Here is our ultimate list of fun summer crafts and activities to keep the kids engaged all summer long! This list includes everything from arts and craft ideas, fun science, and more!
Updated June 2023
Summertime, and the livin’s easy… we love summer because of the tank top weather, the profusion of natural life all around us, the unscheduled days, and the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables (fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes from the garden!).
To us, summer means hiking, beach trips, nature art, water play, and all kinds of fun summer crafts.
Let’s hope there’s plenty of unscheduled free time for pure play and creative expression, but we all know that’s best balanced with a few good activities up our sleeves.
So here’s a list of awesome summer crafts, art projects that are perfect for summer, and other summer activities for you and your family to pick and choose from all summer long.
Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids
There are a lot of good ones here! Choose a couple to try now and bookmark this page for when you’re ready for another summer craft idea or activity for the kids. Happy summer and happy artful parenting!
Summer Crafts for Kids
- Make your own beaded bubble wands and try our homemade bubble solution, too!
- Make this butterfly craft using watercolors and rubbing alcohol
- Fashion fruit necklaces (edible jewelry!)
- Explore melting crayons on rocks
- Use flowers and leaves to make butterflies, birds, and faces with this flower suncatcher craft
- Try some melted bead suncatchers
More Summer Crafts for Kids
- If you’re headed to the beach, make sure to try some of these 10 ocean crafts for kids!
- Bring extra shells home to make melted crayon seashells (the bead “pearls” inside are extra fun)
- Make painted rock houses for your garden or for pretend play
- Learn how to make garden wish flags
- Dye pasta into fun colors and use it to make colorful pasta jewelry
Summer Art Activities for Kids
Here are a few of kids’ art activities with summer themes:
- Butterfly symmetry paintings are simple yet so much fun!
- This ice cream art is an easy printmaking activity for kids
- Try some edible art! Make grape and toothpick sculptures (and then eat them!)
- Make rainbows using scraper art
Summer is also the perfect time to try some fun, but messy, action art activities in the backyard or local park.
- Drive your toy cars and trucks in some paint for some fun action art!
- Splat painting (SO much fun!)
- Splatter painting like Jackson Pollock
Science Experiments Perfect for Summer
- Send the kids outside to experiment with the classic: baking soda and vinegar
- Raise butterflies from caterpillars, then release them into nature
- Experiment with goop. Here are 13 super fun things to do with Oobleck
- Try the melting ice science experiment with salt and color
- Try some of our favorite kids’ science experiments
A Few MORE Summer Activities for Kids
- Try Sandcasting in the Sandbox or at the beach!
- Make your own obstacle course (or host your own backyard Olympics!)
- Pick one or two of our kid friendly backyard ideas and get them set up
- Play fun DIY outdoor games with rocks
Even More Summer Fun Ideas for Kids:
- 11 Ways to Have a Creative Summer with Kids
- 11 Patriotic Art Projects
- 21 Outdoor Art Ideas for Kids
- 12 Best Summer Art Activities for Kids
- Nature Art for Kids
- Garden Crafts for Kids
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