31 Boredom-Busting Summer Crafts

Ah, summer. It’s a blessing and a curse, isn’t it? As a kid, I remember eagerly waiting for the morning to come when I didn’t have to get up early and could play all day long. My sisters and cousins and I rode our bikes, played in the sprinklers, and made up various games. We ate popsicles and splashed in the pool until our fingers looked like prunes. But then, one day out of nowhere, the inevitable would happen. Boredom.

The games would lose their shine. The heat would be too much. And the long days of summer would begin to drag. Thankfully, I have an incredibly creative mom who, though she didn’t make it her job to entertain us, had a way of introducing opportunities for us to be creative. She was the one who brought summer scrapbooks into my life, and she is definitely the one who opened my little kid eyes to the wonderful world of crafting.

This list of crafts is divided up into rough age categories: the younger set, the middles, and older kids.  As you go through this list, you’ll be able to see which ideas will work for your situation. Some older kids like to play with finger paints, and there’s no problem with that. And some younger kids have amazing dexterity and can try a more complicated craft. The key is, you know your kid.

I also added some crafts at the end for moms because we moms need to make stuff too! I think I need to pull out the air-dry clay once again to make some finger bowls and use up some embroidery floss to make the gorgeous necklace from Molly Makes (see below for link.)

Have fun!

Summer Crafts for the Younger Set

Printables by Ellen from Create in the Chaos – Ellen creates printables that are so much fun. I especially appreciate that her printables are boy-friendly. Dragons and robots abound in her artwork, and many of her downloads are completely free.

Peppermint Jello Playdough – If you haven’t made homemade playdough, you’re missing out. No really, you are. It is so much softer to play with, and you can decide what yummy scent you want to use. I used peppermint for this recipe, and it smells so nice!

Toddler Dish by small + friendly – I recently created a mug with a porcelain paint pen and am addicted to how easy that craft is. I think my daughter would love scribbling on a dish to decorate it. (The only problem I see with this is trying to explain to her how we don’t decorate ALL the dishes. Hmm . . . still it’s a cute craft!)

A whole list of art activities to try with two-year-olds by How We Montessori – Oh. My. Goodness. I love how this blogger creates trays for her toddler with different art accessories for him to experiment with; her photography is so inspiring.

Toilet paper roll printing by Pretty Prudent – We tried this craft at Valentine’s Day, and it was so much fun. I recommend doing this craft with your kid in a high chair or some sort of chair with a tray. You know, so they don’t run off with their little paint-stained hands in the middle of their art project. Not that I’ve experienced anything like that. 😉

Summer Crafts for the Middles

Artwork to Embroidery by The Crafty Kitty – One of my favorite crafts is embroidery and I LOVE how The Crafty Kitty shows how to create hoop art with your kid’s doodles. They will be so proud when they complete this project. 🙂

How to Finger Knit by Nurture Store – My dad’s fifth graders were expert finger knitters. This author taught her 5 year old how to finger knit. What a great technique to learn!

Pirate toilet paper roll craft and Mermaid and Hula Girl toilet paper roll craft by Pink Stripey Socks – Oh my goodness. I can’t get enough of the Pink Stripey Sock blog. Her toilet paper roll crafts are so much fun. Be warned, you can easily get lost in the awesomeness of her site.

Make and decorate mini books – Have you ever made a mini book? This tutorial will teach you how to make an accordion-style mini book with lots of tiny pages to decorate.

Woodland Creatures toilet paper roll craft – The great thing about tp roll crafts is that even if you mess them up, you’re not out $$$ in craft supplies. These woodland creatures are a big hit here at our house.

Two-minute Twist Bracelet by Twitchetts – A super cute tutorial on how to make a twist bracelet. I would have loved to make these in elementary school.

Personalized Plates by Mer Mag – This tutorial was originally for Father’s Day, but I don’t know why you couldn’t make these any time of the year. Find cheap plates at the thrift shop and decorate away!

Air-dry clay pendants – Have you ever played with air-dry clay before? It is so much fun. In this tutorial, you make flat circles with the clay, let them dry, and then decorate them with a Gelly-roll pen. Super easy.

Tie-dye outfits for girls and their dolls via Artsy Fartsy Mama – The second I saw this tutorial, I thought of my nieces and their dolls. They would love something like this (and the tutorial is completely doable, which I love.)

Summer Crafts for Older Kids

Color Rock Dominoes by The House That Lars Built – Seriously, I need to make these. When we moved here to Oregon, we actually packed a small box of rocks. My husband picked it up, and said, “Wo! What’s in this?!” and I had to tell him that they were my rocks. So I clearly need to make a craft that would make them worth their while. 🙂

Polymer Clay Pens by Creative in Chicago – Did you ever make polymer clay pen covers back in the day? It would be so fun to make a set of these for school in the fall.

Branch Weaving by ArtBar – Weaving is everywhere right now. The ArtBar blog shows how you can make your own weaving to hang on a wall with minimal supplies. I love that she uses a branch as the base! 🙂

Hexagon Necklaces – These necklaces by Wild Olive are so sweet. Just seeing them makes me smile.

Miniature embroidered ornament – I love making miniature embroideries. And you can make these all through the year to decorate your space.

Beaded Wrap Bracelet by DIY Dreamer – This blogger’s daughter made beaded bracelets, and I LOVE them. I need to pass this craft on to my nieces as well. 🙂

Make a Doll Face Necklace by Pysselbolaget (The Crafty Swedes) – I am so making these cute doll face necklaces this summer. I have a package of wooden beads sitting right here on my desk waiting for me to get started.

Summer Crafts for YOU

Decorated canvas shoes for kids by Her Organized Chaos – Take a pair of plain canvas shoes and transform them with this great tutorial. I love the owls.

Jurassic World t-shirt tutorial by The Love Nerds – If you’re a Jurassic Park fan, you’ll love this tutorial by Maggie at The Love Nerds!

Make a necklace out of embroidery floss via Mollie Makes – This necklace looks like something you would buy and yet it’s so easy to make. Just a couple knots here, a couple braids there, and you have a wearable piece of art!

Make a pin cushion using this cactus crochet pattern. Seriously. A cactus pincushion? How cute is that idea?

Marbled clay bowls from Gathering Beauty – Just gorgeous. I love how she uses bold pops of color.

A DVD Case Coloring Kit by Unoriginal Mom – Take this gem on road trips (or throw it in your bag for errand-running.) This would also make a great gift!

Scrap fabric necklace by Alisa Burke – When was the last time you made fabric or paper beads? After you see this tutorial, you’re going to want to make them again.

Make a lovely family art collage by This Heart of Mine – I love that you can combine so many different levels of experience and create something beautiful for your home.

 

Well, there you go. Thirty-one crafts that will get you and your kids out of the boredom doldrums in no time. I hope this list helped you—it certainly inspired me as I was putting it together!

What are your go-to summer crafts?

Hope you have a lovely {and creative} day!