Home Depot Kids Workshop Dates and Projects for 2026
The Home Depot Kids Workshop is free and runs on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m., while kits last.
It’s built for kids ages 5 to 12, and a parent or guardian stays to help.
The next ones are a dump truck on November 7, 2026, and a bonus Christmas car ornament session on November 21.
Upcoming Kids Workshop Dates
| Workshop date | Project |
|---|---|
| Saturday, November 7, 2026 | Dump Truck |
| Saturday, November 21, 2026 | Christmas Car Ornament |
| Saturday, December 5, 2026 | Holiday Train |
| Saturday, January 2, 2027 | Claw Machine Bank |
The dates and projects come from Home Depot’s official 2026 Kids Workshops calendar.
One small print note on that calendar says the pictures aren’t final, so the finished kits can look a little different from the photos.
As pictured, the November 7 kit is a yellow wooden dump truck with a tipping bed. December brings a red and green holiday train with a wreath on the front, and January 2 is a claw machine coin bank, complete with a lever on the base.
How the Kids Workshop Works
Kids build a small project kit with real hand tools, mostly hammers and screwdrivers, then paint it. Home Depot says the average kit takes about 30 minutes.
Store associates run each session as Workshop Captains. A parent or guardian is expected to stay and help, so it isn’t a drop-off program.
Home Depot pitches it as skill practice more than a craft table. Kids follow step-by-step instructions, use hand tools and finish with paint, and the workshops run in all stores nationwide on the same Saturday.
You can show up any time between 9 a.m. and noon. Every tool and all the materials are provided, so there’s nothing to bring except clothes that can handle a little paint.
Each child leaves with the finished project, a Kids Workshop apron, an achievement pin and a certificate, according to Home Depot’s Kids Workshops page.
The program has been around a long time. Home Depot’s corporate history of the workshops marked its 25th year in 2022 and says many stores see hundreds of attendees each month.
How to Register for a Kids Workshop
Registration happens online through Home Depot’s workshops page, where you pick your store and the workshop date.
Sign-ups open one workshop ahead. Home Depot listed registration for the October 3 workshop opening on September 5, and for September 5 opening on August 1.
Following that pattern, here’s when sign-ups should open for the next three workshops. These dates are my projection from Home Depot’s past openings, so confirm them on the workshops page.
| Workshop | Sign-ups should open |
|---|---|
| Dump Truck, November 7 | October 3 |
| Holiday Train, December 5 | November 7 |
| Claw Machine Bank, January 2 | December 5 |
So the holiday train sign-up should go live the same morning kids are building dump trucks. If December is the one you care about, register before you leave the store on November 7.
Registering doesn’t hold a kit all morning. Home Depot runs every session while supplies last and suggests arriving early, so plan to be there close to 9 a.m., especially for the holiday projects in November and December.
2026 Kids Workshop Projects
Home Depot numbers each kit in sequence, from kit 71201 in February to kit 71212 in January 2027. The numbering lines every project up with its first Saturday, plus one extra, kit 72049, the November 21 ornament.
| 2026 date | Project |
|---|---|
| February 7 | Penguin Mailbox |
| March 7 | Leprechaun Trap |
| April 4 | Farm Planter |
| May 2 | Keepsake Box |
| June 6 | Goalie Game |
| July 4 | Go Kart |
| August 1 | Rocket Game |
| September 5 | School Bus Organizer |
| October 3 | Witch Candy Box |
The lineup tracks the calendar closely. A leprechaun trap landed in March, a keepsake box about a week before Mother’s Day, a soccer goalie game in June as the World Cup came to North America, and a go kart on the Fourth of July.
Kids Workshop Age Range
Home Depot’s official range is 5 to 12. Some local event listings advertise 4 to 11, but the company’s own page says 5 to 12.
For kids 5 and up, I think it’s one of the best free Saturday mornings around. The build fits a short attention span, and the result is a real object made with real tools.
For kids under 5, I’d wait a year. The kits involve hammers, and the official range starts at 5 for a reason.
Tips for Workshop Morning
- Plan on 30 to 45 minutes at the table. Home Depot’s 30 minute average assumes a kid who doesn’t stop to admire every nail.
- Paint comes last, so the project often goes home tacky. A shallow box or a grocery bag and a pack of wipes save the car seat.
- Have a small photo ready for the November 21 ornament. The calendar picture shows a little window in the car for one.
- Bring siblings in the 5 to 12 range too. Each child builds and keeps a kit while supplies last, so one trip covers both.
Grown-ups aren’t left out entirely. Home Depot runs free How-To Workshops for adults online, both as livestreams and on demand. Stores open from 6 a.m. on Saturdays at most locations, so the store hours leave plenty of time for a supply run after the workshop.
Lowe’s Kids Workshops on a Different Saturday
Lowe’s runs its own free kids workshop once a month on a later Saturday. Fox 5 Atlanta described it in February as usually the third Saturday, and a Seattle-area event listing puts November’s session on the 14th, a week after Home Depot’s dump truck.
Signing up works differently there. Since February 2026, Lowe’s has run registration through a MyLowe’s Rewards account, where parents can sign up several kids and track digital badges, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
For a kid who loves building, that’s two free projects a month instead of one. I’d treat them as a pair rather than a choice, and check your own Lowe’s for its date, since local listings don’t always agree.
Free Kids Projects to Try at Home
Missing a workshop isn’t a dead end. Home Depot’s Kids Workshops page also links free project guides for home, like a milk carton bird house, a road trip game box and a playdough recipe that takes about 10 minutes.
They use household items and a few tools, so they work as a rainy-day backup. The workshop kits themselves are only handed out in stores on workshop days, and the November 21 ornament falls the Saturday before Thanksgiving week.
