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 May 2024
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 (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.
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 and Activities for Kids
Outdoor Summer Crafts for Kids
- Make your own beaded bubble wands and try our homemade bubble solution, too!
- If you’re headed to the beach, make sure to try some of these 10 ocean crafts for kids!
- Explore melting crayons on rocks
- Make beaded garden ornaments
- Try some melted bead suncatchers
- Explore the wonderful world of tie dye
- Learn how to make garden wish flags
- Make painted rock houses for your garden or for pretend play
Indoor Summer Crafts for Kids
- Make a God’s Eye (or Ojo de Dios) weaving
- Make this butterfly craft using watercolors and rubbing alcohol
- Dye pasta into fun colors and use it to make colorful pasta jewelry
- Make and decorate colorful paper twirlers and spinners
- Use flowers and leaves to make butterflies, birds, and faces with this flower suncatcher craft
Summer Art Activities for Kids
- Set up an invitation to create using flowers
- 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
Action Art Activities for Summer
- Make your own chalk paint!
- Drive your toy cars and trucks in some paint for some fun action art!
- Blow painting with straws
- Bubble printing with bubble snakes
- 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 some of these fun DIY outdoor games
- Celebrate the Fourth of July (or Memorial Day or Labor Day!) with 11 Patriotic Art Projects
Even More Summer Fun Ideas for Kids:
- 11 Ways to Have a Creative Summer with Kids
- 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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