17 Transportation Crafts For Kids

Last Updated on December 12, 2025 by Masha Eretnova

Looking for fun transportation crafts you can make with your kids in preschool or elementary? These simple ideas go from childhood favorite airplanes to STEM activities, boats, school buses, cars, and you’ll even get a hot air balloon craft!

Many ideas come with printables, so you simply print it as many times as you want for class or home activities.

How to Make Paper Airplanes

Kids can fold 2 classic paper airplanes from scratch with just a piece of paper, then decorate them with crayons or stickers before launching them into the air. It’s a simple, screen-free transportation craft with a printable included.

Great for early elementary kids and up, this is a go-to for indoor transportation activities that encourage focus and fine motor skills.

Rocking Paper Plate Boat

This cheerful paper plate boat rocks back and forth when you push it, and kids can paint it, glue on sails, and even add sea creatures.

Perfect for preschool kids and young makers, and if making at class, you’ll see how each boat is completely unique!

Moving Car Craft for Kids

This paper car actually MOVES thanks to brads and straws for real working wheels, and kids can design their dream car with crayons or markers. There’s a lot of hands-on fun in putting it together and racing it across the floor.

Ideal for school-aged kids, this transportation activity adds a little STEM twist to your craft time — without needing a big supply haul.

Hot Air Balloon Craft

With strips of paper and a little glue, this craft creates a 3D hot air balloon that looks like it’s floating mid-air. Kids can add a string and basket underneath, or go wild with patterns and colors.

Best for ages 4 and up, this is one of those transportation crafts that doubles as room decor and keeps little hands happily busy.

3D Paper Car Craft

This project helps kids build a cool 3D paper car with cut-out parts, tabs, and plenty of decorating space. The set comes with a few different cars – boys will be ecstatic about it!

Great for older preschoolers and early elementary, this one’s a nice upgrade from flat car crafts — and a hit with kids who love anything with wheels.

Basic Shapes School Bus Craft for Kids

With just paper, scissors, and glue, kids can recreate a school bus, all while learning basic shapes.

Perfect for preschool and kindergarten age, it works well in classroom settings and lets everyone personalize their own bus with passengers.

Build, Float, Sink: Ultimate LEGO Boat STEM Challenge

All kids love LEGO, and with this transportation activity, you can put this obsession to a good use. Kids build boats from LEGO bricks and test whether they float or sink — then tweak their designs to carry more cargo. It’s part science, part sensory, and all about open-ended play.

Ideal for ages 5 and up, this transportation activity blends building, experimenting, and problem-solving in one awesome mess-free setup.

Traffic Cone Craft

Reusing toilet paper rolls, kids can make mini traffic cones to go with their homemade roads and vehicles.

Best for preschoolers, it’s a cute add-on craft for a full transportation theme day with almost zero cleanup stress.

Printable Road Trip Color by Number

This printable pack lets kids color vehicles and road scenes while matching numbers to colors, which keeps their hands and brains engaged. It’s a calm transportation activity with built-in color recognition practice.

DIY Airplane Printables

With these templates, kids cut out airplane shapes from cardboard and then color and build their own planes — no folding skills required. It’s creative and easy, even for younger kids.

Great for preschool and up, this printable transportation craft lets you keep supplies simple.

Truck Handprint Craft

Kids handprint’ can turn into a colorful cute truck. They can add wheels, windows, and whatever else their imagination suggests this truck is transporting! It’s fun and messy in the best way. Ideal for toddlers and preschoolers.

School Bus Craft

This paper plate school bus craft is quick, colorful, and just right for a transportation-themed day. Kids can add windows, faces, or even cut-out wheels.

Traffic Light Craft

With red, yellow, and green lights made with torn paper, kids build a classic traffic light and talk about what each color means.

Perfect for preschoolers, this transportation activity sneaks in some safety learningtoo.

Cardboard Roll Car Craft for Kids

This project turns a toilet paper roll into a playful old-school racing car using colorful paper, paper wheels, and whatever extras you’ve got on hand. It’s a great way to recycle and create something new.

Ideal for preschool and kindergarten kids.

DIY Scrap Wood Cars for Kids Play

Using wood scraps, glue, and some wheels, kids can build real wooden cars that zoom around once dry.

A great project for little builders who are ready to level up. Best for ages 6 and up with adult help.

Easy DIY Sailboat Crafts

This sailboat project turns simple bits of styrofoam, toothpicks, and colorful paper into cute floating boats kids can make and play with in a water table, sink, or bucket.

It’s a fun hands‑on transportation activity that preschool kids will love and it uses stuff you likely already have at home.

Easy Paper Plate Car Craft for Kids

With a paper plate, acrylic paint, glue, and some construction paper, kids can make their own colorful car that’s perfect for pretend driving and storytelling.

This simple transportation craft is ideal for preschool and toddlers with adult help, helps with cutting and gluing skills, and brings big smiles with tiny supplies.