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DIORAMA CRAFTS FOR KIDS: Ideas for Arts & Crafts Activities for Making Dioramas for School Projects for Children & Teens

A diorama is a miniature stage, scene or picture, on which animals or people play their roles in a dramatic setting appropriate to the story or poem illustrated. Dioramas are fun to make and exciting to play with. After you have made your first diorama you will want to make one for each of your favorite stories. Shoe-box dioramas will keep the children busy for several hours and will give them an opportunity to use their imagination to the fullest. First, plan the scene you wish to portray. It might be a jungle scene. Or it might portray an Indian camp or a circus scene, or a scene pertaining to Christmas or one of the other holidays, or even be a scene from a favorite story. You will need a large, substantial shoe box, scissors, paste, and paints or crayons. Children six years and older can do this pretty much by themselves, with just suggestions from the parents. Of course, the older the child, the more detailed their scene may be.

First, cut away one of the long sides of your box. Then put in background scenery. This may be painted in, or you might find in a magazine something suitable which can be cut out and pasted to the back and sides. Children will work out this project in their own way. In doing a jungle scene, all the background can he painted in with poster paints. The native huts might he made from heavy cardboard. A short narrow strip can be stapled together to form a circular hut, and a tiny door can be cut out. The roof can be made from construction paper. Cut a complete circle and then cut away one-fourth of that, and fasten the remainder together with clear tape.

Clear tape can also be used to attach the roof to the house, and then to attach the houses to the bottom of the box. Paint the bottom of the box to resemble grass or prairie, or whatever the scene. And finally, add tiny figures if you have them, or cut some out of a magazine, leaving a small tab to be folded back and pasted to the bottom of the box. There are many ways to carry out this idea. In doing a Christmas scene, old Christmas cards would give plenty of material with which to work. Bits of cotton could be pasted to the bottom to resemble snow. These scenes can be as simple or as elaborate as desired, so there's opportunity here for plenty of imagination and ingenuity.

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Recent Arts and Crafts Projects for Kids

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Here you will find Diorama Crafts Projects and Activities for Kids. Make cool Dioramas crafts with these instructions found below.

Make a Window Diorama

To make this window diorama, you will need a large hat box with a cover. Remove the cover from this oval or round hat box and put it aside as you will need it later. Make your diorama with the top off. Cut out a "window" in the largest side area of the box when using an oval box. When using a round box, you may cut the window in any side. Paint the hat box on the outside and allow it to dry thoroughly. Paint the box cover separately and allow it to dry. Decide on the scene you want to make. Then, draw, paint, or glue on appropriate Internet, clipart, drawings, or magazine cut-outs for the background. In the foreground you may use miniature animals, people and toys, or cut-outs. To make these cut-outs stand, glue them to small pieces of cardboard then insert them into small balls of self-hardening clay, slits in slices of cork, or glue them to the floor of the diorama. For the curtains around the window, glue on ruffled, shirred, or pleated crepe paper or pieces cut from paper lace doilies. Plan your "stage" setting before cutting out figures.

Bird in Tree Diorama

To make this shadow box, you will need 1 shoe box or similar size box, lump of clay, small branch of tree, small piece Scotch tape, blue crayon or paper to line inside of box, small ball cotton,, brown crayon, piece of heavy white paper 3 1/2" wide and as long as shoe box is wide, and paste. Print out the following bird pattern and cut it out. Fold the white paper as shown in sketch b and print the words that you want on there or use green paper to keep it blank. You may color inside of box blue and outside of box brown ... or use constructions paper or decorative paper to do this. Fluff out cotton ball to resemble cloud and paste in back of box (sketch c). You may make clay ball and firmly press into position in box as shown in sketch c. Now fasten the bird on the tree branch with Scotch tape as shown in sketch d. You may now place small branch in clay (sketch c). If you want to hange this up, tape a yarn loop on the back of the box.

Triangular Diorama Project

As you learned if you made the Window Diorama above, a diorama is a miniature stage scene or picture, on which animals or people play their roles in a dramatic setting appropriate to the story or poem illustrated. If you made your first diorama to illustrate a story or a poem, make your Triangular Diorama illustrate a place you have visited and never forgotten. To With a ruler and pencil, mark off one corner of the cardboard carton and its cover. Following the penciled line, cut out one corner of the carton and its cover to make the triangular set. Tape the cut edges with Scotch tape to make it look neat and last longer. Paint the outside of the diorama and allow it to dry thoroughly. Plan your scene. You may paint in the background, or you may glue on magazine, clip art, or Internet cut-outs. You may build miniature furniture of cardboard, or you may use tiny doll house furniture. You may paint mountains, flowers, buildings, etc. on the background, or you may make mountains of self-hardening clay, and "plant" small artificial flowers in small balls of self-hardening clay. You may do anything you like to make your diorama as attractive as you know how.

Making an Underwater Fish Diorama

It isn't hard at all to make this fish diorama. Get a shoe box and glue this underwater background to the bottom of shoe box. Then colorize the rest of the inside of the box blue, however you choose ....wrapping paper, construction paper, paint, markers ...etc. To make the fishes, you should get out some colored paper and cut out 2 circles for each fish. Each circle can be made by tracing a cap or lid that is about 2" wide. Cut one circle in half. One of those halves needs to be cut in half again as pictured in illustration a above. Then the circle is the fish body, the 2 pizza slice pieces are for the top and bottom fin. The half circle is for the back fin. Glue them together like this, as seen in illustration b. You can make as many fish as you want to. You can draw the fish eye and mouth on with markers. Now turn the box on its side and tape the first side of a 5 inch piece of string to the back of the paper fish and then tape the other side to the top of the inside of the box. Now wrap the open end of the box with plastic wrap and tape it in place. You now have an underwater scene and fish diorama.

More Diorama Ideas Below

Native American Indian Scenic View Diorama - Make a peep show box of a Native American Landscape.

3-D Circus Craft for Kids The circus is coming! The circus is coming! Make your own 3-D circus using recyclables: a shoebox and foam produce tray.

A 3-Star Diorama of an Eskimo Camp Craft Idea for Kids – Imagine you’re in the North Pole having a warm and hearty meal inside an igloo with your friends. Now open your eyes and make that vivid imagination into reality with this easy to make diorama for grade schoolers.

Amish Barn-Raising Diorama Craft Activity - Amish communities are famous for their quilts and unique style of life. Show how the Amish work together by creating a realistic barn-raising diorama.

Aquarium Acrobats Crafts Project - What's swimming in front of your eyes? Are those swaying anemones plants or animals? Fill an imaginary aquarium with underwater acrobats!

Beautiful Birds Diorama Cards Activity for Children - Diorama cards add depth and make things look real – they can open up a window on the world! If you are mailing your diorama, it is important that it flattens. Make sure each side is flat as you secure the double-stick tape. This diorama design can be made to the size that fits your images. You could also incorporate punch art, photographs, etc., into making your dioramas.

Bird & Flower Diorama Craft - The classic shoebox diorama is a childhood rite of passage. Although it can be used for school work, your children may enjoy making them just for fun.

Bike and Hike- Try new trails! Making Instructions - All over the world, people enjoy trails and paths while they stay fit surrounded by nature. Depict your favorite way to experience—and care for—the outdoors in a fun-to-make diorama.

Book Diorama Craft Ideas for Children - This diorama is a scene from a child's favorite book. After the child reads the book, the child makes a diorama of a favorite scene from the book.

Box Living Room Diorama Craft for Kids- Recycle boxes and paper cups into a cozy miniature living room and help save the environment while doing so.

Boxing Day Cottage Craft Making Ideas - Celebrate a traditional British holiday! Recycle boxes to create a gift-giving diorama, and let the message of generosity shine through every day.

Broomsticks & Balls Diorama Making Directions - Harry Potter fans know that Quidditch is the premier sport of the wizarding world. Create an action scene from your favorite novel!

Camp Diorama Box Making Instructions - Recycle any snack or cracker box into this fun miniature version of a campsite. Let your imagination steer the way!

Cave man Diorama Arts & Crafts Idea – If your kids think Captain Caveman can only be seen on TV, then surprise them with this cool caveman setting diorama which can easily be made right inside your living room!

Charlotte's Web Diorama This is another fun-filled creative project for you and your kids to assemble. He best part of it all is you get to enjoy the precious bonding time while doing so!

Christmas Diorama Photo Craft Idea – Celebrate the Yuletide season with this Christmas-themed diorama home craft which your children can take part in creating. There’s no better moment than to be spending time with your family on a Christmas morn.

Christmas Scene Ornament Diorama Arts & Crafts Project - Make a pretty diorama in miniature with this Christmas scene ornament. Whether you choose to do a traditional nativity scene or a winter scene the end result will be a craft worth keeping.

Coral Reef Diorama Craft for Kids - Learn all about coral reefs and ocean life in this fun Coral Reef Diorama craft. It's a great summer craft to make especially after a trip to the beach or to an ocean theme park.

Deep Inside A Cavern Diorama Crafts Project for Children - How do stalactites and stalagmites grow hundreds of feet inside the Earth? Explore an original cave, constructed inside a box.

Desert Diorama Craft for Children - Even a first grader can make this desert diorama- one of several land form dioramas they could choose from an assortment of landscape. This craft is easy to make using things you have just lying around the house.

Design a Dino Museum Diorama Crafts Project - Ever take a trip to a museum to see dinosaurs? Create your own thrilling dino museum exhibit!

Discovering Atlantis Diorama Arts & Crafts Idea You imagine yourself inside a submarine looking through a porthole and seeing the lost city of Atlantis in the distance.

Dinosaur Color Diorama Crafts Project Idea for Kids - Create your own prehistoric dinosaur scene in a box. Just print out the dinosaurs, paste, color, cut, arrange them in the box, and - welcome to the Mesozoic Era, the "Age of Dinosaurs."

Dinosaur Crafts Diorama Crafts Activity - Children are fascinated by dinosaurs. Large, small, earth-shaking, quick-footed, flying, horned, spiked, nesting or nurturing, there's a dinosaur to bring big excite every little personality in your home or classroom.

Dinosaur Diorama Crafts School Project - Use your Crayola Cutter to transform paper into a lush, leafy, green, 3-D environment for your favorite dinosaurs. What an impressive school project!

Diorama Valentine Card Crafts Idea for Kids to Make - These are mini diorama valentine scenes that also fold up as a card. A great gift craft idea to give for Valentine’s Day!

Dora’s Winter Diorama Toddlers' Craft Idea - Kids can recreate this snowy scene using common craft items using popular cartoon character Dora as the focal point of the design.

Duckling Parade Crafts Activity for Kids - Make Way for Ducklings! Create dioramas depicting scenes from this children's classic about a family of mallards who live in the Boston Public Garden.

Easter Egg Diorama Bring fun and color to the Easter celebration by helping your kids make this Easter egg diorama craft. Rest assured this is better than painting eggs.

Egg Carton Diorama Halloween diorama made from an egg carton but would also be great with any theme.  Adorable ghosts, pumpkins and bats can also be made from the egg carton.

Fairy Folktale Diorama - Tell fairy tales and folktales again and again with these dioramas. Even tall tales seem almost real with these miniature settings and characters!

Family Fireplace Fun Diorama Crafts Project - Where’s your favorite cozy spot on a winter evening? Maybe in front of a fireplace, with your pets?

Family Food Favorites Diorama Crafts Project - Combine three important family activities--dinner time, reading, and craft time - to create a fun diorama of your family’s favorite foods and traditions.

Film Canister Diorama: Little Red Riding Hood - Whilst putting off school work one day, I decided that I needed to find something interesting to do with all the empty film canisters I have lying around. Ta Da! insta-art! The trees are paper, all the other layers are gel samples for theatre lighting. Gluing everything in straight was tricky, but over all I'm happy with it. Smiley

Fireworks Under the Stars Diorama Crafts Project - The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a unique, beautiful structure. Make it—or any famous landmark—sparkle with a glittery 3-D fireworks display.

Forest Diorama Craft for Kids This diorama of a forest is fun to make and shows the animals and plants that live in a forest.

Found Sparkling Treasure Diorama Crafts Activity for Children - Ahoy, mate! Would you like to search for buried treasure, sail on a pirate ship, and swim in the deep blue sea? Make a scene complete with all your wishes.

Fragile Reefs Diorama Adjust your goggles and tighten your swim fins! Dive beneath the ocean surface to explore breathtakingly beautiful coral reefs and the thousands of species they shelter. Create a coral reef ecosystem in your own undersea diorama.

Fun Cave Diorama Studying geology or caves? Studying up on Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns … even taking a trip there? Here’s a great activity for creating an interesting diorama of a cave. While building your diorama, you also learn how caves are formed.

Garden Diorama Crafts Project for Kids - Explore and re-create the exciting world of bugs and critters in this Garden Diorama craft.

 

Glide along a Venetian Canal Arts & Crafts Idea - In Venice, Italy, the streets are canals and the cars are boats! Find out about this fascinating place, and then create your own gondola and gondolier.

Habitat Diorama Find lots of creative and out-of-the box ideas for the classic shoebox diorama craft. Learn all about animals and their natural habitats by constructing a diorama using paper, a shoebox, and lots of imagination.

Half-Sphere Angel Scene and Deer Diorama Scene Craft – This is a lovely piece of diorama art which requires a bit of creative flair and some vivid imagination. Kids will surely love mixing and matching colors on this one.

Halloween Diorama Photo Crafts Idea – Who says Halloween is just for making ghouls and ghosts costume? Spice up your doorstep decoration with this easy to make Halloween diorama craft.

Here’s my Family Arts Project - What’s a favorite family tradition in your home? Games? Feasts? Reunions? Quilting? Show family togetherness in a dramatic diorama.

Hip Boots in Cranberry Bogs Project - Kids delight in getting bogged down with this cranberry harvest scene! Sip on cranberry juice as you show how these beautiful red berries grow.

Indian Campsite Diorama – Take your kids back in time with this Indian themed diorama artwork! Show them how the real American ancestors started life in the Western prairie decades ago.

Jungle Safari Diorama Craft Activities – Welcome to the jungle! Hear the screech of exotic birds and the howls of monkeys with this adventurous themed jungle safari diorama. Kids will even get to learn a thing or two about the animals with this craft.

Jungle Fun Diorama Craft Activity for Kids – There’s absolutely nothing that will compare to the thrill of making a jungle themed diorama artwork. Have some fun integrating different colors to the otherwise green environment of the landscape.

Lucy's Ocean Diorama Craft Project - This is just a small model of a real-life scene that has lifelike details and a realistic background. It can be anything you want it to be; so take out the scissors, pencils, and pipe cleaners! Pick your habitat and let's get started!

Miniature Beach Diorama Activity - Construct a miniature beach scene on a paper plate with dough, sand, and a jelly ocean! Add other elements that you love about the beach like beach umbrellas, fishes, sea creatures and sand castles.

Miniature Bedroom Diorama Activity - Build a cozy miniature bedroom out of big and small boxes.

Mushroom Terrarium – This artwork is, in other words, a garden in a glass. Help your child create one using things you can easily find around the house. No assembly required when compared to those more expensive crafts you see in the market.

My Own Oval Office - What would it be like to be a U.S. President? Design your own Oval Office in the White House, decorated with your favorite things!

Nativity Diorama Crafts Activity for Kids - A nativity diorama is a fun and easy Christmas craft that you can create from supplies you likely have on hand. The Christmas story told in the Bible in the book of Luke can easily be illustrated in a nativity diorama.

Nature Diorama for Kids - A diorama is a 3-D model of an area. Making a nature diorama is a good way for kids to learn about a part of nature -- and then demonstrate what you've learned.

Nature Scene Craft Activity for Kids - Your child will be practicing two and three dimensional thinking, plus the essential language arts skill of constructing a narrative! Here’s how to get your child started building his very own 3-D diorama.

Ocean Blue Diorama – An ocean scenery can easily be had right in your kid’s bedroom or playroom! This diorama will make for a fun-filled Sunday afternoon with your young ones.

Ocean Colors Diorama - Create your own ocean scene in a box. Just print out sharks and whales, draw some seaweed, corals, and your favorite fish. Paste, color, cut, hang them in a decorated box, and enjoy the ocean.

Ocean Diorama Craft Activity for Kids – There is nothing like the sound of the ocean waves rushing to the shore. Re-create the setting with an ocean diorama together with your kids and they will even learn a thing or two about caring for the environment.

Ocean Shells Diorama – Remember those long walks you took with your kids along the seashore and finding some beautiful seashells along the way? Now you can put those to good use by making this ocean shells diorama craft and relish the moments of times gone by.

Off to School Box - What do you need to know to be a safe bus rider? Create your own school bus, driver, and passengers!

Ogres & Odors Dungeon Diorama Create silly, smelly characters who hang out in a dreadful dungeon!

On Aztec Terraces How did people grow their food long ago? Discover how much (or how little) farming has changed with a realistic diorama.

Over the Canyon Edge - Imagine standing along the magnificent Grand Canyon's rim at sunset! Capture the glorious changing colors of one of the natural wonders of the world.

Paper Egg Diorama - Create a paper maché version of a panoramic sugar egg with a springtime scene tucked inside.

Pet Diorama's Craft for Kids - Create a diorama featuring your favorite pet animals using a shoebox, paper, and recycled materials.

Pythons in the Wild - Where do pythons live? What do these notorious snakes look like? Create a fascinating 3-D science project in a recycled box.

Rainforest Diorama This rain forest diorama is easy to make and above all it shows in its construction the basic structure of a rain forest.

Rainforest Diorama Project – You or your kids might never be able to see a real rainforest in this lifetime what with the rate of environmental destruction nowadays. But you could help teach your children a thing or two about doing something for Mother Nature when they grow up starting with this rainforest diorama project.

Renaissance in Your Backyard Design the ultimate recreation facility, community center, or other new use. Help bring a rundown area of your community back to life.

Sea Star on the Ocean Floor Diorama - Sea stars are often called starfish, although they are not actually fish. Discover what other amazing things you can learn about sea stars while creating this 3-D mini diorama.

Science Dioramas and Research Project - To allow students to create dioramas is an excellent way to conclude a unit in Science for any elementary school level students. This can be used with units on Ecosystems, Animals (of any type), or even other planets!

Sea Diorama – There are many wonders under the sea that man hasn’t discovered yet and this sea themed diorama project is just a start for you and your kid to conjure up images of what remains hidden beneath the deep blue sea.

Seaside Diorama - These dioramas are easy, fun, and tropically tasteful!

Shoe Box Zoo Box Bring a day at the zoo back home and give kids 'paws' for thought with their own 3D wildlife display. Open the cage on lions and tigers and bears... and watch kids go wild with new knowledge and untamed creativity.

Skating Rink Diorama – Snow and winter only comes once a year but you can make it stay that way all year long inside your home with this skating rink themed diorama craft.

Ski Slopes Diorama – Skate on the Alps and bring home the memories with this ski slope themed diorama artwork which your child can take to school for show and tell.

Snowball Scene – Snow, Christmas and winter only comes once a year but you can make it stay that way all year long inside your home with this snowball themed diorama craft.

Space Diorama – What lies beyond the clear blue skies of our planet? With your child’s imagination coupled with your assistance, you can help them find out the answer to that seemingly eternal question.

Spooky Cemetery Diorama – This is just perfect for the Halloween season! Put some “life”, with pun intended, on your Halloween decoration by making this really spooky diorama craft which would perfectly complement your other ghoulish themed Halloween decoration.

Stable Diorama – Who doesn’t love horses? They are such big yet gentle creatures and every kid would love to get a ride on one. We know you would too once you’ve finished helping your child with this stable themed diorama craft work.

 

Stonetree Diorama Crafts Activity - This is a somewhat strange "diorama" but it will look good in the window on a sunny day. Parents will surely have fun creating this craft with their kids without having to empty their wallets. Just gather old stuff needed for this craft which can be seen lying around the house.

Thanksgiving Diorama Photo – This will make for a great diorama project to complete with your young ones before you go rushing out for the big mall sale on Thanksgiving.

The Farm Diorama Craft Idea - Create these incredible clothespin farm animals and build a box corral for them to sleep in.

The Mall Diorama Crafts Project – We pay tribute to the first place we go to on weekends to do our shopping and groceries with this diorama project.

The Wild Diorama Craft A shoe box becomes a window into a world of imagination when you build a diorama. Make a scene out of your wildest dreams.

"The Battle With The Dragon Diorama" It shows a fire breathing dragon battling with a knight. The knight has his shield up to protect him from the fire. In the background you can see a castle.

Turtles at the Pond - Observe turtles and other creatures at an aquarium, pond, or other natural area. Kids recreate their experience with a 3-D nature display.

Tyrannosaurus Thriller Imagine the world shaking with volcano explosions! Think of the heat, creeping lava, and thunderous blasts. Create your own scene with dinosaurs running in terror.

Undersea Diorama Peer through the peephole in the end of a shoebox, and enter another world. A wrecked ship lies on a sandy sea-floor. Peering between seaweed fronds, you spot colourful fish, a treasure chest, and an octopus...

Under the Sea Create a fabulous under the sea scene! Often called dioramas, the aim is to create something that looks a bit like a 3-D sea aquarium. The project uses lots of different crafts for kids, many of which use natural materials.

Under The Bed Craft What's under your bed? Dust bunnies and dirty socks? Lost toys? A monster? Look if you dare—then let your imagination soar in a shoebox!

Unique Dinosaur Shoebox Diorama - This is a unique Dinosaur Diorama. It isn't just a shoebox with Dinosaurs in it! It is an active diorama that shows the leading theories of why the dinosaurs went extinct. It is easy to make and kids of all ages will have fun making it.

Unknown Soldier Diorama Honor Unknown Soldiers with a memorial. Make a replica of a landmark tomb or design an original structure.

Visit my museum - Create a tiny collection of your favorite items. Call your friends over to peek into your miniature museum--and make their own!

Walnut Diorama – Teach your kids not to waste any Yuletide decors by showing them how to create fun and unique projects such as this diorama craft using walnut and a simple hanger.

Wave a birthday flag - Imagine waking up on your birthday, surrounded by packages! Add to that a flag flying in your window. Pretend you’re celebrating your big day in Denmark!

Welcome Immigrants - Research the great wave of immigration to the United States in the 1800s then create a model of an immigrant marketplace.

Webkinz Figure Diorama – Your kid’s imagination is the limit on this diorama project! All you have to do is assist them in setting up the backdrop for this craft.

What Do We See…Under The Sea? Dioramas are creative and appealing ways for kids to express their ideas and apply their knowledge. Developing three-dimensional displays flexes their creative and academic muscles.

Winter Scene Diorama - Teach your kids how to make a diorama with some basic supplies you can find around the house. As long as you look at this cute winter scene craft, you will imagine the fun of playing in the snow, even if none has fallen where you live. The bare trees and the construction of a snowman are classic signs that the winter season is upon us.