7 Summer Kids Crafts

It’s getting hotter as the race to lazy days in the sun is on. But what to make? Good, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve done a round-up of the best kids crafts during summer.

1. DIY Slip and Slide

Sure, you can buy a fancy one from the store for $30, but what’s the fun in that? Make your own slip and slide on a summer afternoon and get the whole family involved. Get the tutorial here, at wired.com.

2. Tie Dye a T-Shirt

Well, by the end of the summer, you’ll have tie dyed everything – pillowcases, t-shirts, socks, tights, curtains, you name it. You’re probably thinking, “Quick! Move on! No more mess!” But this fun craft is easy to clean up when you’re outside. Show off all your new clothing with a DIY touch! Grab the tutorial here, at parents.com.

3. Tricycle Car Wash

I can’t believe how simple and cute this fun project is! Sponge away the blues on a hot summer day with a tricycle car wash, using splash and splosh fun. What’s a better way to get the whole family together? Grab the tutorial here, at designmom.com.

4. Splat Painting

We’ve done heaps of fun painting over at Craftbits.com, but this one has got to be squeezed onto the summer list. Grab an old pantyhose and get splatting! With this fun (and slightly messy) activity, you’re sure to have splat-work all over your house. Toddler Approved has the splatting down pat, right here!

5. DIY Water Blob

“What is a water blob?” I hear you ask. Well, a water blob is the most fun water activity that you can enjoy wet or dry. Great to keep kids of all ages entertained for hours, the water blob is a simple piece of plastic sheeting folded in half with water inside. Glue it up – and you have a party-perfect water toy. Grab the simple (really) tutorial here at clumsycrafter.com.

6. Scary Shark Container

Proving their point, makefuncreating.com says that Fimo is not just for making key rings and jewelry. I know this amazing shark is not water play, but it is still ocean themed! This scary predator can sit by the poolside waiting for the perfect fish. Perfect for holding everything, this FIMO shark is sure to get your friends wow-ing. Grab the tutorial here, at makefuncreating.com.

7. Coke and Mentos Explosion

KA-POW! This fun experiment is certainly not craft, but it’s a Do-It-Yourself science experiment perfect for summer, so I thought I’d better put it in anyway! Once all the kids are well away, slide in the Mentos for a explosive surprise! (Just make sure it’s outside!) Head on over to frugalfamily.co.uk and get exploding!

Well, that’s the end! Enjoy making these fun summer crafts and make sure you sign up to Craftbits and Craftgossip’s newsletter for more excitement!

By Arabella

(Shellie’s 9 year old daughter)

After talking about the pirate themed chalk obstacle course the other day, I got to thinking about other easy, low prep games and activities you can do with kids outside. A lot of these are ideas I found on Pinterest that don’t link to blogs anymore if they ever did, but often that’s all the detail you need to figure out what’s going on.

First, a couple from blogs that are still alive. If you have a lot of trees in your yard or in your park, you probably also have a lot of sticks, so you can pretty easily do this stick maze activity from Mother Natured. Build the maze yourself or have one child build if for another. Either way it’s lots of fun and you can keep it built to use as a labyrinth or for pretend play.

If it’s hot where you live you might want outdoor activities that involve water like this fill the bucket relay game. The only thing you might not have at home is giant sponges, but this is still pretty low prep, inexpensive and lots of fun if you have two or more kids to play. Check out how to do it from The Resourceful Mama. And check out my post all about ice and water sensory activities for more ideas to beat the heat.

Make some x’s and o’s or use something you already have to be your game pieces (you can also just draw them on paper plates for a super fast version) and make a large tic tac toe board on the sidewalk. The bonus of reusable game pieces is kids can play with the same grid over and over, which is great if you don’t have a ton of space.

I also love the idea of drawing a big bullseye on the sidewalk or driveway and using beanbags or sponges to try to hit the target. If you have hula hoops you can also set them in a grassy area and have kids try to hit them.

Check out more fun outdoor games for kids from The Printable Princess. These are more for big groups of kids, but if you’ve got a classroom full these are good ones to have on hand for getting some energy out.

Do you have favorite outdoor games for kids to play when it’s hot? I’d love to hear about them!

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