Ready or not, summer is here! From arts and crafts to cooking to outdoor play, there’s something to keep little hands busy and the fun rolling all summer long. Most of these activities can be done with things you might already have around or with a few inexpensive supplies that are easy to find (because who wants to go to multiple stores looking for elusive materials?!).
Get Cooking
A little bit art. A little bit food. A whole lot of fun! These graham cracker flower snacks are a fun way to fill tummies after a busy morning while giving kiddos a creative outlet.
Combine two favorite summertime snacks and make waffle cone smores! Not into camping? Toss these in the oven for a sweet treat anytime.
Make Something New from Something Old
- Is it hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk? Then why not see if it’s hot enough to make crayons. Harness the power of the sun to make upcycled sun-melted crayons.
- Dig into your recycling bin or junk drawer to find a collection of items to create repurposed wind chimes. Paint the items for a more cohesive look or leave them as they are for a more eclectic style.
Go Outside
- Elevate your sidewalk chalk game with two upgrades to the original. Try homemade sidewalk chalk paint or make puffy sidewalk paint and watch your kiddos spend hours making outdoor art.
- Replicate the anticipation and excitement of fireworks in a more kid-friendly way. Make exploding pop rockets. Smaller kids will thrill at the launch, and older kids will get a bonus lesson in STEM.
Be Creative
- Bring the garden inside on rainy days. Pre-cut foam shapes give little hands a new medium to create with. Experiment with other shapes and see what your child will design with foam shapes window art.
- Take the mess of painting outside and create abstract art with squirt gun painting. Not into squirt guns? This can easily be done with small spray bottles.
Make wearable art without the mess of old-school tie dye. No bottles of dye–just Sharpie markers–are required to make original designs with these Sharpie tie-dye tees.
Make Memories
- Last, but not least, make memories this summer and keep them in a homemade summer journal. Kick off your summer with this craft project and use it to record all the fun and favorite activities. Bonus: journaling is great practice at reading and writing in a way that won’t feel like schoolwork.
Pro-Tip: print (or bookmark) the instructions and put them in a bag with the materials for each project. Store all the bags in a bin and draw at random to add some surprise to the day.
Fill your summer work availability and apply to jobs to support families when school isn’t in session. Ready? Let’s summer!
