#3 – Places to do Arts, Crafts & Building
Kids love to get those creative juices flowing and express them freely! Whether it’s drawing, painting, sculpting, gluing, or building with wood…art allows kids to be creative and have fun!
According to First 5, here are some of the reasons ART IS GOOD FOR KIDS:
- Art stimulates both sides of brain.
- Art enhances self-esteem.
- Art develops hand-eye coordination.
- Art teaches open-ended thinking.
- Art teaches children how to engage in creative problem solving.
- Studies show that children who do art read better and do better in math and science.
- Children can share and reflect on their art to learn about themselves, each other, and the world in which they live.
- In the process of art making, a child is presented with possibility, discovery , and freedom.
- Art nurtures the human soul! (It feels good to do it!)
I’ve rounded up the best places for kids to “be creative” in Sacramento.
ARTS & CRAFTS
Alpha Fired Arts
4700 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento
(916) 488-4700
Paint Studio – Paint your own pottery, then Alpha Fired Arts glazes and fires it to turn into your finished piece of art.
Hours: M-F 10:00am – 6:00pm, Sat 10:00am – 4:00pm, Sunday closed
Ages: All ages
Price: Studio Fee – $7.00 per Child, $9.00 per Adult (includes paint, glazing and firing); plus Item $3.00 – $20.00
Extras: Birthday Party Place
Art Beast Studio
2226 K Street, Sacramento
(916) 441-1233
Open studio space, art exploration rooms, and loads of classes so that children can dig into the arts.
Hours: Open Daily 9:00am – 6:00pm
Ages: Focus on kids 6 and under (I think kids all the way up to 10 would enjoy)
Price: Admission $8.00 per person. Children under 1 and extra adults in same family are FREE
Extras: Classes, Special events, and Birthday Party Place
Color Me Mine
9640 Bruceville Road Suite 100, Elk Grove
(916) 714-4943
A paint-your-own ceramics studio with over 400+ pieces. Grab some paint brushes, pick your paints and make your very own masterpiece.
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:00am – 8:00pm, Friday 11:00am – 9:00pm, Saturday 11:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday 12:00 – 6:00pm
Ages: All ages
Price: Studio fee – $8.00 per Kid 12 & under, $10.00 per Adult; plus Item – $6.00 and up (painting, glazing and firing included)
Extras: Classes, Special Events and Birthday Party Place
Color Me Mine
305 Iron Point Road, Folsom
(916) 351-9008
A paint-your-own ceramics studio with over 400+ pieces. Grab some paint brushes, pick your paints and make your very own masterpiece.
Hours: Monday – Friday 11:00am – 9:00pm, Saturday 11:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Ages: All ages
Price: Studio fee – $8.00 per Kid 12 & under, $10.00 Adult; plus Item – $10.00 & up (painting and glazing included);plus Firing – $1.00 per item
Extras: Birthday Party Place
KidzArt
(Natomas) 4480 Duckhorn Drive #100, Sacramento
(916) 574-9600
KidzArt helps kids of all ages increase their skills and knowledge of various art media, learn to draw using a proven method, and most of all, to have fun! Studio Classes are offered for each age group – Mommy and Me (ages 2-3), Preschool (ages 4-5), and Elementary.
Hours: See website for calendar of classes
Ages: Kids 2 – 12
Price: $54.00/month; Save $10.00 on your first month
Extras: Birthday Party Place
Lakeshore Learning
1850 Douglas Blvd., Roseville
(916) 774-4304
Drop in any Saturday to create a fun craft.
Hours: Saturday 11:00am – 3:00pm
Ages: Kids 3 and up
Price: FREE
Extras: Unique arts & crafts materials for sale
reCreate
414 Vernon Street, Roseville
(916) 749-3717
Turn recyclable items into works of art.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday & Monday Closed
Ages: All ages
Price: $5.00/hour for Drop-in Crafting
Extras: Classes, Special Events and Birthday Party Place
TrailMix.Net Store
116B I Street, Sacramento
888-95-TRAIL
Activity Center – Their Activity Menu has craft projects for kids of all ages that start at just $2.00. Paint a critter, create a bean mosaic, build and paint a birdhouse, and more.
Hours: Daily 9:30am – 5:30pm
Ages: All ages
Price: Projects start at $2.00, click here for “menu”
Extras: Birthday Party Place
Sacramento Public Library
Local libraries often have FREE arts & crafts activities and Storytimes typically have a craft activity at the end. Click here to see the events calendar.
BUILD
Home Depot Kids Workshop
All Home Depot locations
Hands-on “How-To Workshops” designed for children.
Hours: First Saturday of each month, drop in between 9:00am – 12:00noon
Ages: Kids 5 – 12
Price: FREE
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic
All Lowe’s locations
Fun wooden building projects for kids. Build and Grow kid’s clinics are a great way to help build confidence. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project.
Hours: Twice a month at 10:00am. Click here for current dates. Register online.
Ages: Kids 5 – 12
Price: FREE
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IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM:
Indoor Play Series #1: Let’s Get Physical (Indoor Playgrounds, Trampolines and Inflatables)
Indoor Play Series #2: Let’s Get Rolling (Roller Skating Rinks)
Written by Keilah Woodard
My love for exploring and creating experiences with my three kids led to the founding of SacramentoSidetracks.com in 2009. I realized that Sacramento has so much to offer and I was excited to share my findings with other parents. Besides simply having fun, these are the other positive side effects of taking my kids on outings that I’ve discovered: we have quality time together away from the distractions at home, we cultivate our curiosity, learn new things, conversations are triggered by what we see and do, we connect and bond as a family, and we create new memories. Ready to get sidetracked, too? Let me be your guide!
