Summer crafts for kids are essential, not only to avoid summer boredom but also to stimulate creativity and provide a good alternative to screen time. Every parent knows the battle against endless streaming content and mobile apps. These kids’ crafts provide a much-needed outlet with old-fashioned craft supplies and a little imagination.
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Summer Activities for the Kids
Summer is a great time for kids to explore new hobbies, especially working with their hands. I have fond memories of pressing flowers and making unique art projects with my mom as a child.
Below, you’ll find a wide variety of kid-friendly crafts. Most require little adult supervision, and all are budget-friendly. Be sure to download my Summer Bucket List for even more ideas.
xo, Crissy
If you need help finding some of the supplies for the crafts below, you can visit my Amazon storefront where I’ve collected summer crafts for kids.
Outdoor Summer Crafts for Kids
Encourage kids to explore the great outdoors with this collection of easy crafts for the garden and backyard.
Use terracotta flower pots and acrylic paint to create a cute fingerprint flower pot. This craft is the perfect gift for a mother or grandmother, and it takes only a few minutes to make. Kids may need help applying the initial base coat of paint and adding fine details with a paint pen. Check out my collection of painted flower pot ideas for more project inspiration.
Decorate wooden cutouts with scrapbook paper to make pretty garden stakes for the patio. Most craft stores sell wooden stakes, and you can customize the design with any scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. Click the button below for details.
Attract birds to the backyard with this simple bird feeder craft. You'll only need a few supplies to assemble the bird feeder in any shape you like. Kids will enjoy decorating pine cones to embellish their creation.
Fairy gardens can unlock a child's imagination and encourage them to explore the outdoors. Kids can find small figurines at dollar stores and use natural items like pinecones, twigs, and moss to create a backyard haven for fairies. Click below to see some examples of fairy gardens for more inspiration.
Create a unique keepsake outdoors with a stepping stone kit. Many kits include instructions for making handprints as well as adding colorful pebbles and tiles. It's a wonderful way to encourage artistic expression and create a lasting memory at the same time.
With pressed flowers, you can make a wide variety of craft projects to last several days. These projects are perfect for older kids and teens who appreciate the pressed flower aesthetic and want to make gifts for friends.
Grab some Mod Podge to make these pretty pressed flower bookmarks. This is a great summer camp activity for kids and teens. See the full tutorial below to find out where to get pressed flowers and bookmarks for this cute craft.
For an even easier pressed flower bookmark, you can purchase these mason jar stickers. The flowers sit inside the sticker, so there's no gluing involved. Younger kids may need a little help peeling the sticker open, in my experience, but the jars turn out so cute.
Turn ordinary yogurt jars into beautiful pressed flower lanterns. This is another simple decoupage project that even teenage kids would enjoy. It's a great upcycling project too.
If your child loves journaling, these pressed flower stickers will be a hit. Check out the full tutorial to find out the secret to making these cute collectibles. These stickers would be fun to trade among friends, too.
This upcycling craft is perfect for kids who want to create containers to store their craft supplies or trinkets. Kids can use either tissue paper or scrapbook paper to decorate their tin cans. Get full instructions below.
Using just a few facial tissues, chalk, and glue, kids can make pretty paper flowers that look like cherry blossoms. This is a great indoor activity that brings a touch of nature inside.
One batch of salt dough can make countless fun craft projects for kids. You only need three ingredients (flour, salt, and water) and this salt dough recipe to get started. Then, either bake or air-dry your creations. Check out the collection of salt dough crafts below for more ideas.
Air-dry clay is another great art medium for kids. With a kit, it's easier to get the tools you need to make a variety of projects. (Think paintbrushes, paint, gloss, etc.) Check out the details below on my favorite air-dry clay kit for children.
In advance of Father's Day, kids can make a unique handmade sign for Dad. A grownup can help kids assemble the final project and cut difficult letters, but kids will enjoy gluing the pieces. My twins were thrilled to give their dad a DIY gift to hang above his workbench.
This craft may look sophisticated, but it's actually very easy to make. Just grab some pretty napkins to decorate shells found along the beach. Oyster shells work well, but you can use any shell with a smooth inside. Find all the details in the tutorial below.
This suncatcher craft is a blast for kids to make. Using gallery glass paint, kids can trace one of the pre-printed images to create a “stained glass” design. Then, they simply peel and stick the design on a window.
Since Independence Day falls in the middle of summer in the U.S., these patriotic projects make the perfect summer craft activity. Of course, kids can customize the designs for other occasions as well.
Save paper towel rolls to make these festive fireworks for the 4th of July. Hobby stores sell plenty of scrapbook paper in red, white, and blue to decorate the firecrackers. Check out the step-by-step tutorial below for instructions.
With just a few sheets of scrapbook paper, kids can assemble beautiful paper fans. These are perfect for using as actual fans on a hot summer day or to decorate bikes for a 4th of July parade.
This pair of patriotic signs is easy for anyone to make with wood pieces from the craft store. You can customize the scrapbook paper if you're looking for a non-patriotic craft as well.
