• Use paint to personalize your craft stick projects.kids paint craft image by Christopher Hill from Fotolia.com
  
  Stimulating a child's imagination is as simple as compiling a few materials and encouraging kids to turn off the television in lieu of crafty projects. Inexpensive and extremely versatile, craft sticks, when used in a craft project, allows a child to hone her concentration and coordination skills, as well as engaged her curiosity. Also known as Popsicle sticks, they come in various sizes and can be used in crafts for younger kids since they harbor no potentially toxic materials.
  
  

Recipe Card Holder

• The recipe card holder craft from craft website Kaboose.com is easy to construct and makes a useful gift that mom can enjoy. Young kids can build this craft with little supervision and will enjoy decorating it with details particular to their moms. The craft requires 35 Popsicle sticks, glue, grocery bags or wax paper, 3-by-5 inch index cards and ribbon. To decorate the card holder, the kids can use rubber stamps, silk flowers or whatever other craft supplies they desire.
  
  Kaboose.com suggests protecting the workspace from glue with grocery bags or wax paper. Using a glue gun or craft glue, you glue the craft sticks lengthwise and on top of one another to create a box-like structure. The back of the unit will end up higher than the front, allowing the 3x5 cards placed inside the mainframe to poke out the top. Embellish the recipe holder by affixing a silk flower to the front. Decorate some ribbon with stamps or glitter and attach it to the top so mom can hang your creation on the wall. Painting or varnishing this craft before attaching the flower is also an option.
  
  

Baseball Picture Frame

• If you know a boy that lives for baseball, a baseball picture frame is an ideal spot for him to hang his picture. This unique craft from MakingFriends.com requires jumbo-size craft sticks, pipe cleaners, craft eyes, cardboard, glue, team sport decorative foam shapes, craft foam and markers.
  
  The kids paint the sticks blue before gluing them together lengthwise. While the sticks are drying, cut a piece of cardboard, measuring 4¼-by-5¼ inches. Trim your child's photo so it fits the frame and affix it to heavy white paper. MakingFriends.com suggests cutting a baseball shape out of white craft foam and gluing it to the upper corner of the frame. It can be decorated with red glitter, marker or paint to resemble a baseball. Don't forget to add wiggle eyes and pipe cleaner antennae. You can also pen a special message with paint pen or create an easel for the back of the frame.
  
  

Car or Train Tunnel

• Making a car or train tunnel takes only a few minutes but can offer hours of fun. Children can make one or several and use the variety to create an entire village or add to the train village they've already constructed.
  
  This craft from BigLearning.org requires large craft sticks, scissors, paint, glue, rubber bands and craft foam. You'll also need a wire cutter, sandpaper and a 14-oz aluminum can. Using the can as the base, you will mold the craft sticks into the shape of the tunnel. To make the craft sticks more pliable, soak two craft sticks in hot water for about 30 minutes. These two pieces act as the end of the tunnel and must be bent gently so it will wrap around the aluminum can forming an arch. Secure with rubbers and set it aside to dry completely for about two hours. To form the body of the tunnel, glue the remaining sticks so it connects both arches. Your child can decorate his tunnel as he desires with paint or markers. To give the tunnel a finished look, you'll glue craft foam onto the arches.