Craft Activity Calculator — Materials Per Child

For a 2-hour party, 1-2 craft activities is ideal. Each craft takes 15-30 minutes depending on complexity and age group. Too many crafts leaves no time for games and food. One main craft plus a simple backup is the sweet spot.

Popular options: decorating picture frames, making friendship bracelets, painting tote bags, decorating biscuits, making slime, creating masks, building simple models, or decorating plant pots. Choose age-appropriate crafts - simpler for under-5s, more detailed for 7+.

Buy 20% extra materials. Children spill paint, make mistakes, and siblings may want to join in. Craft supplies are usually cheap, so the extra cost is minimal compared to running out mid-activity. Some materials (glue, paint) are shared and harder to estimate exactly.

For children under 7, pre-cut everything and have kits ready to go. For older children (7+), some cutting and preparation can be part of the activity. Pre-cutting reduces mess, speeds up the activity, and ensures every child can participate regardless of ability.

For craft activities involving scissors, glue and paint, around 1 supervising adult per 6 children is a sensible default. The NSPCC advises a minimum of two adults at any children’s activity, and roughly 1:6 for ages 4-8 and 1:8 for ages 9-12 (fewer per adult for under-5s). Base your ratio on the youngest children present. Open Advanced Options to set your own ratio and see the adults needed.