Mini Makers: 5 Crafts for Your Little Entrepreneur

These adorable key chains can be personalized on the spot. HOW-TO Kids can prepaint a variety of skin tones and hair onto ⅝", ¾", and 1" round wooden beads ($4 per bag; michaels.com). When a customer places an order, your little artist can draw the portrait, including eyes, a mouth, and other features. Then she'll string the finished bead onto plastic lacing looped over a round key ring and add colored beads for the body. 

With a little help, kids can transform clear glycerin soap ($10 for 2 lbs.; michaels.com) into colorful bars. HOW-TO Grease insides of clean, pint-size milk cartons or small juice boxes with cooking spray. For each layer, melt 3 or 4 1-oz. cubes of soap in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for 25 seconds. Add a drop of food coloring, stir, and melt again for 10 seconds more. Pour the warm mixture into prepared containers; let cool. Repeat, letting each colored layer solidify before pouring the next. Cut individual bars once they've cooled. For toy soaps, fill a container with ½" of melted soap. Let cool, place toy on top, and pour in melted soap to cover toy

This homemade tic-tac-toe set is made with found rocks. HOW-TO Use a paint pen to draw X's and O's on stones, then mark a simple muslin bag (4" x 6" muslin bags, $9 for 24 bags; papermart.com) with a game board. Store the stones in the bag after play

Kids can give everyday materials, like old T-shirts and drinking straws, a new life as crafty-cool necklaces. HOW-TO T-shirts Cut tees across the shirt body into 1½"-wide loops and have your child stretch them lengthwise. Supervise her while she cuts the loops open, then have her slip the beads onto each strand; knot the ends together to finish. Straws Make straw necklaces from cut pieces of drinking straws laced onto colorful mason twine (Everbilt #18' x 250' Mason Twine Neon, $5; homedepot.com).

These cases and pouches are a cinch for little hands to make. HOW-TO Have your kid completely cover sheets of wax paper (ours measure 6" x 7" for the glasses case, 7½" x 3" and 7½" x 5" for the envelopes) with colorful duct tape ($5 to $10 per roll; joann.com) on both sides. Then help her fold the duct-tape fabric in half for an open pouch or into thirds for an envelope with a flap, and tape up the sides.

Tip: Encourage your kids to donate a percentage of their profits to a cause of their choice.