35 Fun & Creative Art Gifts For Kids That Are Screen-Free And Imagination Inspiring

Every kid needs a good squishy, whether it's for tossing around inside the house (sorry, mom) or squeezing to find a little focus while they're studying. This peppy octopus is the rock and roll pal they're looking for. The critter is slow to reinflate after being squished, which only adds to the fun.

Mini Monets need a very special place to get their art careers van Gogh-ing in the right direction, ya know? This easel is perfect, with two sides for them to create on. Both with flat planes for drawing and one with a plastic bin with compartments for utensils like crayons and another with a wide base for anything else.

Aspiring TV writers can get an early start on their craft by trying a whole different side of it: storyboarding. This totally tubular kit gives them a roll of paper and challenges them to learn linear story-making by drawing a stationery scene that moves as they turn a knob on the wooden TV.

Ignite creativity with the Crayola Make Your Own Paper Kit! Kids can craft their own paper for endless doodles and projects. This reusable kit includes a papermaking machine, allowing them to create unique sheets again and again, sparking endless imagination.

Kids can be fast and furious or methodical and meditative with their art while using an Etch-A-Sketch and at the end, it's free and easy to start all over again. The classic toy is a throwback to simpler fun of an earlier era, and might be the one screen kids can play with during "screen-free" time.

Voracious readers with a flair for all things creative will become authors of their own children's book by the time they're done with this kit. The set contains a writing guide to help them get started, and enough material for 20 pages and a cover. When they're finished, mom and dad ship it to the manufacturer to have it published.

When grandpa or dad is out in the garage at the workbench, a kid will glow with excitement about pulling up a chair and tucking into this kit. It contains over 80 pieces of wood for them to build with, a set of instructions, kid-sized tools, and nails for them to use to create.

They make all this art and now they'll have something to hang it with. This fridge kit contains 12 tiles they'll use to make an equal number of magnets. There's paint, googly eyes, and other fun accessories in the box so they can make the magnets uniquely theirs.

Your kid can start a happy little tradition in the neighborhood with this set. Once they've finished painting the 10 rocks included in the set (and accenting them with glitter glue and stickers), they can leave them around flower beds and bring a smile to the face of anyone who finds them.

With a plethora of pretty petals and leaves, this kit is perfect for kids obsessed with all things outdoor. When the temps drop, break out the set, which details how they can create a vertical "garden" of sorts with paper that will bloom all year long.

Kids might find themselves feeling a little more creative every time they hear a bell ring after completing this clever kit. The windchime they create will have four metal tubes that lightly tap each other to create beautiful music.

Millennial moms, try not to steal this kit from your daughter. The Latch Rugs that girls in the '90s so loved making are back and better than ever for the girls of today. When she's finished with this kit, she'll have a mystical piece she can show off to her friends.

Making a menagerie is fun with this kit from the great minds at Klutz. The 40-page book contains detailed instructions that will help a kiddo make their very own zoo of 12 animals. No prior sewing experience is necessary to enjoy, and kids will finish the kit with toys and newfound life skills.

There is no limit to what a kiddo can create with this air-dry clay set. With over 30 colors to work with and a variety of accents like keychains and googly eyes, they can let their imagination go wild and make something wonderful.

A pressed flower kit is a good choice for a kid that loves the great outdoors. This all-inclusive set contains the apparatus and instructions they need to make and preserve hundreds, if not thousands, of colorful flower memories.

Your yard will be the hottest spot for birds to visit after you hang up the houses from this kit. The kit contains two unassembled birdhouses that are easy to put together (no hardware required) and two sets of colorful paint for when it's time to get creative.

She'll feel so accomplished and so cozy when she finishes this fun blanket-making kit. Perfect for younger kids since no sewing is required, the kit contains 40 12"x12" tiles that she'll cut and tie back together. The finished product will be taller than she is, and super fuzzy.

A favorite at craft shows, now kids can make their very own string art. Instead of the standard pegboards, this kit makes an even more impressive string art piece. Using special glue, glitter, and a 3D mold, they'll make a pretty purple star that looks a little like a balloon.