Celebrate this amazing Nordic nation with our fun Sweden Crafts for Kids! Learn about Dala horses, Påskris trees, Midsommarstångs and more!

A country that has a very sparse population, with a population density of just 26 people/sq km, but which has given the world talented people in all fields. A country that’s home to global brands like IKEA, H&M and Volvo. Guess who we’re talking about?

Yes, it’s Sweden!

It’s amazing how some of the most common names we refer to are from Sweden – Alfred Nobel, who established the Nobel prize, Anders Celsius, who introduced the Celsius temperature scale, music legend ABBA, tennis star Björn Borg, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, popular YouTuber PewDiePie – the list goes on!

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Sweden – The Recycling Superstar

Besides churning out superstars, there’s another thing Sweden is amazing at – recycling. Here are a few fun facts that show how much the Swedish are into the three Rs:

Sweden is the world’s fifth-best country when it comes to recycling
In 2019, Sweden recycled over 2.14 billion cans and bottles
Sweden alone was responsible for the remission of almost 180,000 tons of carbon dioxide
99.3% of household waste in Sweden is reused
52% of waste is burnt to produce energy and 47% is recycled
In 2020, Sweden generated 1.7 billion euros simply from recycling

What’s more, Sweden even imports about 2 million tonnes of waste with the express purpose of recycling it! Now that we know that Sweden is a recycling superstar, it’s time to learn a little more about the country’s amazing culture. So here are 20 awesome Sweden crafts for kids to learn about this awesome nation!

20 Splendid Sweden Crafts for Kids

1. Dala Horse Paper Craft For Kids

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they talk about Swedish culture is the Dala horse, which has an interesting story behind it!

In the 17th and 18th centuries, men who worked in the Dalarna forests began carving little wooden horses to take home to their children. Although they were supposed to be just toys, they soon became popular and people from the nearby towns and villages wanted to buy them.

So the people of Dalarna started painting the horses in bright colors and patterns, and began selling them. Soon, the Dala horse became an icon of Swedish folk art, and we’re creating our own today with this project from Mommy Suburbia!

2. Swedish Paper Heart Ornaments

Woven hearts are an important part of Scandinavian culture, including Sweden. They’re also known as ‘pleated hearts’, and are made by weaving paper carefully to create a three-dimensional heart shape. Thanks to its 3D effect, the heart also doubles up as a treat basket!

Woven hearts were traditionally made in yellow and green, but as they became a part of mainstream Christmas decorations, most hearts began to appear in red and white – like these ones from Tikkido!

3. Swedish Folk Art Bird Painting

Art is an important part of Swedish culture, and makes its appearance everywhere. In fact, nearly all of the 100 metro stations in the country have been decorated with paintings, sculptures, mosaics and other artwork by various artists. People call it the ‘world’s longest art exhibition‘, as you can enjoy art throughout your train journey! Check out Lily’s Art to learn how to create a pretty painting in Swedish folk style!

4. Midsommarstång Pole Cake Topper

One of the main celebrations in Sweden is Midsummer, called Midsommar in Swedish, making its way into this list of Sweden crafts for kids! It is celebrated on the longest day of the year and an important part of the celebrations is the midsommarstång, or the Maypole. The Maypole is made from two perpendicular poles and two circles on either side.

Decorating the pole is a community activity, and when done, people dance around it singing the traditional Swedish song, Små grodorna. The House that Lars Built shows us how to make our own pretty Maypole that can be used as a cake topper for your Midsummer party!

5. Pippi Longstocking Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump in Swedish) is the protagonist of the book of the same name, written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is quite strong – both physically and when it comes to her opinions!

In the book, Pippi’s father is a sailor who is missing at sea, only to later return as a king. This is inspired by the true story of Carl Emil Pettersson, a Swedish sailor who became king of an island in Papua New Guinea! Yoors creates a cute craft that captures the essence of Pippi, complete with her red hair, freckles and tattered clothes!

6. DIY Swedish Gnome Ornaments

Gnomes are a common feature of Scandinavian culture, especially when it comes to holiday decor; hence, they need to be in this list of Sweden crafts for kids! Ruffles and Rainboots shows us how to create a cute Swedish gnome, also known as a Tomte.

7. Felt Midsommar Flower Crown

Since Sweden has really harsh winters, the Swedish people tend to celebrate spring and summer in all its glory. This is why Midsommar celebrations often feature a lot of greenery, both in decorations and in headgear. Midsommar maidens usually wear a crown of leaves and flowers, and Lia Griffith shows us how to create a felt version featuring Swedish summer wildflowers, like daisies, cornflowers and forget-me-nots.

8. Swedish Dalmålning Art Project

A list of Sweden crafts for kids should include folk art, and Nordic Canvas Folk Art Studio introduces us to Dalmålning, a kind of Swedish folk painting that uses traditional Dala symbols. These include floral patterns along the borders, with figures of people or animals inside. Here, we see a cute little Dala pig, a fun alternative to the Dala horse!

9. Cardboard Dala Horse Craft

We’ve seen how the Dala horse started out as a plain little wooden toy, and soon became an icon of Sweden. But the true moment the Dala horse shot into the spotlight was in 1939 at the World Exhibition in New York. A giant red Dala horse installation was placed outside the Swedish Pavilion, which became an instant hit among the Americans. There was such a demand for Dala horses that over 20,000 horses had to be shipped from Sweden to America! Art Campla creates their own version of the famous red Dala horse using cardboard!

10. Santa Lucia Clothespin Dolls

Like Midsummer, Sweden also has a mid-winter celebration, called St Lucia Day, or Saint Lucy’s Day. This holiday is celebrated on 13th December, and is in honor of Lucia of Syracuse, also known as Santa Lucia.

The story goes that St. Lucy wanted to bring food to the Christians who were hiding in Roman catacombs. However, it was the dead of winter, and extremely dark, so St. Lucy wore a candle-lit wreath on her head so she could see the way, and used her hands to carry food. Posie gets Cozy shows us how to create beautiful St. Lucia dolls from clothespins, complete with a white robe and a wreath of candles on her head.

11. Santa Lucia and Star Boy Peg Dolls

St. Lucia Day is a big celebration in Sweden, and features a special parade of boys and girls wearing long white gowns. The parade is headed by a girl dressed as St. Lucia, followed by her handmaidens, the star boys and finally, Christmas elves.

Since the parade is held in the dark, the girl dressed as St. Lucia wears a crown of electric candles on her head. The handmaidens carry candles in their hands, while the star boys carry stars on sticks and wear paper cone hats. It’s quite a beautiful sight, and Just Crafty Enough shows us how to make a mini version of St Lucia and a Star Boy with peg dolls!

12. Perler Bead Midsommar Coasters

In Sweden, Midsommar is generally celebrated between 21st and 24th June, considered to be the longest days of the year. If you’re planning to host a Midsommar gathering this year, you’ll enjoy making these pretty flower wreath coasters from Slöjd-Detaljer. Don’t forget to wish your guests Happy Midsummer, or “Glad Midsommar“!

13. DIY Swedish National Day Decor

Sweden celebrates its National Day on 6th June, which only became a public holiday in 2005. Before 1983, the day was known as Swedish Flag Day. Nevertheless, it is still a day to celebrate the Swedish flag, which is known for its blue and yellow colors. Helena Lyth uses these colors in a fun DIY table decoration that’s perfect for a National Day party setting!

14. Swedish Tomten Garland

What Do We Do All Day brings us another project that’s a fun addition to this list of Sweden crafts for kids – a Tomte garland! A Tomte is a Swedish gnome, considered a guardian of the house and the farm. The name is derived from ‘tomt’, a Swedish word that means ‘homestead man’.

Tomtes are half the size of an average man, elderly, and with a long white beard. A Tomte is also the main character in The Tomten, a Christmas book by Astrid Lindgren, the author of Pippi Longstocking.

15. ‘How to Fika’ Printable Coloring Page Zine

Since the purpose of these Sweden crafts for kids is to learn about Swedish culture, we have to talk about ‘Fika‘ – Sweden’s coffee culture! In the 18th century, coffee was illegal in Sweden, which instantly made it a high-value item! When it became legal, it was considered a high-society drink and something to be celebrated.

Fika is all about taking the time to celebrate your coffee break, with friends and a baked good. Anna Brones, who wrote the book Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break with Johanna Kindvall, gives us a printable zine that you can color in and enjoy – over a cup of coffee!

16. Printable Sweden Coloring Pages

Along with making Sweden crafts for kids, check out this printable from Kindergarten Worksheets and Games for all the basic information about this amazing country. Color and learn about the country’s flag, palaces, art, animals and of course, delicious food!

17. DIY Felt Crown for St. Lucia Day

We hope these Sweden crafts for kids encourage you to visit Sweden, and if you are ever there during the winter, be sure to participate in their St. Lucia celebrations. Now, even if you’re not in Sweden then, you can still have your own celebration at home, complete with a gorgeous candle crown wreath from Make Life Lovely!

18. DIY GRATTIS Bunting for Swedish National Day

One way to make practical use of these Sweden crafts for kids is to use them as decor for the various Swedish holidays! Whether it’s Midsommar, St. Lucia Day or Swedish National Day, this printable bunting from Wings of Whimsy will serve you well, covered in the colors of the Swedish flag!

19. Swedish Fish Candy Craft

With more than 30,000 lakes and 1,500 kilometres of coastline, fish is an integral part of the Swedish diet! It’s probably why Swedish confectionery brand Malaco manufactured a licorice-based fish-shaped candy, aptly named ‘Swedish Fish‘, also referred to as pastellfiskar. Red is the most popular variation of this candy, which is what In the Bag Kids Crafts tries to recreate in this fun craft!

20. DIY Påskris Easter Tree

In Sweden, it’s not just Christmas that gets a tree; Easter has a special tree too! The Swedish Easter tree is called Påskris, and it is decorated with feathers, Easter eggs and chickens made out of paper, yarn or crochet. It is believed that as winter came to a close, people got tired of waiting for spring to bloom, and they attached colorful items to barren branches to ‘speed’ things up. Well, we don’t know if it worked, but we can try – with this DIY Easter tree from Aunt Peaches!

We hope these Sweden crafts for kids have helped you get a glimpse into Swedish culture, especially their holidays and art forms. We think that Sweden probably places such importance on art is because they are surrounded by it in nature – gorgeous mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, serene lakes and of course, the stunning Northern Lights!

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