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Keep your little ones busy over the festive season with these fun activities

The countdown to Christmas is on! Shopping for the kids is one of the most fun parts of the season. While they may have their own ideas for what to ask Santa for, surprises are always appreciated and you can't go wrong with kids' craft kits. They're guaranteed boredom-busters that won't break the bank - especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts of up to 55% off.

We've scoured the best deals and offers on kids craft kits available right now so if a creative Christmas is part of your plans, don't miss out on the opportunity to save money from retailers like Baker Ross, Argos and Amazon this Black Friday week.

One of the reasons we love kids' craft kits is that there's something for everyone – from science fans to young fairies and fashion designers, we've compiled a list of the best kids' crafts kits that will keep them occupied – and will be particularly useful for the Christmas holidays.

They include projects children will come back to again and again, stocking filler ideas and even craft kits that could be gifted inside a Christmas Eve box to be enjoyed the night before Christmas.

There's much more to kid's crafts kits than just colouring in. They're a chance to learn new skills, inspire their imagination and make handmade treasures. We’ve found candle-making kits, sewing kits and even fashionable ideas like making dress-up dolls. Seeking something practical that’s guaranteed to impress kids of all ages? Try the colour-in trainers!

And if you’re looking for creative kits to get them exploring new craft techniques we’ve found paper quilling, origami and painting and decorative items for their room that will make them feel like proper grown-ups. Or if you want to get back to basics, the Giant Craft Box contains plenty of supplies for the ultimate crafting extravaganza. They certainly won't get bored in the school holidays, it's the ultimate kid's craft kit. Here's our round up of the best kids' craft kits around, including those with Black Friday discounts.

Keep little hands busy over the school holidays making Christmas crafts projects. This kids craft kit is one you can gift them before the big day as it contains some wonderful decorations for their bedroom such as their own Christmas wreath, lots of Christmas stickers to craft with and even a recipe to make gingerbread.

Watching birds from the window is a wonderful way to occupy children - attract in feathered friends by hanging up a bird box filled with treats. First though, they'll need painting and decorating!

Magical! This awe-inspiring kids craft kit will astound adult helpers as much as the kids. There are five projects to make, marble and keep.

Pow! This kid's craft kit is one of the coolest creative ideas we've come across, the chance to colour-in their own super hero cape. Each kit contains the fabric cape and fabric pens and for an extra £10 the cape can be personalised to include your child's name.

Hours of fun! Having a box of air dry clay to hand is a great way to get kids away from tablets and devices and is an activity they can do with friends when they come over.

Introduce your child to the world of vision boarding with this comprehensive craft kit that includes affirmation cards, memo pads, markers, pegs and even fairy lights to inspire children to dream big and focus on making their future bright!

A brilliant first introduction to embroidery - this cross stitch kit has been designed with youngsters in mind with five easy to follow projects they can use to make patches that can be applied to decorate other things.

The cutest craft kit and puuurfect for feline fans, this craft kit contains all the materials a younger crafter needs to make three new animal pals. Once they've been stitched, encourage your child to use their puppets to act out a scene, tell a story, or even make a puppet theatre for them to perform in.

Incredible value and one that so many children will adore - the chance to do lots of dinosaur crafting! This kids craft kit includes scratch art, stickers and a mask plus lots more.

A fun activity that siblings and best friends will enjoy doing together, this dress up dolls craft kit comes with princess themed outfits like coats and cloaks and even has a castle backdrop which is perfect for storytelling.

If your child is showing signs of being the next Banksy, surprise them with this graffiti stencil kit. They'll be able to customise their clothes rather than your walls and will enjoy using the kit when their friends come over.

There are over 300 beads in this fun jewellery making kit so your child will be kept busy for hours. They'll enjoy making handmade gifts for their best friends too.

A brilliant way to discuss environmental issues with your child, this is fun and creative way to make them aware of topical issues.

An absolute bargain, you'll receive five handbags in this kit for just £2.95. We recommend snapping up a few and saving them for a children's birthday party activity.

Bringing science and art together this is a project you'll enjoy doing with your child. The kit includes light sensitive cyanotype paper allowing you to take your own photo prints using sunlight.

Sports fans will enjoy the chance to design and colour-in their own personalised football. Whether it's dedicated to their favourite team, or has a personalised message on it, this special ball will score high on the gift list.

A kit for kids with the wow factor this terrific terrarium kit takes arts and crafts to whole new level, adding a touch of gardening into the mix. Complete with a jar, potting supplies and figurines to decorate your own miniature scene that also glows in the dark.

A magical gift for young fairies, this is a kid's craft kit that will capture their imagination. With ingredients that fizz, pop, and explode with colour, it will bring your child joy and excitement. Sachets include unicorn poop lavender and star dust made from corn flower.

Your kids can create eruptions with National Geographic's exciting Volcano Science Kit. It includes plaster, a volcano mould, paints and paintbrush, eruption powder, two volcanic rock specimens (geode and pumice) and a guide to volcanoes to inspire mini geologists.

Make a style statement. Ideal for any young fashionistas in your life, this kit containing 29 embellishments that will give them the creative freedom to customise everything from jackets to pencil cases, bags and jeans. Ideal for school holidays, it's a chance to express themselves without the constraints of a school uniform. Patches include glow-in-the-dark and metallic designs.

One for young interior designers, this kids' craft kit contains colourful craft supplies to make a decorative string of fairylights that will look beautiful in a children's bedroom.

Paper quilling is the art of turning thin strips of coloured paper, rolling them into a coil, creating different forms of shapes and then gluing them together to create beautiful and delicate paper designs. This bird design is certain to keep the youngster in your life occupied on rainy days.

Put simply, découpage involves cutting out pictures, gluing them to an object and then coating the pictures and the object with layers of varnish. Create your own découpage cat with this cute craft kit, which also comes as a horse, dog, dinosaur, swan and butterfly.

This gorgeous candle making set is a great option for kids looking to make a thoughtful gift for parents or grandparents and have plenty of fun in the process. Simply pour layers of coloured wax into the glass cups to create beautiful candles. The craft kit includes coloured wax, extra long wicks, wick holders, three glass containers and a designing tool for special effects.

This will keep fans of hama beads occupied for hours! This kids' craft kit contains 12,000 beads and there are 13 colours to choose from to make their own unique designs that can be turned into accessories like keyrings and magnets.

Hands up if you remember these from your own childhood? Glitter-filled jewellery is super fun to make and wear. This craft kit for kids contains enough supplies to make six pieces of original and stylish jewellery.

Baking is always a winner as a rainy day activity but how about swapping the edible ingredients for cute ones instead? Fans of Bake-Off contestant Kim-Joy, whose famous character cakes have made her a household name, will enjoy making their own cute creations. From pies to pastries and tarts and ice-cream, which will your little baker make first?

Let their imaginations run wild with this craft box containing pipe cleaners, coloured lollipop sticks, kids craft scissors, PVA Glue, pom poms, beads, sequins, googly eyes, foam sheets, felt sheets, shredded tissue paper and more.

Dino fans will love decorating this family of fun plaster dinos. With 10 dinosaur models, paints and a brush, it's great value for a fiver. A brilliant crafternoon pack.

If you're a Great Pottery Throwdown fan you'll love this brilliant first pottery set. It's a great kids craft kit that's been thoughtfully designed to give children the freedom to make and play with dry clay and then decorate their masterpieces.

We love this professional-looking stained glass craft kit. As well as being easy to use, it’ll also look great in your child’s bedroom – simply affix the cord and suction cup to hang where required. It’s also great for promoting problem-solving skills, fine motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination.

And if the grown-ups fancy trying their hand at glass painting, check out our beginner's guide here.

Marbling is coming back into fashion thanks to trending on TikTok, capturing the imagination of young artists with their magical patterns and colours. Thankfully the technique has got much easier, this kit uses water-based paints so you don't need to worry about staining clothes or making a mess.

A fantastic choice for budding designers, this would make an ideal gift for boys and girls of all ages. Encourage their creativity with this pair of comic action design colour-in shoes that they can show off with pride. You can even pay a little extra for personalised glitter shoelaces. Simply fabulous, darling.

Combine a trip out in nature with a crafty afternoon thanks to this wooden flower press. It comes with a little booklet with creative ideas for your pressed flowers. Flower pressing is popular will children and adults alike and it a wonderful activity to do together. For more recommendations, check out our round-up of the best flower press kits.