He loved painting his own car and was so proud to race it afterward. It’s a great screen-free craft that encourages creativity and makes a fun afternoon project. Everything we needed was included, and the cars held up well after play. We’d definitely buy this kit again!" —Kristina

It comes with 12 sun catchers, 12 suction cups, some cord, an acetate sheet, a glitter paint pen, seven tubes of window art paint, and instructions.

Promising review: "This kit is great! We've tried a lot of suncatcher kits, and the paints with this one make it so much better than anything with a paintbrush and paint cups. The kit also comes with a suction cup for each suncatcher, so you don't have to figure out how else to hang them. I highly recommend this kit if you're looking for a fun activity with your kids that you can display or gift afterward." —softballa

Get it from Amazon for $10.69+ (available in three versions as well as refill sets).

It comes with the airbrush, five stencils, and eight markers.

Promising review: "My girls (6 and 8) LOVED this. We sprayed on paper, cardboard, and even our patio. It washed right off the patio, and that was so fun to make larger art. Highly recommend." —Embeau

This comes with 45 multi-size beads, nine multicolored evil-eye beads, a complete iridescent block-letter alphabet, and a mixed-color two-strand base with a double gold bag charm and key ring hook.

Get it from Baublebar for $28 (available in other versions). 

It comes with 700+ fabric squares, five foam pieces, two poke-in sticks, one poke-in pad, a glitter string, and an instruction manual.

Promising review: "My 6-year-old granddaughter loved this Poke-in Art kit. She finished all but three princesses on the first day she got it. She would have done them all, but it was time for her to go to bed. The next day, she woke up and started again. You can pull out the fabric pieces (if you want) and start with another color/design, so this kit provides recurring fun!!" —Christi Dickmeyer

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in seven versions). 

This kit comes with 800+ 5D gems in 13 colors and three sizes, one unicorn diamond gem painting, three large sun catchers, two keychains, two necklaces, eight stickers, two waxes, one stylus pen, six suction cups, four chains, two ropes, four double-sided tapes, and an instruction manual.

Promising review: "My 5-year-old daughter had so much fun with this kit! The gems were large enough for her to handle independently, making it easy and frustration-free for little hands. I would definitely recommend this kit for young children." —Pam W. 

Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in two versions).

This comes with three balloons, feathers, yarn, a plastic tablecloth, glue, beads, gloves, LED bulbs, and an instruction guide.

Promising review: "This kit is a win. It’s easy to follow, keeps kids busy, and the finished string art looks way cooler than you’d expect. The light-up feature makes it pop and feel like a real display piece, not just a one-and-done craft. Great gift, great rainy-day activity, and the results are seriously impressive." —K9 Marine

It has charms, beads, some elastic cord, and instructions.

Promising review: "Purchased a few of these to give as birthday gifts this summer for 9–11-year-olds, and it was a HIT every time. Who doesn't love Squishmallows? I like that many of the newer Squishmallows are represented in the charms in this set. We also have a larger set that I bought for my own daughter about six months ago, but it only had the 'classic' squish as charms; this one is much cuter and has more variety in terms of beads." —Jenny M

Get it from Amazon for $16.78 (available in three other versions). 

The kit has a tray, water thickener, two styluses, paint, a dropper, and paper.

Promising review: "I’ve never done paper marbling before, but thought it would be interesting for the grandchildren. Boy, was I right! This activity was not only fun to create, but also easy to follow the directions. Even our 5-year-old granddaughter enjoyed the design process. We have already purchased another set to have on hand." —Lolli

It comes with stuff to make 14 animals — paper patterns, felt, embroidery floss, precut felt eyes and cheeks, two embroidery needles, and stuffing.

Promising review: "This is so much fun and so relaxing. Even if you are a beginner, this product will help build some skills. The quality is the same as the food kit, and it worked great for me. I love that I can be creative and keep the patterns and make whatever I want. Absolutely brilliant concept and fun project. I made a crow from the owl pattern and plan to make a winter bird as well." —Lissa

It comes with clay, a brush, gemstones, glitter powder, a cutting tool, a cutting template, a roller, a mat, paint, and instructions.

Promising review: "This kit is fantastic! It comes with everything you need to create beautiful and unique jewelry dishes. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, making it perfect for all ages. The clay is high-quality and easy to work with, and the finished dishes are both functional and stylish. This kit is a great way to spend a creative afternoon and makes a wonderful gift idea. Highly recommend." —US11

Choose Friendship is a small biz specializing in jewelry-making products. 

You can make eight bracelets with it. It comes with the bracelet maker loom, 20 pre-cut 100% cotton threads, and picture instructions.

Promising review: "This is amazing for adults, can start and stop making one and not worry about remembering which string you stopped at!" —S.L.

Get it from Amazon for $26.99+ (available in three colors).

The kit comes with 12 natural seashells, eight standard paints, four glow-in-the-dark paints, five modeling clays, glitter glue, regular glue, googly eyes, gem stickers, two paintbrushes, and an instruction manual.

Promising review: "I gave this to my grandson (age 9) for his birthday, and he absolutely loved it. The shells were easy to paint, and he loved the glowing aspect when they were put in his bedroom!" —Amazon Customer

The kit comes with three different numbered canvas designs, seven paint pots, a mini brush, and an easel.

Promising review: "I have to admit I was skeptical because of the price and size. However, I got these for my husband for his birthday (he loves Bob Ross) and what a find!! We had so much fun mixing colors and painting. Would definitely recommend. The fact that they are small makes them even more special. I wish there were more to paint!" —slb m

Woobles is a small business that specializes in crochet kits. 

Promising review: "Excellent gift for beginners looking to explore crochet or knitting. The materials were of high quality, and everything was explained very clearly. End product looked great too." —Nick

Get it from Amazon for $29.96+ (available in four styles and a multi-pack).

If you are unfamiliar, Shrinky Dink paper lets you color designs on it that you can then cut out and bake to shrink them down, giving them a stained glass effect that makes them great for keychains, suncatchers, and little trinkets. You'll need some colorful permanent markers to draw up your works of art.

Promising review: "Fun for ALL ages! Recently remembered how fun these were. I have a smaller daughter, so it gave me an excuse to buy these. They're secretly for me — half kidding. These are so simple to use and create great crafts. These will keep your little one's imagination going, occupied and helps practice fine motor skills. I would definitely recommend to ANYONE, not just little humans." —Alex Soper

Get a 25-sheet set from Amazon for $11.47.

Each set includes a sketch book, graphite pens, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, charcoal pencils, white charcoal pencils, metallic pencils, three blending paper stumps, a refillable water brush pen, and other shaping and drawing tools. 

Promising review: "I was very impressed with this drawing kit. It felt personal to me. The pad is smaller but perfect for drawing on the go. I love it so much I got one for both of my nieces for their birthdays." —barbara bloodworth 

Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in five colors).

Woolbuddy is a small business that specializes in felting kits. 

The kit comes with wool, felting tools, a felting pad, a clay pot, and instructions.

Promising review: "I was really excited when I got this kit. It comes with all the tools you need, including a variety of colors, and it inspires such fun creature ideas! It also includes a QR code that takes you to several (short) tutorials for different shapes, and teaches you the basics of needle felting! I thought it was going to be much harder than it was. (You don’t even need to watch the whole tutorial to pick it up.) I actually bought the same kit for a friend, who loved it also!" —Kt

Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in five versions and a two-pack). 

Promising review: "My 4-year-old loved this and it kept her fully entertained when we were at a busy family restaurant eating a long dinner. The pen is easy to use, the paint colors are vibrant and the designs are cute and on thicker paper so they don’t rip easily. It fit in her toddler backpack with no issue. She loves this book!" —Allison

Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in 15 versions).

It comes with the machine, colorful flower pieces, two vases, a flower receptacle, long flower branches, short flower branches, a base, and bouquet wrapping paper.

Promising review: "This craft kit has been such a hit! My 7-year-old absolutely loves it and stayed engaged the entire time putting everything together. The pieces are colorful, fun, and easy for little hands to work with, and the end result is really cute and something she was proud to display. It’s a great mix of creativity and hands-on activity without being too complicated or frustrating. Everything you need is included, which makes it super convenient. Definitely a great gift idea or rainy-day activity—would absolutely buy again!" —Striker

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in six colors and options for just additional parts).

It comes with 20 sheets of patterned paper, two unique airplane styles, step-by-step instructions, sticker sheets for decorating, and a storage box to keep all the newly crafted planes.

Promising review: "I bought this for my grandson because he likes to be creative and also likes anything to do with airplanes. These were a perfect afternoon project to do together with him. The planes are smaller than I'd thought, but with the wide variety of papers, colors, and patterns, it didn't matter. When folded properly, they fly well. He had a lot of fun flying them off the upstairs balcony and made many different planes." —007

Get it from Amazon for $8.74+ (also available in a larger version).

Paper Peony Press is a Texas-based boutique publishing company that specializes in purpose-driven books. 

Promising review: "I’ve tried several instructional books on hand lettering. This book is the best by far. I won’t say the names of the other books, but suffice it to say they are all at the top of the list when you search for hand lettering. It is the only book that gives practice for the base strokes and also discusses posture and how to hold the pen, and at what angle to the paper. It is also a lovely book to work with; nice artwork/illustrations. I recommend this book to other beginners out there!" —Karen Rorick

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BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.