A hexagon nook for one small treasureCraft sticks, 18. Six in a ring with ends overlapping, then two more rings on top, each stick over a join.
A market stall: a plank counter under a striped paper awningCraft sticks, 9, and paper. Flat on card: five planks as the counter, two uprights, two holding the awning.
A honeycomb of seven six-sided cells that share their wallsCraft sticks, 30. Build the middle hexagon first; every new cell borrows a wall from the ones beside it.
A barn door of nine planks braced with a ZCraft sticks, 12. Glue nine edge to edge on two cross sticks; the twelfth slants between them on the front.
A cabin front on card: stacked log walls and a paper doorCraft sticks, 9, and card. Glue seven logs one above another and two slanting as the roof; add a door.
A fairy door to lean on a baseboard, with a bead for a knobCraft sticks, 8, and a bead. Six planks on two cross sticks; color it, glue the bead on and lean it on a wall.
A footbridge of seven planks resting on two card banksCraft sticks, 9, and blue paper. Seven planks across two rails; fold two card banks and lay paper water between.
A fruit crate end with a label for an orchard you inventCraft sticks, 7, and paper. Five slats on two cross sticks; draw the label on paper and glue it over the slats.
A garden gate that swings on a tape hingeCraft sticks, 7, and tape. Five pickets on two rails; tape one edge to a box as the hinge so the gate swings.
A garden trellis of crossed slats with paper flowers tucked inCraft sticks, 12, and paper. Six slats lean one way and six the other, glued at each crossing; tuck flowers in.
A market stall: a plank counter under a striped paper awningCraft sticks, 9, and paper. Flat on card: five planks as the counter, two uprights, two holding the awning.
A mini pallet for a toy forklift: slats above, runners belowCraft sticks, 10. Seven slats side by side with a small gap between, glued across three runners underneath.
A pier running out over a painted lakeCraft sticks, 14, and blue card. Two rails glued to the card, ten planks across them, a post at each far corner.
A signpost with three boards pointing to invented placesCraft sticks, 4, and clay. Stand one stick in clay; glue three across it at different slants and letter each.
A stage with a plank floor and a paper curtain each sideCraft sticks, 12, and paper. Eight planks on two cross sticks as the floor; an upright each side holds a curtain.
A window with shutters that open on tape hingesCraft sticks, 10, and tape. A square frame of four; a shutter of three planks each side, hinged with tape.
Stacked: pots, boxes and furniture 13
A bird table for a model garden, with a rimmed tray and a roofCraft sticks, 19, and clay. A tray of six with a rim of four on one post; two slopes of four as the roof.
A bookshelf with three shelves and folded paper booksCraft sticks, 9, and paper. Lying on its back: four across as the back, two uprights, three shelves between.
A doll's bed with a slatted base and a tall headboardCraft sticks, 13. Five slats across two rails; four stood on end as the headboard and two as the footboard.
A hexagon nook for one small treasureCraft sticks, 18. Six in a ring with ends overlapping, then two more rings on top, each stick over a join.
A keepsake box: stacked walls, a plank lid, a bead to lift it byCraft sticks, 36, and a bead. A floor of eight, walls of sixteen stacked in pairs, a lid of ten on two cross sticks.
A kennel for a toy dog with a lettered board above the doorwayCraft sticks, 22, and a small card box. Five planks on each side wall, six on each slope of the roof.
A park bench with a slatted seat and backCraft sticks, 10. Three slats for the seat and three for the back, glued to two legs each side set like an L.
A pencil pot stacked like a log cabin on a plank floorCraft sticks, 46. A floor of six; then two sticks at a time across the ends of the last two, twenty layers.
A picnic set: a five-plank table on crossed legs and two benchesCraft sticks, 17. Five across two braces for the top, an X of legs at each end and a bench of three each side.
A six-sided basket stacked three sticks at a timeCraft sticks, 36, and card. Three as an open triangle, three more turned to make a star; keep alternating.
A tabletop easel that holds one small drawingCraft sticks, 5. Two lean together as an A, one across as the ledge, one across the top, one behind as a prop.
A tissue-paned light box for a windowsillCraft sticks, 16, and tissue paper. Four square frames of four; tissue glued behind each; join them as a box.
A watchtower: a deck on four tall legs with a railCraft sticks, 16, and clay. Four legs stood in clay, a deck of six on two bearers, a rail of four around it.
Puppets, people and creatures 13
A bird on a perch with five sticks fanned as its tailCraft sticks, 6, and card. Fan five from one point and glue; the sixth lies across as the perch; a card bird in front.
A centipede three sticks long with six sticks laid across as legsCraft sticks, 9. Three end to end as the body; six laid across it as pairs of legs; eyes on the front round tip.
A crocodile whose two jaws open on a rubber-band hingeCraft sticks, 2, and a rubber band. Band the sticks at one end, glue paper teeth along both and wedge them open.
A fox face inside a triangle of three sticksCraft sticks, 3, and paper. Glue the triangle point down, back it with orange paper; white cheeks, two ears above.
A hobby horse for a doll: a card head with a yarn maneCraft sticks, 1, card and yarn. Cut a horse's head from card, glue it to the round end and knot yarn along the neck.
A page monster: a head and two paper hands that hook over a bookCraft sticks, 1, and paper. Glue the head and both hands at the top end so they peek over the page edge.
A puppet family in paper clothes, one stick a personCraft sticks, 1 a person. Draw the face on the round end, wrap paper clothes around and glue yarn on top.
A robot with a stick for each arm and each legCraft sticks, 8. Four side by side as the body, one each for the arms and legs; draw dials over the body.
A row of dancers in pleated paper skirts, linked hand to handCraft sticks, 5, paper and clay. Stand five in a strip of clay; a skirt on each; paper arms join them.
A shadow puppet: a card creature in profile on a stickCraft sticks, 1, and black card. Cut the creature out, tape the stick behind it and hold it near a lamp and a wall.
A string puppet whose stick arms and legs swing on threadCraft sticks, 5, thread and tape. One stick is the body; tape a short thread from it to each limb.
A wading bird: a card body on two long stick legsCraft sticks, 2, card and clay. Cut the body from card, tape a stick behind each side and stand the feet in clay.
An owl: three sticks as the body and one slanting down each sideCraft sticks, 5, and paper. Three side by side on a paper backing, a wing each side; paper eyes and a beak.
Woven, hinged and moving 13
A buzzer of two sticks, a paper strip and two rubber bandsCraft sticks, 2, paper, 2 rubber bands. Paper between the sticks, a bit of straw at each end, band both ends; blow.
A clacker: two sticks hinged at one end, a button in each jawCraft sticks, 2, tape and 2 buttons. Tape one end as a hinge, glue a button inside each free end and clap them.
A concertina screen: taped sticks with one drawing over every panelCraft sticks, 8, and tape. Tape them edge to edge on the back, draw over the front and stand it in a zigzag.
A fold-up caterpillar of sticks hinged end to endCraft sticks, 6, and tape. Tape them end to end with a hair of a gap; it folds into a stack and opens out again.
A frame loom wound with yarn, the weft carried on a spare stickCraft sticks, 5, and yarn. Glue a square frame, wind yarn around it top to bottom; wrap the weft on the fifth stick.
A marble ramp of rails slanting down a propped box lidCraft sticks, 10, and a box lid. Rails slant left, then right, down the lid with a gap at each low end; prop it up.
A mobile on two crossed sticks, a paper shape under every tipCraft sticks, 2, thread and paper. Glue them in a plus; one paper shape dangles from each of the four ends.
A photo stand that pinches a picture between two banded sticksCraft sticks, 2, a rubber band and clay. Band them near the top, slide the picture between and stand them in clay.
A pop-up puppet that rises out of a paper cupCraft sticks, 1, and a paper cup. Pencil a slot through the cup's base; the face on the stick rides up through it.
A roll-up mat held by two lines of twisted yarnCraft sticks, 12, and yarn. Twist the yarn once between each stick near both ends, knot it and roll the mat up.
A see-saw plank that rocks on a pencil, a paper rider each endCraft sticks, 1, a pencil and paper. Balance the stick across the pencil; fold two riders to sit astride the ends.
A tumbling ladder of sticks joined by three ribbonsCraft sticks, 6, and 3 ribbons. Between each pair the middle ribbon crosses one way and the outer two the other.
A woven panel: paper strips over and under a row of sticksCraft sticks, 9, and paper strips. Seven uprights with gaps, glued on two cross sticks; weave the strips between.
Ornaments and wall pieces 13
A fir tree ornament: a triangle on a trunk with paper baublesCraft sticks, 4, and paper. Glue a triangle, the fourth stick behind it as the trunk; punch paper dots to hang on it.
A giant wall pencil with a paper point and a paper eraserCraft sticks, 5, and paper. Five side by side on a paper backing; a paper point at one end, an eraser at the other.
A honeycomb of seven six-sided cells that share their wallsCraft sticks, 30. Build the middle hexagon first; every new cell borrows a wall from the ones beside it.
A note grid: four sticks across four, with clips on the barsCraft sticks, 8, and small clothespins. Glue the grid at every crossing and clip notes or drawings to it.
A poster hanger that grips a drawing top and bottomCraft sticks, 4, and string. The top edge of the drawing goes between two sticks, the bottom edge between two more.
A six-sided wreath with paper leaves tucked into its cornersCraft sticks, 12, and paper. Two hexagons, one glued on the other and turned so corners sit over sides.
A sled ornament with two runners and a string to hang itCraft sticks, 7, and string. Five slats glued across two runners; tie the string around the front slat.
A string of three diamonds: squares hung by their cornersCraft sticks, 12, and thread. Glue three squares, color each differently and tie them in a line by their corners.
A tally wall: one stick for every book read, bundled in fivesCraft sticks, 1 a book, and tape. Four upright and the fifth slanting across them, group after group along a wall.
A wind chime of six sticks hung at stepped heightsCraft sticks, 7, and thread. Tape a thread to one end of six; tie them along the seventh, each a little lower.
A window ornament: four panes over a drawn winter viewCraft sticks, 6, and paper. A square of four with two crossed inside it; glue the drawing behind the panes.
A zigzag garland as long as a shelfCraft sticks, 12. Glue them tip over tip in a line of W shapes and color every stroke differently.
Five peaks: a row of triangles with a white paper cap on eachCraft sticks, 15, and white paper. Five triangles side by side on a card strip; tear a snow cap for every point.
How it works
Craft sticks are thin flat blades of wood with both ends smoothed round. Laid side by side they are planks; stacked crosswise they are log walls. These 65 builds use whole sticks: no stick is cut.
Read the full guide
Planks first, then stacks
A plank panel is the first skill: sticks edge to edge, glued across two cross sticks. A barn door of nine planks braced with a Z is that and one more stick. Stacking is the second: A pencil pot stacked like a log cabin on a plank floor takes 46.
What joins them
White glue, tape, clay, thread, yarn, ribbon or a rubber band. No piece asks for a hot glue gun or a craft knife. A clacker: two sticks hinged at one end, a button in each jaw needs one tape hinge. A honeycomb of seven six-sided cells that share their walls is thirty sticks and glue.
Questions and answers
What can you make with craft sticks?
Plank doors, piers and signposts, stacked pots and boxes, doll furniture, puppets, a tumbling ladder, a buzzer and ornaments such as a honeycomb. This list holds 65, each with the number of sticks it takes.
What are easy craft stick art ideas for kids?
The smallest counts: a shadow puppet or a page monster on one stick, a clacker or a crocodile on two, a fox face inside a triangle of three, a poster hanger on four and a tabletop easel on five.
Do you need to cut craft sticks?
Not for these. Every one of the 65 uses whole sticks. The joins are white glue, tape, clay, thread, yarn, ribbon or a rubber band, so no piece asks for a craft knife or a hot glue gun.
How many craft sticks do I need?
From one to 46. Each hint opens with the count: a see-saw plank takes 1, a sled ornament 7, a picnic set 17, a honeycomb 30, a six-sided basket or a keepsake box 36 and the log-cabin pencil pot 46.