5 Adorable and Simple Summer Crafts for Your Kiddos

School’s out and summer time is here! But, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, that means you need to find ways to keep your kiddos occupied over the summer when they aren’t at summer camp or playing in the water at your local splash pad. 

Crafts are such a fun way to keep your kids busy over the summer! The possibilities of what you can make are endless. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you like, based on your children’s ages and interests. 

I recently found some super fun crafts for kiddos that I’d love to share with you. They are simple crafts that don’t require too many supplies, and most of the supplies you probably already have in your house. On top of that, they will give your kids hours of entertainment! 

5 Adorable and Simple Crafts for Your Kiddos

1. Sponge Painted Butterflies   

This butterfly craft from Crafty Morning is so simple and adorable!

Supplies: A basic kitchen sponge (not the kind with the scrubber on the back), one rubber band, paint, a black sharpie, and plain white cardstock paper. 

1. Tie the rubber band around the middle of the sponge.
2. Squeeze or use a paintbrush to add paint to one side of the sponge. Apply as few or as many colors as you like. 
3. Fold the sponge together so the paint spreads to the unpainted side. 
4. Press the sponge onto the paper to make the butterflies. 
5. Use the black sharpie to draw the butterfly antenna. 

2. Pasta Flowers

This craft is from Typically Simple, and it’s sooooooo fun and easy! There are a variety of ways this craft can be done. I put a couple of alternate suggestions in the instructions below. 

Supplies: Pasta shapes of your choosing, paint, paintbrush, plain white cardstock paper, glue, pom poms, markers or colored pencils. 

1. Paint the pasta with whatever colors you like. (You can also use chalk markers for this!)
2. OR…you can do what I did and use tri-color pasta. Then you don’t have to worry about painting. Less mess!
3. Glue the pasta and pom poms to the paper to make your flowers. 
4. Draw the flower stems using your markers or colored pencils. (As an alternative, you could use pipe cleaners here!)
5. Decorate the paper with a scene around the flowers using markers or colored pencils. (grass, the sun, etc.)

3. Foil Art

Until I saw this craft from Bright Little Brains, I had never thought about using aluminum foil for a craft in this way. But it’s so fun and simple! 

Supplies: A piece of cardboard, hot glue gun, aluminum foil, permanent markers in different colors. 

1. Draw a picture on your piece of cardboard. 
2. Trace over the picture with hot glue and let dry. (Make sure the hot glue is thick and not too thin, or this won’t work.)
3. Cover with a piece of foil and fold over all corners and edges. 
4. Press the foil down and smooth it out along the glue lines. 
5. Color your design with the permanent markers. 

4. Water Gun Tie Dye

We all know summer is perfect for water guns. This craft from Kamry Vincent is an ingenious way to use water guns to create wearable art for your kids! Just be sure to do this one outside or you’ll have a BIG mess to clean up. 

Supplies: Water guns, clothing dye, a large piece of cardboard, a plain white t-shirt, clothespins

1. Attach the t-shirt to the piece of cardboard using the clothespins. 
2. Lean the cardboard up against a tree trunk or something similar in your yard.
3. Fill the water guns with the dye. 
4. Let your kids have at it! Ready, aim, fire!!!
5. Let the shirts dry outside.
6. Once dry, give them a wash in your washing machine. Just be sure to wash them by themselves and NOT with other clothes, or the rest of your clothes will get tie dyed as well. 
7. Throw in the dryer to set the dye. 
8. Let your kids wear their new art! 

5. Sun Catchers

Most sun catcher crafts I’ve seen involve tissue paper and contact paper. But these sun catchers by Barefoot Mimosas are completely different, super sparkly, and loads of fun! 

Supplies: Clear glue, plastic lids (from sour cream container or similar), colorful clear beads, glitter, twine or ribbon, a hole punch.

1. Fill the inside of the lid with about 1/8 of an inch of clear glue. 
2. Decorate with beads, glitter, etc. 
3. Let dry. It could take a couple of days to completely dry depending on the thickness. 
4. Once dry, pop out of the lid. 
5. Punch a hole in one spot with a hole punch. 
6. Thread the twine or ribbon through the hole. 
7. Hang in the window! 

What are your favorite summer kids’ crafts? Share them in the comments!