Arts & Crafts
Explore inspiring websites, instagrams and the collections of (sadly closed) fabulous museums with entertaining and educational websites designed for curious kids. Find videos, games and inspiration for at-home creativity. Also see our guide to educational websites and upcoming online art classes.
Please support these museums by shopping in their fantastic online shops for great toys and games (perfect for staying at home) and consider becoming a member of your faves - so many perks all year round plus help them in this hard time.
NEW VICTORY ARTS BREAK
Learn circus tricks, songwriting, puppet making, tap dance, magic and more skills inspired by the diverse shows at New Victory Theatre, an amazing NYC performing arts venue for families. watch excerpts from past and sadly cancelled productions.
BUSY TODDLER
Find a trove of educational, easy-to-set up creative and sensory activities from a K-1 teacher turned SAHM. So many great ideas, quick & easy to messy messy, babies to tweens plus links to useful art supplies. Download instructions and materials…
#METKIDS
Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s vast collection from home. Take a virtual time machine to explore great works of art from Prehistoric Egyptian tombs to Warhols Campbell Soup dresses. Each work has a short related video, interesting information and…
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN
Museum educators share daily videos, sing-a-longs, games and more at CMOM at Home. Other resources include hands-on art-making instructions, music, and storytelling activities that promote language skills grounded in language and literacy research at All the Way to K and Beyond! and…
DAYS WITH GREY
An educator and mom to 3 shares daily ‘Breakfast Invitations,’ easy-to-set-up sensory and art activities for preschoolers and toddlers.
#DISNEYMAGICMOMENT
Experience the magic of Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic with stories, videos, and activities to inspire imagination and discovery. Includes drawing tutorials. storytimes, and recipes for Disney park favorites.
NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN’S THEATER
Lovely local kids theater company provides entertaining and enriching activities for little ones inspired by past productions including art projects, theater games, storytimes, downloadable activity books and video sing-alongs.
VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS
Take virtual journeys to over 1,200 museums around the world via Google Arts & Culture. See collections and gallery views of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology, Paris’s Musée d’Orsay and more (plus NYC faves like…
MOMI Moving Image Studio
Find tutorials and interactive ways to collaborate and make media art with Astoria’s Museum of Moving Image educators. Create Jim Henson-inspired puppets, learn about film editing and apply to have your media art shared on their YouTube channel.
MoMA Families At Home
MoMA provides resources and ideas—from art-making activities to books and films—to spark creativity and fun at home. Explore artworks in MoMA’s collection through activities (available in English and Spanish), watch favorite kid-friendly short films with prompts to spark discussion, dig…
Wave Hill Family Art Projects
Join nature-themed storytelling and artmaking at home from historic garden Wave Hill. Create with educator-led videos based on previously planned thematic projects but made relevant to the current situation. New video posted each Saturday.
CMA HOW-TO TUESDAYS
Children’s Museum of the Arts’ blog features videos and detailed instructions for art projects like Paper Chains of Kindness and Collaborative Drawing Games. Projects can be adapted for different ages and made with materials around the house.
The Paper Bag Players At Home
Watch short sketches from The Paper Bag Players, an acclaimed NYC troupe that makes stories out of cardboard and paper, paired with questions and/or activities that will help children think more about what they’ve watched and provide opportunities for them…
Jewish Museum At-Home Art Projects
Explore hands-on art activities inspired by works of art in the Jewish Museum’s diverse collection and exhibition. Activities like Abstract Stamp Print and Found Object Sculpture, eachaccompanied by information on the artist, are designed for kids and adults to create…
Dav Pilkey At Home
Get creative and have fun with the creator of cult favorites Dog Man and Captain Upderpants. Watch short videos of Pilkey drawing and reading aloud and download printable activity sheets, drawing guides, comic book creators, games and more.
Outschool
Explore just about any interest from math to Minecraft to piano with passionate teachers over live video chat. Choose from over 15,000+ classes including Harry Potter and Star Wars-themed explorations of explore history, art, science and more. Format include one-time…
Spellbound At Home
Find weekly inspiration for creating theater magic at home from Brooklyn-based Spellbound Theater, a troupe focused on performing for 0–5-year-olds , including audio tracks, videos and downloadable PDFs that inspire creative play. Also watch weekly video series Anywhere with Catbear,…
TATE KIDS
Play art-inspired games, take cheeky quizzes, find art activities, and share your art on a fun website from British museums Tate and Tate Modern. Find detailed instructions for activities such as “think like the artist Alberto Giacometti” and create interesting…
Children’s Museum of the Arts
Children’s Museum of the Arts’ blog features how-to videos and detailed instructions for art projects like Paper Chains of Kindness and Collaborative Drawing Games. Projects can be adapted for different ages and made with materials around the house.
NYSCI At Home
Find tons of games, activities, experiments and projects from Queen’s New York Hall of Science. At-Home STEM resources encourage open-ended exploration and imaginative learning. Learn about physics, engineering, design, biology, math, chemistry and more with videos, instructions for experiments and…
The Yo-Yo Mo Show: Musical Doodling
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Mo Willems, author/illustrator the beloved Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny, and the Elephant and Piggy series, offer a series of playful experiments that show how art and music inspire each other. Watch,…
Cooper Hewitt Online Learning
Follow along with design activities (with clear, well-designed instructions) to create protoypes, chairs, zines, posters and more. Also explore design case studies, remarkable female and LBGQT+ creators, the digital mansion, and museum exhibitions. Great graphics, video and easy-to-understand text for…
WHITNEY KIDS ART CHALLENGE
Try projects, based on works of art in the Whitney’s amazing collection, designed especially for kids and grown-ups to do together. Learn about and be inspired by some of the diverse ways that modern American artists such as Andy Warhol,…
Brooklyn Museum Learn and Teach
Explore exhibition or objects from the encyclopedic Brooklyn Museum in-depth with printable teaching prompts and activity ideas, developed by the museum’s professional educators. Includes new mini art lessons for ages 2–6 and 7 & up. Also dream up zany stories,…
THE ART GARDEN
Explore a variety of projects featuring paint, collage/mixed media, printmaking, 3-Dimension, recycled art, children’s books, process art, nature activities, holidays and seasons, sensory, and play ideas from an elementary art teacher. Frequently posts fun ideas on her instagram @theartgardenblog.
EAT YOUR MONSTERS
Turn snacks into adorable creatures like frozen banana penguins and panda eggs with creative ideas from instagram account @eatyourmonsters.
Draw Every Day With JJK
Join author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka for daily videos with drawing, writing, art games and read alouds. Star Wars fans can get step-by-step instructions on making characters from his Jedi Academy series.
MoMA Online Family Art Workshops: Drawing to Music
Have you ever felt so moved by music that you wanted to sing, to dance, to paint? Look closely at works of art inspired by music, then create your own abstract artwork as we listen to a sampling of musical…
Little New-Yorkers @ Home
Join New-York Historical Society Storytime via Zoom every Tuesday and Friday for story time and crafts. Each class includes a special Little New-Yorkers hello song, silly stretches and exercises, a story book reading, and a craft to do at home.…
Freshmade NYC Online
Cook at home with the wonderful teachers of Freshmade. Learn fun recipes like Homemade Twix Bars, Baked Pretzels and DIY Veggie Sushi Night with professionals teachers. Private custom class sessions also available.
Museum of Math Folding Fridays
Origami expert Kathleen Sheridan teaches unique origami models. Explore the wonders of paper folding — there’s math in every fold. To participate, you’ll need several sheets of printer paper as well as several sheets of square paper (size should be…
Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp
This usual weekend-long adventure all about exploring and celebrating a love for cats goes virtual. Includes speakers, arts & crafts, adoptable cats, workshops and more!
Morgan Explorers: Virtual Family Tour
Travel the world from home with the Morgan Library & Museum. A Morgan educator will share a live tour of highlights from the collection. Explore artworks through inquiry-based conversation, make simple crafts, and discover, as a family, something new to…
At Home Art Class with the Guggenheim
Join live virtual art-making classes with Guggenheim educators. Explore images of the museum’s architecture, artwork from the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Includes guided dialogue around a selection of artworks and process-oriented art-making projects focus on a new theme…
Guggenheim Stroller Tour
Join an interactive exploration of works from the Guggenheim’s collection and exhibitions designed for adults with small children (up to 24 months).