Craft Project for Kids: How to Make Coasters

Drink coasters are a fun craft project that kids can make as gifts and for use around their own homes. Most of these tutorials involve inexpensive, readily made materials and can be completed in an afternoon. Additionally, they can all be modified or adapted for virtually any season, holiday, or occasion. There is something here for everyone. Happy crafting!

What types of materials can kids use to make coasters?

Coasters make great gifts!

There are so many different occasions that kids can make coasters to give as gifts. Here are just a few possibilities for gift giving.

• Christmas
• Mother's Day
• Father's Day
• Birthdays
• Teacher gifts
• Thank you gifts

Homemade coasters are a perfect project for home or school. Art teachers, general education teachers, and special education teachers may want to consider making coasters with their students.

Make Fun Coasters with the Kids | ModernMom

Grab some more tile coaster tips from Family Your Way!

• Kid Made Tile Coasters for Mother's Day | Family Your Way
  

Ceramic Tile Coaster Projects for Kids

• Ceramic tiles with paint. If you've seen ceramic tile tutorials, you're already familiar with this concept. Give kids the paint and let them have complete control over their designs. Acrylic paint is a good all purpose choice for this project although you don't have to feel limited to this option.
• Tissue leaves on ceramic tiles. Tissue paper is another popular choice for tile coaster projects for kids. This tutorial calls for tissue paper leaves, which you may want to cut out ahead of time, depending on the age of the kids completing the project. Of course you can customize the shape or simply let kids rip or cut random tissue paper shapes.
• Repurposed artwork. Do you have piles of kid artwork sitting around your home or classroom? It can be tough to part with them, but they can also take over your life. Transforming some of these pieces into usable items, such as coasters, is a great option.

Create Coasters Using Scrabble Pieces! | Evette Rios

More Coaster Projects for Kids

• Paint pens on cork. Square cork squares are available at any big box or office supply store and can be easily cut into coaster squares with an X-Acto knife. You can also purchase pre-cut cork coasters. Paint pens are a simple decorating option for cork, especially with kids, but you can explore other options, too.
• Felt. Many of the felt coaster tutorials out there a little involved for young kids, such as this tutorial from Molly's Sketchbook. However, you'll still get a feel for the concept and can modify it as needed for different age groups.
• Scrabble tiles. One of the most fun aspects of making Scrabble tile coasters is that kids can choose the words for their coasters, which is a great opportunity to work on spelling and vocabulary building. I highly recommend taking Erin's advice and using cardboard or another stiff material, such as chipboard, cork, or tile, for the backing of these coasters. The Scrabble tiles are most likely not going to hold on their own for very long, even with strong glue.
• Wooden tree slices or wooden scraps with paint. There are a few popular options for wooden coasters including wooden tree slices or wooden scraps. It is best to use what you have on hand or can easily attain and not worry about finding a specific material to fit a certain tutorial. You can decorate wooden coasters with acrylic paint. For more advanced painting ideas, check out Design Sponge.
• Plaster of Paris for mosaics. Plaster of Paris is a wonderful medium for drink coasters. You can add a wide variety of different items into the mixture including sea glass, seashells, beads, Scrabble tiles, small rocks, and broken pottery. Consider customizing the designs and colors for the recipient and the occasion at hand (i.e. a coaster for dad for Father's Day in a couple of his favorite colors).

How to Make Photo Tile Coasters | TheFrugalCraftyMama

• Get Some Backsplash Inspiration for Your Kitchen | Kitchen Ideas & Design with Cabinets, Islands
  Want some backsplash inspiration? HGTV lays out a few ideas for your kitchen.

What else can you do with decorated tiles?

There are a handful of options for decorated tiles, particularly ceramic tiles, besides drink coasters. One of the most popular choices is wall art. Attach sawtooth hangers to the back of the tiles with E-6000 to hang them. The grid on the back of many tiles makes it easy to center the hangers properly.

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Some people also choose to use a handful of decorated tiles as part of a kitchen backsplash or other tiled area of a home, such as a bathroom. It is important to make sure that these tiles are a good size fit for the space at hand and that they are prepared properly for long-term wear and tear.

Are you looking for additional coaster craft projects? Check this out!

• Coaster Tutorials: How to Make Coasters from Fabric, Tile, and More
  This article is a big round up of coaster tutorials. It includes coaster tutorials for fabric, tile, and more. There are links and photos for all of these tutorials with additional resources for some of them.

More kid craft project articles from the author.

• Craft Ideas for Kids: 10 Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
  This article is about craft ideas that kids can make and give as gifts. It includes 10 ideas for homemade gifts. There are lots of links, pictures, and resources.
• Spring Crafts for Kids: Easy, Fun Ideas
  This article is filled with spring crafts for kids. It has easy, fun ideas for a wide variety of spring topics including birds, flowers, insects, vases, wreaths, and more. There are lots of photos and resources.
• Easter Crafts for Kids: Easy Ideas for Homemade Projects
  This article is about Easter crafts for kids. It contains over a dozen easy ideas for handmade projects. There are lots of photos, links, and resources.

© 2013 Rose Clearfield

Comments

Niketa. Dikhit on June 23, 2017:

Thank you it's nice creative work.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 21, 2013:

Deb, that's great! Best of luck with your gifts. :)

RTalloni, yes, for sure!

Jeannie, I hear you! Coasters are definitely a fun project for adults, too.

Jeannie Marie from Baltimore, MD on August 21, 2013:

This looks like fun. Forget about kids! I want to make my own coasters now. Voted up and useful!

RTalloni on August 21, 2013:

Making coasters is a super craft to do with kids. It's good for them to see that useful things can be art-filled :) and that they can make and give such items.

Deborah Neyens from Iowa on August 21, 2013:

Great ideas. My family is giving handmade gifts for Christmas this year so I need lots of ideas!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 10, 2013:

Thanks so much, kittythedreamer! That means a lot to me.

Kitty Fields from Summerland on May 10, 2013:

You have to be the craftiest person on the web, Lady! Loved your ideas here, and how brilliant to link the ideas to your other hubs. Clever lady, you. Blessings!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 28, 2013:

Thanks so much, Prasetio! Your feedback means a lot to me.

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on April 28, 2013:

Awesome....you did it again, my friend. Very creative and I love this hub very much. Thanks for sharing with us. Voted up (useful, awesome, beautiful, interesting)....Take care :-)

Prasetio

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 27, 2013:

FlourishAnyway, sure, you could modify this concept to make place mats!

Thanks, barbat and livingsta!

That's great, Prasetio! Thanks. :)

Careermommy, that's perfect!

Suzie, yes, for sure about making gifts!

Kathryn, you're absolutely right on about coasters. Your seashell coasters sounds beautiful. What a neat way to preserve a trip memory.

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on April 27, 2013:

These are great ideas! They can be pretty, memorable, and practical, and really could be used as gifts for many occasions.

I made some coasters a few years ago, using plaster and a mold, as well as some seashells I had collected from a beach in Cape Cod.

Suzanne Ridgeway from Dublin, Ireland on April 27, 2013:

Hi Rose,

What cool ideas for kids that are easy and fun! Making gifts is ideal especially with Father's Day on the horizon! Love the different mediums like scrabble tiles!! Great job as always compiling all these wonderful ideas, voted up, interesting, awesome, pinned!

Tirralan Watkins from Los Angeles, CA on April 26, 2013:

randomcreative, I'm always looking for more craft ideas for the kids, so this is perfect. Thank you for sharing this!

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on April 26, 2013:

Very informative hub. My friend, I always learn something new every time I visit your hub, include this one. I'll show this hub to my students. Thanks for writing and sharing with us. Voted up!

Prasetio

Dahlia Ambrose from United Kingdom on April 26, 2013:

Very interesting hub. I like the fabric coasters. They are very pretty!

Thank you for sharing this with us. Votes up and sharing!

B A Tobin from Connnecticut on April 26, 2013:

This is jammed packed with great ideas! Interesting and useful! Thank you!

Elaina Baker from USA on April 26, 2013:

I love the Scrabble idea. I could also see this being used as a placemat (with a sturdy back and lots of acrylic over the letters so food doesn't get caught in between the tiles).

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 26, 2013:

faythef, thanks! I'm sure that your grandkids would enjoy that.

Thanks, vertualit!

Abdus Salam from Bangladesh on April 25, 2013:

Great hub randomcreative. Thanks so much...

Faythe Payne from USA on April 25, 2013:

Great idea here..Hmm. maybe I can "help" the grand kids make some for their mothers..

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25, 2013:

Thanks so much, Dana!

Dana Hinders on April 25, 2013:

Nice photos and a very inspiring hub!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25, 2013:

Yes, for sure, Carol! Thanks so much.

carol stanley from Arizona on April 25, 2013:

what a fun project for kids to do and turn out something that will be used. Very good. Voting up and pinning in my craft section.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25, 2013:

That's great, Susan! Thanks. :)

Susan Zutautas from Ontario, Canada on April 25, 2013:

My nieces would love to do this. I'll be sure to share your hub with them.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25, 2013:

Thank you!

IslandBites from Puerto Rico on April 25, 2013:

Nice projects.