Crafty Photo Projects for Kids – DIY Photo Frames

Get crafty with these homemade photo frames for your children’s favourite photos! This is a great art project that the kids can get stuck in with using wooden ice cream sticks and patterned tape. It’s super simple and you will only need a few craft supplies.

What you’ll need:

• Ice cream sticks – 4 per photo
• Favourite photos, printed from Boots Photo
• Washi tape / coloured adhesive tape
• Glue
• Scissors
• Ruler

We’re sure your kids would love to eat all the ice cream to get the sticks, but they don’t have to! You can buy wooden sticks from most craft stores and online, either pre-coloured or in the original wood. To decorate the sticks, we recommend using washi tape (a decorative masking tape) or other coloured tape to keep things simple – it also means less mess! If the kids are feeling really creative, feel free to get the paint and glitter out for an afternoon of art and craft fun!

When designing, choose colours that match their bedroom colour scheme or go for bright patterns that match their personality. Your little ones can design their own photo frames, adding their own personal touch to create these glassless framed prints of their grandparents, parents, best friends, pets or special events. The DIY photo frames will not only bring colour and personality into their room, they will also highlight beautiful memories and treasured moments.

How to:

Step 1 Firstly, select your favourite photos that you, or your child, want to print for your homemade frames. Whether it’s of a favourite family holiday abroad, a milestone birthday party, photos with their besties or with their furry friend, there are plenty of memorable moments you can print. We recommend ordering your prints as 6 x 4” or 5 x 3.5” and select ‘Classic Format’ to ensure all your prints arrive the same size. Alternatively, order our Square 5 x 5” prints for photos that are already conveniently prepared for this square photo frame craft idea for kids. You can either wait for your prints to arrive or get creating before!

Tip: Since the frames are likely to be quite colourful, we recommend ordering your photos in black and white.

Step 2 Now it's time to design. Give your child complete creative freedom – anything goes! Your little ones can stick, paint or stamp the ice cream sticks and design it however they like. In our example we have chosen patterned self-adhesive tape in different designs. This is a really simple, mess-free way to create your photo frames. For the budding artists, use paintbrushes and colourful craft paint or even glitter glue to make this photo frame craft idea truly their own.

Step 3 When the little artists are finished, the ice cream sticks now need to be connected to form a frame. To do this, take one of your photos and use craft glue to stick two ice cream sticks to the top and bottom edges. Then take two more sticks and press them onto the other sticks at a 90-degree angle to form the left and right edges of the frame. Once the glue is dry, flip it over and make sure your photo is secured from the back by using glue or tape.

Once your photos and handmade frames are ready, choose a suitable place in your children’s room to display their handicraft and artistry! Then treat yourselves to an ice cream as a reward – the perfect preparation for your next art and craft project...