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Kid-Friendly Crafts: Masks, Drums and Fans to Make

Four safe, hands-on craft projects for kids: paper masks, two kinds of drums, and folding fans, with materials, steps, and adult-help notes.

This page has four hands-on craft projects for kids: a paper mask, two kinds of homemade drum, and a folding paper fan. Each one lists the materials, the steps, and where an adult should help.

These crafts use cheap, easy-to-find materials and work well at home, in a classroom, or for homeschooling. Masks, drums, and fans also show up across many traditions, so pair a project here with our world cultures section for extra context. For projects you make and then eat, see our recipes section instead.

How do you make a paper mask?

You build a paper mask by cutting a face shape from colorful paper and decorating it with craft scraps and coloring materials. This project suits kindergarten age and up, with an adult handling the scissors for the youngest kids.

You will need:

  • Colorful paper (construction paper or card stock)
  • Scissors
  • Small “junk” craft objects such as buttons, feathers, or scraps of fabric
  • Crayons, markers, or paint
  • Glue and safety pins or elastic string

Steps:

  1. Fold the paper in half and sketch half a face shape against the fold, so it comes out symmetrical when unfolded. Mark eye holes.
  2. Cut out the shape and the eye holes. An adult should do or supervise this step, since the eye holes need small, controlled cuts. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends adult supervision and age-appropriate tools for craft activities involving cutting tools or small parts.
  3. Color or paint the mask. Let any paint dry fully before the next step.
  4. Glue on buttons, feathers, or other scraps to add texture.
  5. Attach elastic string or a craft stick handle so the mask can be worn or held up.

Kids can make masks of animals, birds, or characters they invent themselves. This project does not cover masks that need power tools, resin, or hot glue. For those, an older student needs closer adult supervision and different materials than the ones listed here.

How do you make a drum from a coffee can?

You turn an empty coffee can into a drum by decorating the can and using its plastic lid as the drumhead. This version suits kindergarten through about 4th grade.

You will need:

  • An empty coffee can with a plastic lid
  • Paper, glue, and scissors
  • Paint or markers
  • A stick or twig to use as a drumstick
  • Optional scrap decorations such as beads, buttons, or string

Steps:

  1. Wrap the can in paper, or paint it directly. Check the can for sharp edges first, and have an adult smooth or tape over any that you find.
  2. Decorate the paper wrap or the can itself with paint, markers, or glued-on scraps. Let it dry.
  3. Cover the plastic lid with foil, or leave it plain, to make the drumhead.
  4. Snap the lid back on and use the stick to play the drum.

This project does not use real leather or a taut drumhead, so the sound stays soft. It is a starter drum craft, not a musical instrument for serious practice.

How do you make a tube drum with a real drumhead?

You build a louder, stretched-head drum from a cardboard tube, a plastic flowerpot, and a plastic embroidery hoop. This version is more involved and suits about 4th grade through 12th grade, or kids aged 8 and up working with an adult.

You will need:

  • A cardboard carpet tube, 3 to 4 inches across (ask at a flooring or carpet store for a spare one)
  • A plastic flowerpot with the same diameter as the tube
  • A two-piece plastic embroidery hoop, matched to the diameter of the flowerpot’s top
  • A piece of heavy-gauge plastic, such as an old inflatable pool toy or a section of an old rubber tire (not a balloon, which tears too easily)
  • Wide packing tape
  • Paint, paper, or fabric, plus yarn or jute for finishing

Steps:

  1. Cut the tube to about 12 inches long. An adult should do any cutting that needs a craft knife.
  2. Cut a piece of the plastic sheet or pool toy a little larger than the embroidery hoop, so there is extra material to work with.
  3. Take the embroidery hoop apart. Lay the plastic piece over the inner hoop, then press the outer hoop down over it to stretch the plastic tight. This is the drumhead.
  4. Tape the drumhead assembly onto the flowerpot, then tape the flowerpot onto one end of the tube.
  5. Decorate the tube with paint, paper, or fabric, and cover the tape lines with yarn or jute for a neater finish.

This craft does not work with thin plastic like a balloon or sandwich bag, which will not hold tension. It also does not cover tuning or replacing a worn drumhead once the plastic loses its stretch.

How do you make a folding paper fan?

You make a folding fan by cutting a fan shape from paper, pleating it, and adding a handle from craft sticks. This project suits kindergarten through about 6th grade.

You will need:

  • A sheet of white paper, about 12 by 18 inches
  • Crayons, markers, or paint
  • A picture of a real fan for reference, if you have one
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Tape, glue, and a stapler

Steps:

  1. Fold the paper in half like a book. On the folded half, draw a fan shape and cut it out, so it opens into a full fan outline.
  2. Decorate the paper with color or paint. Let it dry completely before folding it again.
  3. Pleat the paper into an accordion fold, going back and forth in even strips.
  4. Gather the pleated strips together at one end and staple or glue them so the fan holds its shape.
  5. Tape two popsicle sticks together at the gathered end to make a handle.

This project does not cover stiffer folding fans made from wood or fabric slats. Those need different tools and are not part of this activity.

More crafts to make

These step-by-step crafts come from the LearningHaven archive, rewritten with materials lists and safety notes.

Winter and holiday crafts

Year-round crafts

Each page lists its own safety notes. None of these projects is meant for children to do alone with heat, needles or chemicals.

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