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Super fun summer craft ideas that kids will love
The summer holidays have begun!
It’s the most exciting time of year for school children of all ages. Six long weeks of no school, with no homework and plenty of time to play with friends. However, this time of year can also be a little stressful for parents – just how can you keep the kids entertained for that long?
Whether you’re juggling full-time work and childcare, or have plenty of free time with the kids this summer, I’ve come up with a list of some of my favourite summer crafts that are easy, fun and best of all – inexpensive!
Who needs to jet off on pricey summer holidays when you can have just as much fun at home, with things you probably already have in the house? 🙂
Check out my top summer crafting ideas below…
Bottle Cap Bugs
How fun do these little bottle cap bugs look?! I got the idea from This Grandma Is Fun and I absolutely love them.
Not only are they super easy to make, but they’re also a great way of re-using your old bottle caps. There’s not many other tools and materials required to get the completed look, so it makes a great inexpensive craft activity for the summer. They can keep the kids entertained for hours, and there’s a whole variety of bugs that can be created using the same method – bees, beetles, lady birds and many more!
Also, they make pretty cute garden decorations – don’t you agree?!
Tools you’ll need:
- Bottle Caps
- Coloured paper/card (or any other craft material to use for the wings)
- Marker pens
- Scissors
- Glue
- Googly Eyes
I’ve found a super simple video tutorial that you can easily follow to help make your bottle cap bugs. Check it out below:
Mason Jar Aquariums
A fantastic idea from Hello, Wonderful is next on my list of ‘must-makes’ this summer. These mason jar aquariums are absolutely lovely, and they’re SO much fun to make!
The great thing about this activity is it’s great for kids of all ages to get involved, and they can get as creative as they want to with loads of fun features such as fish, plants, glitter and rocks. Parents will love these too – they require a lot less care and attention than real aquariums! 🙂
Tools you’ll need:
- Mason Jar
- Sand
- Decorative rocks
- Aquarium plants
- Colourful plastic fish
- Glitter & glitter tape (optional)
- Water
Here’s an easy-to-follow video tutorial you can use to start making your DIY mason jar aquariums:
Water Colour Painting
Sometimes, there’s just nothing better than stripping it back to basics and sitting down with a piece of paper, a selection of paints and letting the paintbrush dictate what the end result will be!
Watercolour painting has always been an old favourite of mine, and I particularly love it in the summer when you can use the brightest, most fun colours and come up with summery, beachy designs.
I saw this water colour ocean art tutorial from The Idea Room, which really got me excited for the summer, and the kids will love it too! Watercolour painting is a super fun and simple way to get creative, with no limits on the designs that can be created.
Tools you’ll need:
- Watercolour paper
- Watercolour paints (in a selection of colours)
- Fish stickets
- Fine grit sandpaper
- Glue
For beginner watercolour painters, check out this video below for some top tips:
Water Gun Painting
Ready to get outside in the sunshine and have some artsy fun? Well, this next activity is perfect for the job, thanks to Fireflies and Mudpies.
This is a more fun filled active alternative to standard painting, and if you’ve already bought the watercolour paint for the previous activity, then you’re almost good to go! The best thing about this activity is that it gives the kids a chance to go crazy with the water gun and lots of cool colours, and every outcome is different.
Just make sure they aim the paint at the paper, and not each other… 🙂
Tools you’ll need:
- Water guns
- Watercolour paper
- Liquid watercolours
- Easel/backdrop
Here’s a cool video showing what can be done with water gun painting:
Cork Sail Boats
How cute are these little sail boats from Mama Papa Bubba?! My most favourite crafting activities are the ones that you can spend a while creating, and then even longer playing with them – it keeps the kids busy for hours! These cork sail boats are perfect for the job.
They’re super simple to make, don’t cost a fortune and are great fun for the kids to stick in a bowl of water (or paddling pool) and race them.
Tools you’ll need:
- 3 corks
- 2 thick elastic bands
- Nail
- Food pick
- Foam sheet for sail
- Washi tape for flag
- Pen & scissors
Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions on how to make a cork sail boat:
Summer Lanterns
I don’t know about anyone else, but as soon as I saw these little summer lanterns from Red Ted Art, I just had the urge to cover my garden in them!
I think it’s a really fun idea, with a pretty cool end result! Also a great way to make use of any old jars if you have them lying around. I love the idea of adding little black silhouettes such as butterflies or flowers to make them really stand out once lit up.
Tools you’ll need:
- An old jar
- Coloured tissue paper
- Water down PVA glue
- Scissors
Here’s a handy video showing exactly how to make the lanterns. This one is halloween themed, but the same rules apply – and it’s a great one for the halloween decoration book, too!
Beaded Bubble Wands
How much fun are bubble toys? They’ve been around for as long as I can remember, and still have the ability to entertain children of all ages.
If there was a way to make blowing bubbles even more fun, then it’s this creation from Artful Parent. I think that letting the kids make their own bubble wands with colourful beads is super fun, and a great way to get them concentrating. Pair the wands with your own homemade bubble solution, and you have a whole summer of fun ahead!
Tools you’ll need:
- Pipe cleaners
- Wooden dowels
- Assorted beads
- Hot glue gun
Here’s a great video that shows exactly how to create the beaded bubble wands, and even how to make love heart shapes out of them! So cute.
Outdoor Summer Projects
Just to mix things up a little, I thought I’d include some bigger activities for the kids to really make the most of the summer. There’s some great, unique outdoor project ideas perfect for entertaining the kids for hours on end, if you have a bit more time on your hands.
Here’s some of my favourites…
DIY Kiddie Car Wash
Credit: Mom Endeavors
Isn’t this just one of the coolest things you’ve ever seen? Kids love the car wash, there’s just something so exciting about seeing the big sponges falling on to the windows and covering the whole thing in soap. This is why I was super impressed when I saw this “kiddie car wash” creation by Mom Endeavors.
This one is bound to take a lot more time and require a lot more materials than the previous crafting ideas, but it’s sure to bring hours of fun.
Tools you’ll need:
- 8 10-ft. pieces of 3/4″ PVC pipe
- 11 PVC T-joints
- 7 PVC elbow-joints
- 4 PVC cross joints
- 4 PVC caps
- 1 hose connector
- 7 pool noodles
- 5 sponges
- Coloured Nylon rope
- Plastic table cloths/bin bags
- Drill & 1/16″ drill bit
- Scissors
- Hacksaw or PVC cutters
- Permanent marker
This is definitely one we’ll be trying out at home! Click here for full instructions of how to make this super fun kiddie car wash.
Marble Run Water Slide
Ah, marbles. An old favourite! If you have any marbles laying around, then I’ve found the perfect way to put them to good use – all thanks to Mama Papa Bubba. This marble run water slide is the perfect outdoor activity for kids to play with their friends – and a great way of having a little bit of friendly competition!
The best part about this activity is that it’s super inexpensive to make – but the end result looks great!
Tools you’ll need:
- Foam pool noodles
- Cutting knife
- Toothpicks
- Coloured card & string for decoration
- Bowl of water
- Marbles
This is super easy to create, and you can even race things other than marbles – providing they’re able to roll down between ridges in the pool noodles. Check out Mama Papa Bubba’s blog here to find out exactly how to make this.
DIY Water Wall
Credit: Where Imagination Grows
There’s so much fun to be had with these lovely little water walls, and they’re so easily made with things that you’re about to throw out of your house. It’s the perfect opportunity to get the kids playing out in the sunshine at very little cost while recycling old materials!
I found this fantastic creation from Where Imagination Grows, and she was so right in saying: “it gets the kids bending and reaching, scoping and pouring. Fun and full of motor skill development!” – it really is a great learning activity whilst also super fun!
Tools you’ll need:
- Any old plastic containers (bottles, yoghurt containers, plastic tubs etc)
- Funnel
- Plastic containers for scooping
- Pins to hold together
- Water
Check out the original blog post here to find out how to put this cool summer project together.
And that’s it for my top summer crafting ideas!
I can’t wait to get outside in the sun and try some of these out with my daughter this year.
Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.