It is not usual for the kids to say, “I am bored,” during the long summer months. Although most families arrange summer activities and family vacations, you can’t practically plan for every unscheduled moment. If this defines your family, then the answer is “Summer Crafts!”
Summer crafts can help your kids to turn a rather dull summer day into a fun & engaging activity. And the best part about it is that you can try tons of simple crafts this summer! In addition, it will also help them with their developmental milestones as well.
10 Simple Crafts to Save for Summer 2023
Are you ready to turn the boring summer days into fun & engaging activities? Then try any or all of these simple crafts for summer 2023:
1. Glue Cereal to Make a Pineapple Craft
The first craft to try for summer 2023 is “glue cereal to make a pineapple.” It is a simple DIY craft that can bring a lot of fun to boring and long summer days.
To get started, choose a piece of yellow color paper and draw the outline of a pineapple using vibrant markers. Then show the toddlers how they can attach cereal pieces using glue to make up the “pineapple eyes.”
To add more creativity & fun to this activity, you can try using different colored cereals to enhance the look of the pineapple further.
One thing to remember when trying this craft is that there’s no wrong way to do it! Just let the little ones go wild and be creative with how they make the pineapple using the cereal. This will allow them to express themselves creatively while having fun at the same time.
2. Painting on Seashells
The next summer craft that you can’t afford to miss is painting on seashells. As the name implies, this craft is very simple and only requires seashells, acrylic paint, and paintbrushes.
To make this craft even more fun, you can visit the nearby beach to collect seashells of different shapes and sizes. But if that’s not an option, you can also buy seashells from the craft store.
After cleaning the seashells from any dirt/debris, let your child’s imagination run wild by allowing them to paint whatever colors they want on the seashells. And once these painted seashells are finished and dry, they can also serve as decorative accents!
3. Beach in a Bottle
Beach in a Bottle is yet another simple summer craft that can make your vacation a memorable one. Even when the kids grow up, this craft will always remind them of the fun family trip they had all the years back!
To get started with this craft, you will only need mini glass bottles. In fact, you can also repurpose any clear-glass bottles for this purpose!
Once the bottles are ready, head to your favorite beach spot and show the kids how to gather the sand trinkets in the souvenir bottle. Before you know it, they will make their own beach-in-a-bottle craft in no time.
4. Make Ice Cream with Cardboard
This next craft on our list is guaranteed to spark creativity & will even help the child with their fine motor skills development.
To get started, all you need is cardboard, a marker, colored dry ice, and white glue. The first step is to draw the outline of an ice cream cone on the cardboard using a marker.
After that, encourage the child to apply white glue to the ice cream shape using a brush. After that, they can sprinkle the colored rice using a spoon to fill up the ice cream shape.
If you don’t have colored rice, you can easily make them by adding 1 tbsp vinegar, dry rice, and a few drops of color in a plastic bag. Once everything is in the bag, shake it properly and then let the rice dry up.
5. Shape Art
Shape art is a fun & beneficial craft for children as it allows them to get in touch with their creative side. In addition, it also helps them to develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.
To get started, you will need the following items:
- Kitchen Sponges
- Washable Paint
- Paper/Canvas
Start by cutting the kitchen sponges into different shapes, such as circles, triangles, rectangles, or whatever comes to your mind. Once the shapes are ready, let the children dip the sponges in washable paint and then stamp them on white paper.
Since this process involves the use of scissors, it is best to cut the sponges yourself unless the children are old enough to safely handle sharp objects.
Overall, this is a really fun summer craft that makes it easy for the children to get acquainted with different colors, shapes, and arrangements.
6. Dande-lion Craft
This summer craft involves making a lion with dandelions, hence the name “dande-lion craft”! Just like the rest of the crafts mentioned on this page, this one is also a very simple & engaging activity to fill up the long summer days.
To get started, draw the eyes and nose of a lion on white paper. Then allow the kids to draw the outline of the lion using the dandelions! And once the dande-lion is ready, be sure to snap a picture that will serve as a fun & loving memory for the kid!
7. Sponge Stamped Ice Cream Cone
To get started with this summer craft, you will need the following items:
- Soft Kitchen Sponge
- Construction Paper
- Paper
- Washable Paint
Start by making cone cut-outs using construction paper. In the next step, cut out the kitchen sponge into a circle shape that will serve as the ice cream scoop.
Once these supplies are ready, glue the ice cream cone cut-out on a piece of paper. Now, the children can dip the kitchen sponge into washable colors and stamp it on the ice cream cone.
In the end, it would look as if they had drawn a very colorful & delicious-looking ice cream cone. And just like all the other crafts mentioned on this page, this one also helps in the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
To make it more beneficial, also encourage the children to say different colors they are using on the ice-cream cone, such as yellow, pink, red, etc. This will help them to develop language & vocabulary skills as well.
8. Cardboard Sun
What would be a better craft to enjoy the sunny vibes of summer than creating your own cardboard sun! This DIY craft is designed to foster creativity & enhance fine motor skills among children.
To get started, you will need the following supplies:
- Yellow Cardboard
- Drinking Straws (yellow & red)
- Googley Eyes
- Tape
Start by cutting the cardboard in a circle shape to make the sun’s body. Then use the tape and attach the drinking straws to the backside of the cardboard to create the spikes/rays of the sun. It is important to evenly space out the straws to create a consistent shape.
In the end, add some Googley eyes and a smiley to complete the cardboard sun craft! Depending on the age of your children, you may have to help them with certain tasks, such as cutting the cardboard or giving hints to even space out the straws.
9. Fruit Stamping
There’s no better way to divert the child’s attention toward fruit than the fruit stamping craft! This will allow the children to associate fun and happiness with fruits which would then even encourage them to start eating them.
One of the best things about this DIY summer craft is that it only requires fruit, washable paint, and paper. To get started, cut the fruits such as lemon, orange, apple, and guava in half.
Then allow the children to dip the fruits in washable paint and then stamp colorful prints on the paper.
10. Watercolor Popsicle Painting
The watercolor ice cube painting craft helps the children with creativity, self-expression, color exploration, and sensory stimulation. And the best part about this summer craft is that you will likely have all the supplies at your home already.
To get started, freeze the watercolor paint in the popsicle molds (remember to put the popsicle sticks). Once the popsicles are formed, the children can paint with them on the paper.
As the frozen watercolor starts to melt, it will create wonderful designs and patterns on the paper.
Summertime Adventures With Your Family
With so many fun and engaging summer crafts to try, there’s no excuse for you to let the boredom haunt the children ever again! And to get the most fun & benefit from these summer crafts, remember to do it as a family. This will also allow the children to enjoy family bonding while learning something valuable at the same time.
Lastly, remember that keeping a proper summer routine is essential for children during the no-school season, so that they don’t feel lost in some ways. There are some age-appropriate chores for toddlers and young children that include job responsibilities that they can do every day to help them keep that structure and responsibility they have at school.
For instance, picking up the living room, vacuuming the bedrooms, picking up sticks out of the yard, even exercising as a responsibility, doing 10 jumping jacks every day, riding your bike outside to the stop sign and back, walking up and down the stairs 5 times each day.
These little things teach children good healthy habits that the classrooms are also trying to instill in the children. So now, it’s time to enjoy summer with your family!
