Q-tips (cotton buds, cotton swabs or how ever you call them) are one of those inexpensive items we all have at home! On this page you will find different Q-tips activity ideas for sensory play, learning, art and more!

Because of their shape and size, q-tips are perfect tools for many different type of activities. Even when children use them for art or craft activity, they also work on their visual skills, hands and eyes coordination, fine motor skills, etc.
Basic Supplies for Q-tips Based Activities
It’s always a good thing to have on hand:
- q-tips
- watercolors
- tempera paint
- drinking straws
- construction paper
- glue
- sticky paper
- playdough
Q-Tips Activity Ideas for Sensory Play

Make a start with our Q Tip Sensory Bin which is filled with holes.
Learn how to dye Q-tips for play and learning.
Set up a Q-tip maze.
Put drinking straws and q-tips into sensory bin and see what happens!
Cotton Swabs Art and Craft Activities

Have fun exploring painting on different textures with Q-tips.
Build your own snowman on contact paper and stick on Q-tips for his arms.
Pair up Q-tips with watercolors for this process art activity.
Paint a heart full of Q-tips dots.

Paint a rainbow with Q-tips.
Decorate a Christmas Tree with Q-tip painted lights and baubles.
Enjoy a winter themed Q-tip project and paint some snow.
Paint Easter Eggs with Q-tips.

Turn Q-tips into flower petals with these two activities.
Paint Holiday Trees onto the front your Christmas cards with Q-tips.
Enjoy sticky art with colored Q-tips.
Decorate snowflakes with paint covered Q-tips.

Paint a Fall Tree with Q-tips.
Make Q-tip Snowflake Ornaments to go on your Christmas tree.
Use Q-tips to create these beautiful flowers.
Make some Q-tip Firework pictures.
Learning Activites with Cotton Buds

A Q-tip art project to explore symmetry with your kids.
Choo Choo! Work your child’s fine motor skills with this Q-tip Train Art project.
Work on a milk marbling science experiment with cotton buds.
Fill a busy bag full of Q-tips and make some snowflakes.

Create dancing skeletons with Q-tips.
When you add drinking straws child can learn colors and work on fine motor skills with q-tips.
Love this simple color matching idea with q-tips and playdough!
Q-tips are perfect for pretending to be bones when you talk about human body with your kids.

A printable pack filled with Christmas themed Q-tip painting printables.
Have fun working through this Printable Q-tip Alphabet.
Printable full of Fall Leaf Colors Q-tip Painting activities.
Learn numbers and count with q-tips.

Looking for more fun things to do with your kids? We want to recommend you our new book – Learn with Play (150+ Activities for Year-Round Fun and Learning)! You will find inside easy to prepare activities for everyday fun as well for all seasons and holidays! Here is a preview for you:
Purchase the e-book : CLICK HERE!
What to Do Next?
- Easy to set up water play
- Playing with rice is fun too!
- To try something new, pick some of the activities with shaving foam!
↓ PIN FOR LATER ↓


Such an awesome post! I love the idea of creating fun without having ot go out and buy something special – we always have tons of Q-Tips!
Who knew there was so much fun to be had with cotton swabs! Thanks for sharing at Welcome Home Wednesdays.