Crafting and art-making with kids is one of the best ways to foster fun, engagement and creativity throughout the summer season. What’s more, encouraging kids to get creative also gives them the opportunity to develop confidence, independent thinking and problem-solving skills—all while making memories that will last a lifetime.
No matter their age group, interests or personality, these eight creative summer crafts for kids are sure to channel their talents and inspire their inner artist.
Creative Crafts for the “Starting” Artist
Whether your child is already a budding artist or prefers creative problem-solving, there are countless seasonal activities to help them build confidence in their ability to create.
#1 Fridge Magnet Masterpiece
For stormy summer days, you’ll want a craft that’ll satisfy kids cooped up at home. This Fridge Magnet Masterpiece craft is ideal for children who love to express themselves—and parents who want to showcase some art on the family fridge!
You’ll need:
- Some small flat pebbles or flat pieces of wood
- Small magnets
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- A hot glue gun
- Optional: gloss or varnish
Here’s how to do it:
- Have the kids collect some flat stones from the backyard or the park.
- Cover a table, and set them up with acrylic paints and brushes.
- Have them paint the future fridge magnets.
- Once they’re finished, set the magnets aside until completely dry to the touch.
- If you have it, coat the stones in varnish.
- With supervision, older kids can use the hot glue gun to apply the magnet to the rock or wood. If your kids are younger, set aside some time to do it yourself.
- Once the glue is dry, have the kids arrange the magnets on the refrigerator for display.
#2 Construction Paper Flower Crowns
For kids who love to dress up, Paper Flower Crowns are a classic way to use spare construction paper or even newspaper!
You’ll need:
- Measuring tape
- Colorful construction paper, wrapping paper or any paper you have on hand
- Kid-safe scissors
- Tape
- Glue sticks
- Pipe cleaners (ideally, green ones)
Here’s how to do it:
- First, measure the circumference of all participants’ heads—or, if they’re older, have them do it themselves! Write down your measurements.
- Help the kids trace some flower shapes onto the paper.
- Cut out the flower shapes with scissors.
- Lay out the flowers in a parallel line and connect them using pipe cleaners or another piece of paper.
- Have the kids help each other measure the right fit for their crowns.
- Once you have the right measurements, tape the crown and voila! Time to let their dress-up imaginations run wild.
#3 Woven Baby Turtles
Future marine biologists or animal enthusiasts will love this Woven Baby Turtles craft. You’ll need:
- Clean popsicle sticks
- Several different colors of yarn
- Non-toxic markers
- Glue
- Googly eyes (optional)
Here’s how to do it:
- Lay two popsicle sticks over one another in a cross shape. If desired (and for more complexity), you can add a third stick, creating a shape that resembles a snowflake.
- Weave your yarn, beginning at the place where the sticks meet. The yarn should pass over and under the sticks in alternation.
- Keep going, adding yarn outward until the turtle’s “shell” has reached a satisfactory distance. Be sure you have enough yarn left to tie a knot.
- Tie off the yarn to one of the sticks. Trim any remaining.
- Using markers, googly eyes and any other craft materials, decorate the empty areas of the popsicle sticks to your liking.
Projects and Experiments for the Future STEM Superstar
For future scientists, crafts that blend creativity and curiosity are an ideal way to spend a summer afternoon.
#4 Homemade Rock Candy
Budding geologists—or anyone with a sweet tooth—will dig this Homemade Rock Candy activity where science meets gastronomy.
You’ll need:
- 2 cups of water
- 6 cups of white sugar
- Some food coloring options
- ½ to 1 teaspoon of flavoring extracts or oils
- Wooden skewers
- 4 12-ounce or 1 quart-sized mason jar(s), thoroughly cleaned
Here’s how to do it:
- On a flat, rimmed plate, add your granulated sugar.
- Have kids dip their skewers into a cup of water to the halfway point. Next, ask them to roll each skewer into the sugar.
- Add 2 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Add 6 cups of sugar, cup by cup, stirring gently until each is dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Add your food coloring of choice to the sugar mixture and (if desired) ½ teaspoon of your chosen flavoring. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add the syrup to the rinsed mason jars. Have the kids put their skewers in each jar of syrup, and set the jars in a dark area to cool.
- In 2 to 4 hours, check on your mason jars—you should see the beginnings of crystals!
You can let your crystals grow to their heart’s content. When your kids are satisfied, they can dig in for dessert!
#5 S’Mores Solar Oven
For the engineering-minded, this buildable S’Mores Solar Oven craft has the benefit of cultivating knowledge, satisfying sweet tooths and making use of an old pizza box!
You’ll need:
- A pizza box (ideally, free of any crumbs, sauce or cheese debris)
- Tin foil
- Plastic wrap
- Black construction paper
- Tape
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
Here’s how to do it:
- On a sunny day, cut into 3 sides of the pizza box lid about 1” away from the edge. The result should be a square-shaped flap.
- From the inside of the lid, lay tin foil completely over the flap.
- Now, cover the bottom of the inside of the pizza box with black construction paper.
- On the outside of the pizza box, put plastic wrap over the flap’s opening, taping it to secure.
Once you’ve built your oven, it’s time to start experimenting with how well the conditions of the pizza “oven” promote heat—and cooking! You can encourage the kids to try heating up anything (leftover pizza from last night included!), but one of the biggest crowd-pleasers is s’mores. For this tasty treat, you’ll need
- Graham crackers
- Chocolate bars
- Marshmallows
Bon appetit!
Outdoor Expeditions for Inventive Adventurers
Why stay cooped up indoors on a gorgeous summer day? These next three activities will get kids active, outside and curious about the natural world.
#6 Seashell Mosaics
If you find yourself at the beach this season, take advantage of one of the best summer craft materials available: seashells.
For this Seashell Mosaic project, you’ll need:
- Seashells, sea pebbles, sea glass…so long as it isn’t alive and doesn’t have sharp edges, it’ll work!
- Cardboard or a small piece of canvas
- Glue or hot glue gun
- Paint (if desired)
The beauty of seashell mosaics is that it doesn’t take much planning to make a work of art! All the kiddos need to do is arrange their shells on their canvas to their liking (with a supervisor on deck to make sure they use the hot glue gun safely).
This Seashell Mosaic craft offers the perfect blend of exercise, outdoor time, and creativity. It can be an all-day activity, starting with a morning shell-collecting stroll before peak sunshine, followed by an afternoon in the shade creating nature-inspired masterpieces.
#7 Pebble Pocket Pals
A simple, quick craft idea for parents in a pinch, Pebble Pocket Pals bring a DIY element to the pet rocks of the 90s.
You’ll need:
- Found rocks or pebbles (ideally, smooth enough to paint and between 4” and 6” inches)
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- Googly eyes (optional)
- Varnish or gloss (optional)
Here’s how to do it:
- On a nature walk or trip to the park, have the kids pick out some smooth rock samples they can paint later.
- Cover a table to protect it from paint, and let the kids add their favorite colors, designs and silly faces to their pocket pals. (You can even encourage them to play pretend to get character inspiration for each rock!)
- Set the stones aside in the sun to dry.
- If desired, while the kids are occupied, coat each stone in gloss to seal and finish.
Once your pebble pocket pals are done, you can keep the fun going by holding a pebble show (instead of “puppet show”) where all of their kooky characters can interact; it’s the perfect silly and creative way to spend an afternoon!
#8 Build-Their-Own Birdhouse
If the kids in your life are constantly watching your birdfeeder, they’ll love this craft designed for early orinthologists!
If you’d like, you can purchase a tricked-out birdhouse builder online. For a DIY approach, you’ll need:
- A small cardboard box
- Acrylic paints
- Brushes
- Glue or hot glue gun
- Fun decorations like plastic rhinestones, sequins, ribbons, feathers—whatever you like!
- Birdseed
- Ribbon or string
Here’s how to do it:
- Using glue or a hot glue gun, secure the sides of the box together.
- Puncture a hole large enough to weave a string or ribbon through on the roof of the house.
- Once your birdhouse is assembled, let the kids get crafty decorating the box with whatever embellishments they like.
- If necessary, let the glue or paint dry completely. When dry, take your birdhouses to the backyard or garden and thread the string or ribbon through the hole.
- Hang your birdhouses to the branches of a tree. When they’re arranged to your liking, add a few spoonfuls of birdseed and wait for new animal friends to chow down!
Keep Them Entertained All Summer at Camp Galileo
From rising kindergarteners to 5th-grade supernovas, every camper at Camp Galileo can experience innovation, friendship, fun—and creativity! Camp Galileo incorporates hands-on art, science and outdoor activities to encourage kids to feel inspired and create a better world.
With more than 70 locations across the Western United States, a joyful summer is closer than you think. Meet our exceptional staff, and sign up for a week-long camp experience near you.
Sources:
- LaBau Elizabeth. “How to Make Homemade Rock Candy”. The Spruce Eats. 15 February 2024. https://www.thespruceeats.com/rock-candy-521016.
- Pink Stripey Socks. “Weaving Cute Baby Turtles Using God’s Eye Weaving Pattern”. 24 May 2016. https://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2016/05/turtles-using-3-sticks-gods-eye-weaving.html.
- Prowse Victoria. “The Long-Lasting Benefits of Childhood Creativity”. Psychology Today. 15
November 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/work-your-mind/202111/the-long-lasting-benefits-of-childhood-creativity.
