9 Summer Craft Projects to Keep Kids Busy
Summers are fun, but it can be a little bit
overwhelming to have kids out of school and you need to do chores. So if you
need something to keep your kids occupied and productive or perhaps you’re
looking for ways to shorten their time playing with their gadgets and mobile
devices, a reliable solution to your woes is to let them do arts and crafts.
It’s not as expensive or as time-consuming as
other activities are. The materials you will need are easy to find, and you may
already have them around your house. However, if you want to buy discount craft materials, you can
just order in bulk online, anytime. The best part of doing summer crafts is
that you get to bond with your little ones.
In the age of technology and the internet, it
is important to let kids experience creativity with their own hands. This is
why arts and crafts are more than just activities to let time pass by.
Here are some good summer craft ideas that you
and your kids can try.
Water-Gun
Painting
If you want to make your pool party even more
fun, introduce water-gun painting as an activity. It sounds exactly as it says.
You take a couple of water guns, some watered-down paints, and some paper
clipped on an easel. It is a good idea to have this during a pool party because
it can get messy.
You can even turn it into a contest with the
most creative “painting” being determined as the winner. It is a creative way
to introduce creativity in your children. Just make sure that the paints you
use are water-based and nontoxic so
everyone can paint and play with no worries.
Sharpie
Tie-Dye T-Shirts
Want to make this summer more memorable?
Combine a science experiment and art with a wearable tie-dye T-shirt. You can
use different-colored Sharpies to demonstrate how secondary and tertiary colors
are achieved. The crafting part comes when kids come up with different color
combinations and tie-dye a whole shirt to their liking.
Rock
Painting
If you want to use another medium to paint
without spending much, use rocks. They’re easy to come by, and they’re
everywhere. In fact, you can just go to your yard and pick up a bucket full of
it. For this project, you’ll only need some paint, brushes, and your
imagination.
Frozen
Bananas
Who says arts and crafts can’t be food? There
are many ways your child can showcase their creativity, and that includes food.
For this fun activity, you can prepare candies, ice cream, chocolate, and even
whipped cream as choices for how children can decorate their bananas. The great
thing about using frozen bananas is you can eat them right away after they have
been decorated.
DIY
Slime
Slime is something that’s been going around on
the internet for years, and if you haven’t made one on your own, now’s the
perfect opportunity. If the idea of using Borax scares you, don’t worry,
because there are plenty of alternative DIY slime recipes. The
process of slime can also be taught as a science too.
You can be as creative as you want when you
make your own slime. You can add color, glitter, and even little Lego pieces.
Imagination is your only limit.
Seashell
Art
If you have plans to go to the beach this
summer, collect as many shells as you want because you can use them later. You
will also need cardboard paper, some paints, and some adhesives to glue your
seashells. You can use the shells to draw a picture or to spell out names.
Decorate
Your Own Fancy Flops
Flip-flops are always a mainstay during summer
especially when you’re in the beach or pool or because it is too hot to put on
any footwear. A good activity to kick off summer is to have a “design your own
flip-flop” party. Make this a group activity, and get everyone involved by
providing knit fabric, felt, glue, beads, and even paint for everyone to use.
Fruit
Pops
Using any summer fruit you have, you can make
it less boring by turning it into a frozen treat. There are many recipes online that you can
use to make popsicles. Popular fruit choices are watermelon, lemon,
strawberries, and peaches. You can even combine many fruits in season.
Cardboard
Fairy Crown
Make use of old cardboard tubes or paper towel
tubes by turning them into unique cardboard fairy crowns. You can use paint or
tissue paper and tacky glue to color or cover the tube to your liking. To make
it a crown, all you need to do is to make multiple cuts almost all the way
through.
Stretch it out, and then tape or tie the ends
of the tube together so you can wear it over your head. You can add more
decorations at any time you like.
Crafts
Can Be Eco-Friendly
You don’t need to spend a lot when doing arts
and crafts. In fact, you can recycle stuff around the house and
challenge yourself along with your kids to make something out of it. There are
many ways to do arts and crafts, so you’re only limited by your imagination.
What summer crafts did you do as a child, and
how did you do them? Share your fond memories and experiences below.
