If the kiddos seem bored on summer break, try one of these summer craft ideas for kids! These summer craft ideas keep little hands busy and creating fun, pretty projects that can be used indoors and out. Read on for our 13 favorite kids’ summer crafts that celebrate the season.
Haeley from Design Improvised put together this DIY butterfly mobile craft for her at-home summer camp lesson about bugs. She let kids decorate DIY Beautiful 3D Butterfly Ornaments with pastels and stick-on rhinestones, then attached them to cotton rickrack trim using hot glue and a glue gun. Then, she affixed the dangling butterflies to an embroidery hoop and hung in a windowsill for all to see.
Create your own giant sidewalk chalk that prevents little hands from scraping on the pavement using just a few basic craft ingredients! Project Nursery mixed together Plaster of Paris, neon tempera paint, and water into plastic cups using plastic spoons. Then she poured them into silicone brownie pop molds and inserted divided wood craft sticks and let dry. After 24 hours, kids are ready for safe, vibrant coloring!
(Image: Project Nursery)
Welcome wildlife to your backyard with these so-simple bird feeders! Simmer gelatin and water until dissolved, remove from heat and add birdseed, stir, then fill a cookie cutter on wax paper halfway. Add twine in a loop for the hanger, then fill the rest of the way with birdseed mixture. Once dried, place on a nearby branch and watch the birds flock! Want something more permanent? Try these DIY unfinished wood bird feeder kits.
(Image: Eighteen25)
Commemmorate a day at the beach — or dream about an upcoming one — with these adorable jeweled sea shell photo frames! Kelsey from We Heart Parties set up this project beginning with DIY unfinished wood picture frames, then let kids apply self-adhesive jewels and sea shells with Tacky Glue. PS: These would make a great gift for a parent or grandparent!
These easy pool noodle boats are the perfect craft to make then take outside. Fill a kiddie pool and let kids race their boats, or simply play with them. Bonus: They’re also a great way to give new life to last year’s pool noodles that are starting to fall apart. You’ll need at least one pool noodle (you can mix and match additional colors as you like), plastic straws, foam sheets, scissors, a hole punch, and a kitchen knife. Get the complete instructions.
(Image: Our Family of Seven)
What kid doesn’t love slime? Put a shimmery, summery twist on this craft by creating a habitat for some colorful plastic fish. You’ll need liquid starch, blue glitter Elmer’s glue, clear treat bags, and twine or ribbon to tie it off. Get the detailed slime recipe and complete directions.
(Image: My Frugal Adventures)
Let kids create their own totes for trips to the library, park, pool and more! Haeley from Design Improvised set up this easy craft using just three supplies: DIY white bags, spray bottles, neon fabric paint, and bright self-adhesive letters. Make sure you protect your work surfaces well before starting, and let the paint dry completely overnight.
Perfect for kids who need to burn off some energy, this squirt gun painting activity takes craft time outdoors. Grab some squirt guns and fill with liquid watercolors. Set up easels with watercolor paper, and let them fire away! Need to clean the kids up? This blogger sent them through the sprinkler!
(Image: Fireflies and Mudpies)
Help kids beat the heat with these super-cute DIY fans! When it comes to decorating, simply trace a fan shape, provide a set of watercolors, and let kids create their favorite produce. Rainbow craft sticks held together with brads help the decorated paper fold in and out — see step-by-step instructions on how to put it all together.
(Image: A Girl and a Glue Gun)
Get littles interested in gardening by letting them put their own personal stamp on your outdoor spaces. Shauna from Ella and Annie created this craft that begins with kids going on a scavenger hunt for the perfect rocks. From there, she gave them a coat of white spray paint for an even surface. Then, she let kids paint lady bugs, bees, and frogs using an acrylic paint strip, paint brush, googly eyes, a black Sharpie, and quick-dry glue — the detailed instructions show you exactly how to draw each one.
Decorate your home for the 4th of July with colorful, festive salt art! You’ll need basic table salt, paper (you can use any color, but black mimics the night sky and makes the colors bolder), watercolors, brushes, and white glue. Busy Mommy Media brilliantly recommends putting all materials on a cookie sheet to help contain the mess. Kids then draw fireworks with glue, sprinkle with salt, and then paint the salt with watercolors.
(Image: Busy Mommy Media)
If your kids need a change from sidewalk chalk or you want something you can hose off right away, try this DIY sidewalk foam paint that’s as fun to make as it is to draw with. The paint recipe uses two 4-oz. bottles of washable glue, flour, white shaving foam, food coloring drops, a 1-gallon plastic zipper bag, a handful of sandwich-sized plastic zipper bags, scissors, and squirt bottles. Prepare for kids to get messy (but have fun) in the process!
(Image: The TipToe Fairy)
Recreate the beautiful blooms outside using something you’d normally recycle! First, use scissors to cut out four containers from an egg carton for each flower (trim as needed to create more petal-like edges). Give kids brushes and a palette of acrylic paints and let them decorate as desired. Then, glue on a strawstem and pom-pom center. Display the final products in a vase for an instant centerpiece!
(Image: I Heart Arts N Crafts)