Unleash your creativity with print

Entertaining the kids doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. With these Canon printer DIY projects for the family, you can transform ordinary paper into extraordinary crafts, from playful animal masks and intricate 3D models to personalised greeting cards and educational activities. Crafting can be accessible to all, and can mean less screen time, fewer expensive outings, and more bonding with the family over fun activities. There are endless ways to spark creativity and banish boredom in minutes through the power of imagination and these great family crafting ideas. Using Canon printers, a variety of paper options, apps and free downloadable templates from Creative Park, you can inspire the kids to explore possibilities, nurturing their creativity at the same time, in a way that’s budget friendly too.

Crafting a football game

With printable templates from Creative Park, you can bring the thrill of the football pitch to your living room. Using a Canon PIXMA printer such as the PIXMA TS7650i, you can print footballers, a stadium backdrop, and even a cheering crowd.

You can also add a personal touch by incorporating small photos onto the players. Printing on thicker Canon Matte Photo Paper will ensure your cutouts stand up and stay sturdy throughout your games, making them extra exhilarating for all the family. This project offers a brilliant way to blend creativity and playtime.

Print your own fidget toys

Fun, calming, and therapeutic, papercraft fidget toys offer a whole load of positive benefits, and again with Canon Creative Park, families can enjoy crafting their own bespoke versions. Printable templates for spinning tops and fidget spinners are readily available.

Print them on Canon Double-sided Matte Photo Paper using a Canon PIXMA printer. For added flair, you can decorate them with glitter or stickers, allowing the kids to create toys perfectly suited to their individual tastes, as well as developing their dexterity.

Family treasure hunt

Visiting an adventure playground is a popular day out for families. However, there are days when it's wet and rainy outside and you still need to entertain the kids in an active way. With Canon, you can create the very same 'adventure' sentiment, transforming your home by creating a bespoke family treasure hunt.

Canon Creative Park provides free templates for maps, clues, and even treasure chests, offering a fantastic opportunity for families to connect and create memories together. You can personalise your creations with fun details such as familiar landmarks and vibrant themes to heighten the excitement.

Using the Canon PRINT app, you can edit designs directly on your smartphone and print them on Canon Matte Photo Paper with a Canon PIXMA printer such as the PIXMA TS7650i or the PIXMA G3570 Series.

Sharing the fun is simple too – Cloud Link integration allows you to print or share directly from platforms such as Google Drive™¹, making setup quick and easy. This shared activity is a wonderful way to spend quality time together and build lasting family memories.

Make an explosion box

Ever heard of an explosion box? These cool creations reveal hidden content inside when opened and can add an element of surprise to birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations.

Using the Canon SELPHY CP1500 printer and the SELPHY Photo Layout App, you can easily print and customise photos for this fun project.

Fold and layer cardstock to create the explosion box, then attach your photos, stickers, and embellishments, making each layer unique and personal to you and the family. The box unfolds to reveal its contents with a dramatic flair, making it a thoughtful keepsake too.

Using high quality paper, such as Canon Double-sided Matte Photo Paper, will create the best results. The Canon SELPHY CP1500 is ideal for producing high-quality, personalised prints for creative projects like this.

Create your own storybook

If your family are enthusiastic about writing and love a fascinating story, creating a personalised storybook could be a fun activity to do together.

Start with devising the story idea as a family – perhaps a fantastical adventure, a retelling of a favourite family holiday, or even a silly tale about your pets. Then use the SELPHY Photo Layout app to design and print photos directly from your phone or tablet.

The app offers various layouts and creative options, making it easy to add text, borders, and fun embellishments to your pictures. Print these photos onto Canon peel-back sticker photo paper using a Canon SELPHY printer such as the SELPHY QX20, with print sizes up to 4x6, and then stick them on and let the magic begin!

You can create a treasured keepsake you'll cherish for years to come. Plus, the instant gratification of printing photos with the Canon SELPHY QX20 keeps the excitement levels high and the creativity flowing. It's a brilliant way to capture memories, encourage storytelling, and most importantly, have a lot of fun together as a family.

Plan, play and print

Canon's range of compact printers and SELPHY Photo Layout app are your trusted companions when it comes to family crafting ideas and making precious creations.

There are a huge range of activities you could do, and with a Canon printer and app, you can get inspiration, edit your ideas, print your ideas and even further your own craft projects.

These projects are more than just crafting; it's a wonderful bonding experience, working together to devise, create, experiment and design elements you can be proud of, as well as fun games to play.

Whether you’re preparing for a new school year or keeping the kids engaged in mid-term, a Canon home printer can be invaluable for creating handy reminders, calendars and more. Being organised is the key to surviving the reality of busy family life.

Consider creating printed timetables, so the whole family knows what’s going on and what they need to remember, from art club on Tuesday to karate on Friday.

Canon PIXMA printers are compatible with Canon's magnetic photo paper, enabling you to create fun, interchangeable name tags for kids' rooms or a magnetic weekly planner to keep the whole family on track.

The Canon Zoemini 2 can print card-size stickers, which you can use to create mini labels for notebooks, bottles, lunchboxes and more, helping the kids identify what belongs to them and hopefully lose stuff less often – a win for parents!

With a Canon PIXMA printer and Canon's magnetic photo paper, you could also use the Easy-PhotoPrint Editor app on your tablet or smartphone to design custom fridge magnets showcasing cherished family moments or quirky artwork.

With a Canon compact printer and a choice of sticky-baked papers, you could also personalise your possessions with stickers. The Canon SELPHY QX20 among other compact printers allows you to choose between two different sizes of sticky-backed photo paper, square or card-size, both with a writable border. The SELPHY CP1500 has mini stickers to choose from in addition, and the Canon Zoemini range has two types of sticker paper, one rectangular and a smaller circular option.

The possibilities are endless, allowing you to personalise your space and add a touch of fun and functionality to every room. The Canon Photo Cube could also be a great way to store and display your beautiful artistic creations around your home.

Canon Creative Park is a trusted resource for all things design, DIY art projects, and fun printables for children. Packed with printable templates for all sorts of delightful decorations, all for free, it’s perfect for bringing ideas to life with your Canon PIXMA printer.

Younger children will love crafting cute animal characters and colourful miniature worlds for a papercraft safari or decorating their space with dinosaur-themed décor, while older kids (and adults!) can tackle more complex projects like building a paper model of a famous building, making a detailed space vehicle, crafting a 3D model solar system, or creating an entire miniature world.

Simply choose your free printable templates for children from Creative Park, download them, and print using your Canon PIXMA printer and sturdy Canon Matte Photo Paper – it’s ideal for showcasing the vibrant colours and intricate details of the templates.

Then, with a bit of cutting, folding, and gluing, you can transform your living room into a vibrant display of handmade creations! has context menu

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that you’ve got all the tools at your disposal – from Canon Creative Park to the range of Canon printers for all requirements, a choice of Canon printing apps to help you get creative, and a wide selection of paper types for different projects.

Crafting at home with these Canon DIY printer projects is artistic, engaging and a precious time to bond for all the family, whatever it is that you’re creating. With high quality and cost-effective creative printing activities, families can bring to life their amazing creative visions, time and time again.