Anyone who loves candy is sure to love these candy-themed crafts for kids! Go bright and colorful as you create your own “sweet” treats out of paper, felt, and glue.
Candy abounds in our lives today, and we even have entire holidays that revolve around it. While Halloween is the big one, we also celebrate Decorating With Candy Day on February 1st. But have you ever wondered who made the first-ever candy in the world? Or who ate it?
While we don’t have a specific name, it is believed that the first candy originated in Ancient Egypt. These were quite elaborate, handcrafted confections made from honey, nuts, and fruits. Because sugar was not yet a mass-produced commodity, these honey-drenched treats were considered a luxury item, reserved for the wealthy and for religious offerings.
You might be wondering: “Halloween was at the end of October, and November was the month to celebrate candy (with National Candy Day on November 4th and National Cotton Candy Day on December 7th). So why are we talking about candy now in the beginning of the year?”
The answer is simple: Valentine’s Day! February is the month of sweetness. Between the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and the “sweet” messages exchanged between friends, February is the perfect time to explore the bright colors and fun shapes of candy through art.
Why Candy Crafts are “Sweet” for Learning
Crafting with a candy theme isn’t just about the sugar rush; it’s a fantastic way to engage a child’s development.
- Fine Motor Precision: Working with “sprinkles” (beads) or “twisting” paper for candy wrappers builds the small muscles in the hands.
- Color Theory: Candy comes in every color of the rainbow, making it the perfect subject for teaching color mixing and patterns.
- Sensory Play: Using materials like cotton balls for cotton candy or gritty glitter for “sour” sugar provides tactile stimulation.
20 Show-Stopping Candy-Themed Crafts
1. Giant Cardboard Lollipops
Use a large circle cut from a shipping box as your base. Have your child paint a spiral design. Once dry, wrap it in clear cellophane and tape it to a sturdy wrapping paper tube or a PVC pipe. These make excellent room decorations!
2. Puffy Cotton Candy Clouds
Glue stretched-out cotton balls onto a cone-shaped piece of cardstock. Use a spray bottle with water and a few drops of food coloring to “mist” the cotton balls, giving them that classic pink or blue glow.
3. Paper Plate Peppermints
Paint red or green “wedges” onto a white paper plate to mimic a peppermint candy. Wrap the plate in clear plastic and tie the ends with ribbons to make it look like a giant wrapped candy.
4. Gummy Bear Suncatchers
Cut out a bear silhouette from black cardstock, leaving the center hollow. Place it on clear contact paper and let your child fill the middle with colorful tissue paper squares. When the sun hits it, it looks just like a translucent gummy!
5. Candy Bar Wrapper Collages
Don’t throw away those shiny wrappers! Let kids cut them into different shapes and glue them onto a canvas to create a “Pop Art” style collage.
6. Felt “Never-Melting” Chocolates
Cut small squares of brown felt and glue on “toppings” like white yarn (for drizzle) or beads (for nuts). Place them in a recycled chocolate box for hours of pretend play.
7. Perler Bead Candy Corn
Use orange, yellow, and white beads to create the classic triangular shape of candy corn. This is a great exercise for hand-eye coordination.
8. Watercolor Salt Suckers
Draw a circle with white glue, fill it with salt, and then drop watercolors onto it. The paint will spread through the salt, creating a vibrant, crystallized look that resembles an old-fashioned hard candy.
9. Ribbon Taffy
Fold long strips of colorful ribbon back and forth, securing them in the middle with a staple or glue to mimic the look of stretched salt-water taffy.
10. Candy Cane Pipe Cleaners
Twist a red and a white pipe cleaner together and bend the top. It’s a simple, 10-second craft that kids can make dozens of to “decorate” their play area.
11. Cupcake Liner “Candy” Cups
Flatten out cupcake liners and glue a large pom-pom in the center. These look like individual bonbons or truffles sitting in their papers.
12. “Sugar-Coated” Window Clings
Mix white glue with a little bit of paint and glitter. Spread it into candy shapes on a plastic sheet. Once dry, they peel right off and can be stuck to windows!
13. Tissue Paper Jelly Beans
Scrunch up small balls of tissue paper and dip them in a bit of glue to create a textured jelly bean mosaic on a pre-drawn bean shape.
14. Button Candy Strips
Remember those long paper strips with little dots of candy? Recreate them by gluing small, colorful buttons in straight rows on long strips of white cardstock.
15. Pool Noodle “Life Savers”
Slice a pool noodle into 1-inch rings. These “giant candies” can be strung onto a rope to make a massive candy garland for a party.
16. Scented “Fruit Drop” Painting
Add a packet of flavored drink mix (like Kool-Aid) to your paint. The resulting artwork will smell exactly like cherry, grape, or lemon candies!
17. Foil-Wrapped “Kisses”
Crumple up newspaper into a cone shape and wrap it in aluminum foil. Don’t forget to add the little white paper strip sticking out of the top!
18. Paper Bag Popcorn (Sweet Version)
Paint “caramel” or “strawberry” colors onto crumpled-up scrap paper and glue them into a red-and-white striped paper bag for a candy-coated popcorn look.
19. Rock Candy Crystals (The Paper Version)
Use a stick and glue on “crushed” pieces of iridescent cellophane or glitter paper to mimic the jagged, sparkly look of rock candy on a string.
20. The Candy Box Robot
Save your empty candy boxes (Nerds, Mike and Ike, etc.) and glue them together to create a colorful, brand-name robot friend!
Comparison of Candy History
| Era | Primary Ingredient | Status Symbol? |
| Ancient Egypt | Honey & Nuts | Yes (Luxury) |
| Middle Ages | Rare Sugar & Spices | Yes (Royal) |
| 19th Century | Mass-Produced Sugar | No (Accessible) |
Tips for a Mess-Free “Sugar” Craft Session
Important Note: When crafting with young children, ensure that all materials used are non-toxic. If you are using actual candy wrappers, make sure they are cleaned thoroughly to avoid attracting ants!
- The “Glitter” Rule: If you want that “sugary” look without the mess, try using glitter glue pens instead of loose glitter.
- Themed Music: Play some fun “sweet” songs like The Candy Man or Sugar, Sugar to get everyone in the crafting mood.
- A Real Treat: Always have a small bowl of actual candy nearby. It’s hard to make a paper lollipop without wanting a real one!