All children love crafts. During breaks from school, lazy weekends, or just for an afternoon project, children's paper crafts are one of the easiest ways to entertain your little ones.

Perhaps one of the simplest ideas is to put out a bunch of construction paper, glue, glitter, scissors, wiggly eyes, etc and let your children's imaginations run wild. For younger children, pre-cut various shapes out of the paper. For older children, let them do so on their own. For a more creative project, use three boxes. In one box, put a bunch of different paper shapes. In the second box, put scraps of fabric, ribbons, or bows. In the last box, put small objects like seashells from a beach trip, buttons, or photos of family members or pets. Have the child pick (without looking) one item from each box, and then try to incorporate the items into a story on their paper.

Seasonal crafts are always a big hit, and there are many you can make using only paper and a few embellishments. Valentine's Day is a common holiday for this. Children can make valentine cards for their friends by cutting hearts out of red, pink, or white paper. They can glue glitter, ribbon, lace, or other decorations to the hearts they make. In addition, a lot of school-age children make mailboxes out of construction paper or heavier paper, like cardstock. This way they have something to hold all of their friends' valentines!

Another season that begs for paper crafts is Thanksgiving. From table centerpieces to place markers, there are many different things your children can do to make your gathering more festive. For preschool-age children, one popular and simple craft is making turkeys from their handprint. First, trace the child's hand on a piece of construction paper and have them cut it out - with help if needed. Then, they can glue pre-cut feathers made of construction paper, or actual craft feathers if you have some laying around, onto the finger portion. Use markers, crayons, or more paper to add legs and facial features. Now you have a personalized turkey!

Origami is, of course, the most popular form of paper craft. Although usually thought of as a more adult craft, there are many that children can do. A simple search of your library or the internet can result in several ideas for children. You can even print out free patterns on many websites. Just make sure that the craft is appropriate for the child's age level to ensure that everyone will have fun.

As you can see, paper crafts are simple to do, require very little in the way of supplies, and are a fun way for children to spend an afternoon.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about kid crafts for KidCraftsActivity.com.