Kids are on summer vacation, and keeping them entertained at home can be challenging. So, we’ve gathered a list of simple crafts that kids can make with help from a grown-up.
This simple handprint sunflower by One Little Project is an adorable keepsake that young children can make with a bit of help from a grown-up.
To make a handprint sunflower, you’ll need:
2 pieces of yellow construction paper
2 pieces of green construction paper
brown cardstock
a jumbo popsicle stick
scissors
a pencil
tacky glue
a brown marker.
How to Make A Handprint Sunflower:
Fold the piece of yellow paper in half vertically, so there's enough room for 2 hand prints. Place the middle of your child's palms along the open edge. Using a pencil, trace around their hands and fingers.
Cut out the handprint shapes. Repeat to make 5 handprint shapes. These will be the flower's petals.
Add a small dot of tacky glue to the end of the popsicle stick.
Place the first paper handprint on top of the glue, with the thumb facing left. Add another small dot of tacky glue on the bottom right of the handprint.
Continue adding a small dot of glue on the corner of each handprint and gluing on the next handprint until you've completed the circle. Make sure all of the thumbs are facing in the same direction.
Fold a scrap of green paper in half. Draw a leaf shape on the paper. Hold the open edges of the paper together and cut out the shape, so you end up with 2 identical leaves.
Add a small dot of tacky glue to one end of each leaf. Then press them onto the back of the popsicle stick.
Fold a piece of cardstock in half. Trace something round, so its edge goes over the fold slightly. Cut out the circle. When you're done, it should open like a card with a fold in the middle. If you would like to add texture to the center of the flower, cut slits around the edge of the front layer of the card.
Using a brown marker, draw seeds on the front of the card. Then, write a message on the inside of the card.
Squeeze tacky glue all over the back of the circle. Press it onto the middle of the handprints.
This paper plate ice cream cone craft by Easy Peasy and Fun makes an adorable decoration for summer parties.
To make a paper plate ice cream craft, you’ll need:
2 paper plates
brown cardstock
pink, mint, and black paint
red pompom balls
sprinkles
black markers
scissors
glue
brushes
How to Make A Paper Plate Ice Cream Cone:
Draw a scoop of ice cream onto your paper plates. Draw a rounded top and a scalloped bottom. The bottom should be slightly wider than the top circle. Cut out the scoop of ice cream.
Paint one scoop pink and the other mint green.
Cut two triangle shapes out of the brown paper. The triangles should be about 4 to 5 inches wide.
Draw a criss-cross pattern onto the brown triangle cones with a black marker. Glue the ice cream scoops onto the tops of the cones.
Use a small paint brush to paint small black dots onto your mint green scoop. These are the chocolate chips.
Glue sprinkles onto the pink scoop.
Glue one red pompom ball onto the top of each ice cream scoop.
This sparkly mermaid slime by Crafty Morning is a fun, summery sensory craft.
To make sparkly mermaid slime, you’ll need:
an airtight container
a bottle of clear glue
water
baking soda
contact solution
neon blue, kiwi green, and teal gel food coloring
mermaid glitter confetti
a small bowl.
How to Make Sparkly Mermaid Slime:
Pour the entire bottle of clear glue into the bowl.
Add a 1/2 cup of water to the bowl.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and stir.
Add a few drops of gel food coloring and stir.
Add in the mermaid glitter confetti.
Add 1 tablespoon of contact solution.
Mix until slime starts to form.
Knead the slime until it is no longer sticky.
Continue to knead in the mermaid glitter until you achieve the desired look.
Store in an airtight container.
This bubble wrap beehive craft by Crafty Morning is a fun, simple project for kids.
To make a bubble wrap beehive, you’ll need:
bubble wrap
2 shades of yellow paint,
brown paper and white paper
a brown marker
a permanent marker
a paintbrush
How To Make A Bubble Wrap Beehive
Cut out a beehive shape from the bubble wrap.
Have your kids paint the beehive shape yellow and stamp it on a piece of white paper.
Outline the beehive with a brown marker.
Cut a door shape out of the brown paper and glue it to the beehive.
Have your kids dip their thumbs in a darker shade of yellow paint and stamp their thumbprints around the beehive.
Once the thumbprints are dry, draw on the bees' features with a black permanent marker.
Young kids will love this colorful jellyfish craft by I Heart Crafty Things. To make a colorful jellyfish craft, you’ll need:
a small paper bowl
tissue paper
a self-adhesive curly gift bow
googly eyes
white string
school glue
packaging tape
scissors.
How To Make A Colorful Jellyfish Craft
Cut different colors of tissue paper into square pieces.
Turn the paper bowl upside down and cover the bottom and sides with school glue.
Put tissue paper squares all over the bowl, covering the bottom and sides of the bowl completely. Let your glue dry.
Use scissors to poke a small hole in the center of the paper bowl. Push string through the hole, tie a knot in the end, and tape it down inside the bowl.
Remove the adhesive backing from the curly gift bow and attach it to the inside of the bowl. Position the bow so it hangs down from the center of the bowl.
Finish your cute and colorful jellyfish craft by gluing googly eyes to the bowl.
Make use of old CDs with this craft by I Heart Crafty Things. Kids will love crumpling tissue paper to decorate these CD hot air balloons. To make a CD hot air balloon, you’ll need:
an old CD
wood craft sticks
cardboard
tissue paper cut into small squares
a brown marker
glue dots or a hot glue gun
school glue
scissors.
How To Make A CD Hot Air Balloon
Cut a cardboard rectangle for your hot air balloon basket.
Use glue dots or a hot glue gun to attach wood craft sticks to the back of your CD.
Use a brown marker to draw lines on your cardboard basket.
Cover your CD with glue.
Crumple tissue paper squares and glue them all over your CD.
These glow-in-the-dark fireflies by Handmade Charlotte are an adorable, simple summer craft. To make glow-in-the-dark fireflies, you’ll need:
acrylic paint
glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint
paintbrushes
mini googly eyes
a hot glue gun
wooden skewers
pasta noodles (farfalloni, large shells, and lumache rigate).
How To Make Glow-in-the-Dark Fireflies
Paint the farfalloni pasta with regular acrylic paint to make the firefly’s wings. Let dry.
To make the firefly’s head, apply a coat of regular acrylic paint to each lumache rigate shell and let dry. If you can’t find lumache rigate at your supermarket, smaller shells, such as orrichiette, are a good alternative.
To create the firefly’s abdomen, apply a coat of white paint to the large shells and let them dry completely. Then apply a few coats of glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint to each shell. Let the shells dry completely between coats.
Hot glue two mini googly eyes onto each firefly’s head, then hot glue the firefly’s head to its wings.
Glue the head and wings onto the end of a wooden skewer. Next, glue the abdomen to the skewer below the firefly’s wings.
These popsicle stick s’mores by Glued To My Crafts are an easy craft that is perfect for summer. To make popsicle stick s’mores, you’ll need:
jumbo popsicle sticks
a small paper plate
white, black, and pink craft paint
paint brushes
light brown and dark brown cardstock paper
school glue
safety scissors
How To Make Popsicle Stick S’mores
Lay 2 popsicle sticks horizontally with one popsicle stick length between them. Glue 7 popsicle sticks next to each other across the horizontal sticks. Set the popsicle sticks aside to dry.
After the popsicle sticks have dried, paint them white.
Cut out 2 rectangles from the light brown cardstock paper and one rectangle from the dark brown cardstock paper. These are the graham crackers and chocolate.
Have children glue the cardstock pieces to the popsicle sticks and paint a face on the s’more.
Let the s’more dry completely.
This water pistol painting by Messy Little Monster is a fantastic craft for hot summer days. To make a water pistol painting, you’ll need:
poster paint
water
a water pistol for each paint color
a large canvas.
How To Make A Water Pistol Painting
Fill each water pistol halfway with poster paint, and then add water until the pistol is full.
Set up the canvas outside. Fire paint at the canvas to create your artwork.
This palm tree fork painting by Projects With Kids is an easy craft that will bring about thoughts of warm beaches and calming waves.
To create a palm tree fork painting, you’ll need:
sky blue, turquoise, dark green, light green, brown, and white acrylic paint
paintbrushes
plastic forks
a paint palette
a pencil
a dish of water
a canvas pad, canvas, or piece of white cardstock
How To Make A Palm Tree Fork Painting
Draw 2 lines on the white cardstock to separate the sections of the painting: the sand, ocean, and sky. The sky should be the largest portion of the painting.
To mix the paint color for the sky, put light blue paint and white paint onto a paint palette and swirl the colors together to mix white streaks into the blue paint.
Let the sky dry, and then move on to painting the water. Swirl together turquoise blue paint and white paint to create the ocean.
To complete the background, paint the third section with a mix of brown and white paint to create the sand. Set the painting aside to dry.
Use a pencil to lightly draw the trunk of the palm tree. Then, add a few curved lines above the trunk for the tree’s branches.
Use a dark brown color to paint the trunk of the palm tree. Then, mix dark brown paint and white paint to create a lighter brown. Finally, repaint the trunk with a coat of lighter brown paint.
While the second coat is still wet, use a fork to create texture on the tree's trunk. Drag a fork over the wet paint from the middle of the trunk to the outer edge. Repeat down the length of the trunk.
To create the palm leaves, paint a thick dark green line over the branch lines. Drag the paint down slightly to create the leaf shape. Paint one leaf at a time.
Drag a fork down over the leaf shape to create the palm tree leaf texture.
Paint a light green coat over the palm leaves, then drag the paint down slightly to add dimension to the leaves. Paint one leaf at a time.
With this handprint ice cream cone craft by Glued To My Crafts, kids can turn the handprints into personalized ice cream cones. To make a handprint ice cream cone craft, you’ll need:
jumbo popsicle sticks
school glue
colorful buttons
safety scissors
red, brown, white, pink, and yellow cardstock paper
brown paint
decorations such as glitter and rhinestones.
How To Make A Handprint Ice Cream Cone
Glue three popsicle sticks together to form a triangle, then set the popsicle sticks aside to dry.
Cut a triangle out of brown cardstock to create the ice cream cone.
Trace your child’s handprint on another piece of cardstock. Cut out the handprint to create a scoop of ice cream.
Once the popsicle sticks have dried, paint them brown.
Glue the triangle of brown cardstock onto the popsicle sticks.
Glue the handprint to the popsicle stick cone so the fingers are pointing to the bottom of the cone.
Decorate the ice cream scoop with glitter and rhinestones, then cut out a small circle of red cardstock to create a cherry for the top of the ice cream cone.
Set the handprint ice cream cone aside to dry completely.
Everyone loves bubbles, and kids of all ages will love this bubble print butterfly craft by Happy Toddler Playtime. To make a bubble print butterfly, you’ll need:
Tupperware containers
food coloring
water
a straw
dish soap or bubble mix
white card stock or watercolor paper
a pencil
scissors
craft sticks
5 pompoms (1 big, 2 medium, and 2 small)
googly eyes
pipe cleaners
a glue gun
How To Make A Bubble Print Butterfly
Fill 3 Tupperware containers with 2 to 3 inches of water. Add dish soap or bubble mix and several drops of food coloring to the water.
Use a straw to blow into the water to create bubbles.
Once the bubbles have come above the edge of the container, gently lay cardstock across the bubbles and press down. Repeat with different colors!
Once the cardstock is covered in food coloring, set it aside to dry.
Fold the cardstock in half. Lightly outline butterfly wings on the cardstock.
Cut along the line to make the butterfly’s wings.
Glue a craft stick to the center of the wings.
Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Fold one side of the pipe cleaner in half and curl the ends. Glue the pipe cleaner on the top of the craft stick to create antennas.
Glue googly eyes to the largest pompom. Glue the pompom onto the antennas.
Glue the second-largest and smallest pompoms down the length of the craft stick.
This cardboard roll sandcastle by Our Kid Things is an easy craft that brings the beach to your home. To create a cardboard roll sandcastle, you’ll need:
cardboard rolls
blue and brown cardstock
brown acrylic paint
light brown acrylic paint
brown markers
white markers
scissors
a glue stick
glue dots or liquid glue.
How To Make A Cardboard Roll Sandcastle
Paint the bottom half of a piece of blue cardstock with light brown acrylic paint. Set the cardstock aside to dry.
Cut a rectangle out of the brown cardstock. Cut square notches into the top edge of the cardstock to create the castle wall.
Draw a door on the castle wall with a brown marker.
Glue the castle wall to the center of the blue cardstock.
Cut the toilet paper roll in half lengthwise to create the castle towers.
Cut two triangles out of the brown cardstock for the tops of the towers.
Position the triangles on the sides of the wall. Glue them to the cardstock.
Glue the cardboard rolls to the sides of the wall. Make sure the triangles are positioned at the top of the cardboard tubes.
Draw windows on the cardboard rolls using a white marker.
These coffee filter butterflies by One Little Project are a beautiful craft that’s perfect for summer. To make coffee filter butterflies, you’ll need:
2 coffee filters
washable markers
water
an eye dropper or small measuring spoon
a pipe cleaner.
How To Make Coffee Filter Butterflies
Place one coffee filter inside the other.
Place the coffee filters on a baking sheet to keep the mess contained.
Flatten out the coffee filters a little so you can color them.
Create a design on the top coffee filter. Some of the ink will leak through to the bottom coffee filter.
Drip water onto the marker with an eye dropper or small measuring spoon until the coffee filter is completely wet. Don’t add too much water, or the colors will run together.
Set the baking sheet aside to dry. On a hot day, place the baking sheet outside in the sun to dry.
Once the coffee filters are dry, pull them apart.
Fold each coffee filter back and forth, accordion-style, in about half-inch folds.
Put the folded strips on top of each other.
Twist a pipe cleaner around the middle of the coffee filters so that the ends point upwards in a V shape. Trim the ends to make them even.
Pinch the ends of the pipe cleaner and curl it outwards to make a small spiral.
Pull apart the folds in the coffee filter to open them up and shape your butterfly’s wings.
These puffy paint ice cream cones by Crafty Morning are a fun, tactile summer craft. To make puffy paint ice cream cones, you’ll need:
green, red, and brown paint
Elmer's glue
shaving cream
white cardstock paper
cardboard
scissors
markers
a paintbrush
How To Make Puffy Paint Ice Cream Cones
Mix Elmer's glue and shaving cream until stiff peaks form in the mixture.
Add green paint to the puffy paint.
Cut out a triangle of cardboard and draw lines with a marker to make a cone.
Paint an ice cream scoop on the cone with the puffy paint. Use brown paint and a small paintbrush to add chocolate chips to the ice cream.
Add a circle of red paint at the top of the ice cream to create a cherry.
Leave the painting to dry overnight.
16. Magazine Flowers
This craft by Organized 31 recycles magazines to create beautiful flowers. To make magazine flowers, you’ll need:
old magazines and catalogs
green pipe cleaners
scissors
a hole punch.
How To Make Magazine Flowers
Pull out the most colorful pages of the magazines and catalogs.
Cut the paper into 1/2 inch to 1-inch wide strips.
Sort the paper strips into similar colors.
Fold each paper strip into a loop. Punch a hole in the middle of the loop. Be sure to punch the hole through both overlapping ends.
Thread a pipe cleaner into the hole. Bend the pipe cleaner to keep the loops from sliding down while you’re assembling the flower.
Add paper strips until your flower is as full as you’d like. Twist the end of the pipe cleaner into a small loop to hold the paper strips in place.
These rainbow jellyfish by Crafts By Amanda make an adorable craft for a beach-themed party. To make rainbow jellyfish, you’ll need:
a 2 1/2 inch Styrofoam ball (1 ball for 2 jellyfish)
yellow paint
a metal or wooden ruler
pipe cleaners
white craft glue
string
googly eyes
a toothpick.
How To Make A Rainbow Jellyfish
Twist pipe cleaners around a pencil or paintbrush to make them into coils.
Paint the Styrofoam balls and cut them in half.
Poke the coiled pipe cleaners into the flat side of the ball.
Add googly eyes to the jellyfish and attach a string.
Hang the jellyfish.
These milk carton birdhouses by Craft Create Cook are a great way to recycle old milk cartons. To make a milk carton birdhouse, you’ll need:
empty cardboard milk cartons
acrylic paint
a paintbrush
water
paper towels
a nail or screwdriver
string or yarn
scissors
bird seed.
How To Make A Milk Carton Birdhouse
Use a utility knife to cut the sides out of a carton.
Paint the carton with acrylic paints. Set the carton aside to dry.
Poke a hole into both sides of the top of the carton with a nail or screwdriver. Thread a piece of yarn or string through the holes and knot it at the top.
Fill the carton with bird seed and hang it on a tree.
19. Pool Noodle Boat
This pool noodle boat by Craft Create Cook is a simple craft that kids can use as a toy in the pool. To make a pool noodle boat, you’ll need:
a pool noodle
colored foam sheets
paper straws
colored washi tape
scissors.
How To Make A Pool Noodle Boat
Use a serrated knife to cut the pool noodle into 3-inch thick pieces.
Cut foam sheets into the shape of a sail.
Use scissors to make 1/2 inch slits in the top and bottom of the sail.
Thread a straw through the foam sheet.
Add washi tape to the top of the straw to create a flag.
Cut a triangle piece out of the end of the washi tape.
Push the straw into the pool noodle. You may need to make a small hole in the noodle to help attach the straw.
Keep your kids entertained this summer with these simple crafts.
These easy crafts will entertain your kids during summer vacation and help them explore their creativity. Encourage your kids to personalize their crafts and showcase their unique styles.