The simplest craft on the list — perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Dip your child's hand in red washable paint and stamp it onto white paper to create a handprint flag. Add a crescent moon and stars with a white crayon or sticker. It takes five minutes, makes a mess they'll love, and produces a keepsake with their tiny handprint frozen at exactly this age.

Draw or print simple outlines of Singapore icons — the Merlion, HDB blocks, an MRT train, a bowl of laksa, the Supertrees — and let your child colour them in. For older preschoolers, skip the outlines entirely and ask them to "draw everything you love about Singapore." The results are always charming and surprisingly revealing. One child might draw their school. Another might draw a playground. Another might draw chicken rice. All correct answers.

Turn a paper plate into a Merlion face. Paint it grey or white, add googly eyes, a cut-paper mouth with water "spouting" (strips of blue paper or ribbon), and a fish tail cut from card. It's silly, fun, and teaches children about Singapore's most iconic symbol. Display it on the fridge for the rest of August.

Give your child a canvas and a limited palette — red, white, and a touch of gold — and ask them to paint anything that represents Singapore to them. The colour constraint actually makes it easier, not harder. Children produce striking compositions when the colour choices are narrowed. At Art Journey, themed canvas painting sessions around National Day let children work on real canvas with acrylic paint — the results look genuinely impressive and make great gifts for grandparents.

Paint a sunset background in red, orange, and gold on paper or canvas. Once dry, cut black card or paper into the shapes of Singapore's skyline — Marina Bay Sands, the Flyer, Supertrees, HDB blocks — and glue them onto the background as silhouettes. The contrast between the colourful sky and the black buildings looks dramatic and professional. Older children (8+) can sketch the skyline freehand rather than cutting shapes.

Can't get the official NDP Fun Pack? Make your own. Put together a small bag with: a hand-drawn Singapore flag, a paper fan decorated with stars and crescents, a "SG61" badge made from card and a safety pin, red and white stickers, and a few snacks. Let your child assemble and decorate the bag themselves. If you have multiple children or are hosting friends, each child can make a pack and swap items — instant NDP party.

Draw a rough outline of Singapore on A3 paper. Then fill it in with a collage of images, drawings, and words representing different parts of the country — Changi Airport, Sentosa, their school, their HDB estate, their favourite hawker centre, the Zoo, Jurong Lake. Cut images from old magazines, draw, or print from the internet. The result is a personalised map of Singapore through your child's eyes. Every family's map looks completely different.

Sand art using red, white, and gold coloured sand creates vibrant, textured National Day designs. Children peel adhesive sections from a pre-designed card and sprinkle coloured sand onto the exposed areas — building a pattern section by section. The process is calming, sensory, and the results are stunning. It's also one of the most accessible crafts for very young children (from age 3) because there's no drawing or painting skill required.

Since Singapore turns 61 in 2026, challenge your family to list (and illustrate) 61 things you love about Singapore — one for each year. Write or draw each item in a small box on a large sheet of paper. "Chicken rice." "MRT." "Rain." "The playground near our house." "National Day songs." "Free tissue packets at hawker centres." It starts easy and gets creatively harder past number 30. By number 61, you'll have a deeply personal family tribute to the country you call home.