Minecraft Projects for Kids: DIY Minecraft Shrinky Dinks

Minecraft crafts for kids are always a big hit. Who doesn't like Minecraft, right? The Jersey Momma's Boy could play Minecraft for hours if I let him. I'm a gamer, too, and I really like Minecraft, but I have my limits! I recently lured him away from the screen with a hands-on Minecraft activity. Do it Yourself Minecraft Shrinky Dinks! What's more enticing than that??

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. You can read more about Amazon affiliate links on my Disclosure page. 

Pin the image below for future use! This craft is great for rainy days, parties, or just when you want those kiddos to unplug for a bit.

You Will Need:

-blank Shrinky Dink paper
-colored pencils
-a black Sharpie marker
-scissors
-Minecraft pictures to trace
-a cookie sheet or baking tray
-tinfoil
-an oven

Step 1.  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Decide which pictures you'd like to trace for your Shrinky Dinks. They can be any size but work best at about three inches or larger, since they shrink down so small. We used the book, Minecraft the Essential Handbook from Scholastic (affiliate link), but you can also trace images from simple google searches on your computer (but just remember those images are copyrighted, so I'm not condoning that you steal them! If you're using them for fun crafts, that's a different story).

Most Minecraft lovers have the entire Scholastic collection!

Step 2.  Trace your image on the rough side of the Shrinky Dink paper. I prefer a Sharpie for tracing. If you use a regular pencil it tends to smear when you go to color in the image.  Tip:  If your paper slides away from the image while tracing, tape it down with a small piece of scotch tape.

Step 3.  Color in your image with colored pencils. You can also use Sharpies or even acrylic paints, but colored pencils seem to work best for little hands.

Step 4.   Trim your image. I think you get the best overall product if you trim your image in a free-form shape around the outside of it. You don't have to do this, though- you can leave your image as a square or rectangle or even a circle.

Step 5.  Place your image on some tinfoil on a cookie sheet or baking tray.  You can place several images on a tray as long as they are a few inches apart.  Bake your images between 1-5 minutes. NOTE: shrinking times may vary based on oven temperatures and image sizes.  A good rule of thumb is not to walk away from the oven. We sat and watched ours cook through the window. They started to curl up after about a minute, and were done after three minutes.

Step 6.  Watch your images carefully.  You'll see them start to curl up, but they will eventually flatten out.

Be sure to keep an eye on your creations while they're baking!

Step 7.  When your Shrinky Dinks are flat, remove them from the oven and let them cool. Ta da! You're done!

Where to Find Supplies

You can find Shrinky Dink paper in any craft store in their specialty paper section. Plain sheets are also available on Amazon. You can use my handy dandy Amazon affiliate links below!

More Ideas 

You can make these Shrinky Dinks into anything you want. Add a magnet for Minecraft magnets. Poke a tiny hole into your image before baking and add a small, sterling silver loop for jewelry items. You can even make them into key chains (just be sure to poke a hole in your image BEFORE baking, and make it large enough for the keychain loops to fit through. You can make them into ornaments the same way, just poke the hole in them before baking). Shrinky Dinks also sells some jewelry kits with all of the pieces you need.

JERSEY MOMMA TIPS:

We didn't have any issues with baking ours, but here are some troubleshooting tips if you do:

-if your Shrinky Dinks look kind of crinkly, put them back in the oven for another minute or two until they flatten out.

-if they melt around the edges, turn down the oven temperature to 300 degrees. If they take too long to shrink, you can turn the oven up to 350 degrees instead.

You can find the products I used on Amazon, using my affiliate links below.

The fine print:  Minecraft is a registered trademark of Notch Development AB.  The Minecraft game is copyright Mojang AB.  My crafts are not authorized or sponsored by Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Shrinky Dinks, Inc/Alex Toys. or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark or copyrights.  I mean, seriously, they're just crafts.