Summer crafts are a great way to pass the time. They give us a chance to be creative and spend time with each other. We’ve got lots of fun summer craft ideas that you and your family can do at home. It’ll feel just like being at summer camp! Don’t forget to check out our Arts and Crafts Camp for new projects.

Try these summer crafts for kids and let us know which one was your favorite!

Decorate A Birdhouse

Birdhouses are a fun summer craft that provide a place for wildlife to take refuge. Pick up a plain wood birdhouse, or pick up a kit to build your own. As far as decorations go, the sky’s the limit! If you like rhinestones, bedazzle your birdhouse. If you want to opt for a more natural look, a brown paint or stain might be the way to go; glue pieces of tree bark to it to give the birdhouse a camouflage look. When you’re done decorating your birdhouse, don’t forget to hang it up!

Supplies you’ll need: Birdhouse, glue, paint, paintbrush, items to decorate such as buttons, jewels, pressed flowers or anything else you want to use.

 

Paper Plate Crafts

Paper plates are a versatile craft item, and it’s easy to turn one into something fun for kids.

Make a watermelon: Cut a paper plate in half, and paint the outside of the round side green to be the rind. Then paint the rest of the paper plate red or pink. Let dry. Finally add some black paint spots as the seeds. Let dry and you’ve got a summer watermelon!

Sunshine: Paint a paper plate yellow, and add a face and sunglasses so it’s a smiling sun. Grab some yarn or ribbon and glue it to the back of the plate. Then hang it somewhere it’ll catch a breeze.

From aquatic scenes to umbrellas, you can turn your paper plates into anything you imagine.

Supplies you’ll need: paper plates, paint, paintbrush glue, scissors, ribbon, construction paper.

 

Tin Can Wind Chimes

Another fun summer craft is making something that looks and sounds pretty. To make a tin can wind chime, you’ll first want to find some tin cans that are clean. Decorate the outside of the can with cute craft paper, paints, mosaic tile pieces, or anything else you want to use to add some color to the metal can. Then create a couple of long strings of beads. Tie off one end of the string, then tie off the other once you’ve added all your beads.

Carefully put a dab of hot glue on the inside of the can, and press the end of one of your bead strings in place. Repeat with all of your strands until you’ve got a bunch of bead strings hanging down.

Finally, you’ll want to add a handle so you can hang it. You can hot glue some jute, ribbon or heavy wire to the outside of your can to form a loop at the top. Let it dry completely. Once dry, hang up your masterpiece and enjoy the sounds.

Supplies you’ll need: tin cans, beads, string, hot glue, paper, and any other decorations.

 

Make A Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets are a cool summer craft that are fun to make and also add some flair to your outfit. Gather a couple of your friends, and make bracelets for each other. First, search the internet for a pattern you like. There are lots of patterns to choose from like the Chinese Ladder which features a twisted design with one simple knot, the zigzag pattern that zig zags one color throughout a blend of other colors, the diagonal pattern, a typical braid, and the Chevron pattern. You can also add small beads to the pattern as you go, or add them to the end of the bracelets.

Cut the embroidery floss to the size you need, generally about 36 inches for each string you’re using. Gather the string together so it’s even, and tie it off at the top. Tape or pin the top down to a hard surface, and then get started braiding and weaving. At the end you can simply tie the two loose ends together.

Supplies you’ll need: embroidery floss in a variety of colors, small beads, tape to tie the end down while you work, and a phone to look up patterns and ideas.

 

We hope you enjoyed these summer crafts for kids!