Summer days are long, and as a stay-at-home mom, they can feel even longer if you don’t have a plan for the gaps in your schedule. While big outings to the zoo or amusement parks are fun, they are also expensive, exhausting, and just not sustainable for every single day of summer break.
The secret to a peaceful home isn’t a rigid, minute-by-minute schedule—it’s having a “toolbox” of activities you can pull out when the kids get restless. In my 4-Block Daily Rhythm, I call these Filler Activities.
These aren’t just “busy work.” These arts and crafts ideas are designed to fill the gaps in your Morning or Afternoon blocks while teaching your children important skills and reinforcing family values like creativity, patience, and connection. Whether you need twenty minutes to get lunch on the table or a way to keep little hands busy before quiet time, these filler activities will help you keep the “Home Director” hat on straight and the summer chaos at bay.
Quick Start Guide (Pick Your Filler)
If you have a gap in your schedule right now and just need one good idea to get you to the next block, start here:
- Best Low-Mess Filler (Kitchen Table): Stringing Beads (#9)
- Best Sensory Filler (Backyard): Fizzy Sidewalk Paint (#10)
- Best Energy-Burner Filler: Sidewalk Chalk Racetrack (#6)
- Best Connection Filler (Working Together): Make Fairy Houses (#2)
- Best Quiet Time Filler: Summer Sketch Diaries (#7)
- Best “Big Result” Filler: Tie Dye T-Shirts (#21)
Sometimes all you need is one good idea to turn the whole afternoon around.
1. DIY Bird Feeders
This is a fantastic multi-stage project that helps fill a long gap in your Morning Block. Making these feeders keeps little hands busy while teaching the value of stewardship—showing children how we can care for the creatures in our own backyard.
Once the feeders are dry and hung, they provide a purposeful reason for the kids to sit quietly by the window for some “bird watching,” which is a great calm-down activity before you transition to lunch or quiet time.
This version from Kids Activity Zone is especially great because it uses gelatin as a binder instead of peanut butter, making it safe for families with nut allergies.
Click here for the DIY Bird Feeder instructions.
2. DIY Fairy Houses
Building fairy houses is the ultimate creativity filler for your Afternoon Block. If you have a gap between lunch and nap time, sending the kids to the backyard to gather twigs, stones, and moss is a perfect way to keep them occupied.
This activity from Erika at Living Well Mom encourages resourcefulness by using items found in nature alongside recycled household materials like old tissue boxes. It’s a wonderful way to stretch their imagination while practicing hand-eye coordination and sensory skills.
Get the full DIY Fairy House instructions here.
3. Summer Time Capsule
Creating a time capsule is a high-value connection filler for a slow Sunday or a quiet afternoon at home. This activity helps children practice reflection and teaches them that their current, everyday moments are worth saving.
By gathering items like photos, a current newspaper, or a list of their favorite things, you’re helping them build a family legacy. It’s a low-energy way to fill a schedule gap while creating something that will be a treasure for years to come.
This guide from Personal Creations includes great printable prompts like “A Note to Me, from Me” and “Goals for the Year,” which are perfect for encouraging kids to think about their future selves.
Click here for the Summer Time Capsule ideas and printables.
4. Painted Rocks
Painting rocks is a classic summer filler that works best spread out on the picnic table. Because this can be a longer project, it’s perfect for the Morning Block when everyone has the most energy and you have a larger chunk of time to sit and work with the kids.
These colorful rocks from Angela at The Inspiration Edit are especially great because they double as a learning tool. You can use them for matching games or color recognition once they are dry.
Beyond the art, this project reinforces the value of discovery—teaching children to find beauty in simple, natural objects they find in their own backyard.
Click here for the Colorful Painted Rock instructions.
5. Large Scale Summer Mural
Creating a summer mural is the ultimate team-building filler for your Morning Block. Because this is a larger project that can be worked on over several days, it’s perfect for the long stretch of time before lunch when the kids have plenty of energy to channel into a big goal.
This activity from Meri over at Meri Cherry focuses on collaboration—teaching children how to work together on one masterpiece rather than just doing their own separate things.
It’s a wonderful way to practice process art, where the focus is on the experience of creating rather than just the final product. You can introduce new materials in stages—like starting with markers, then adding pastels or watercolors—to keep the project fresh and the engagement high throughout the week.
Get the full instructions for the Collaborative Summer Mural here.
6. Exploding Sidewalk Chalk
If you’re looking to bring a little wonder and discovery into your Morning Block, this exploding chalk recipe is a guaranteed hit. Combining art with a simple science experiment, this activity from Crystal at Growing a Jeweled Rose is perfect for that long stretch of time before lunch when kids have the most energy. It turns your driveway or sidewalk into a colorful lab where they can watch their “chalk bombs” erupt into beautiful patterns.
Because this project involves a simple chemical reaction (baking soda and vinegar), it’s a filler that requires your full supervision and help. It’s a great way to show your kids that learning and creativity go hand-in-hand while you fill a gap in the morning schedule.
Get the full Exploding Sidewalk Chalk recipe and instructions here.
7. Keep a summer sketch diary.
It could be a sketch diary or a regular journal – whatever will motivate your child to use it. Keri from Backyard Summer Camp has a great tutorial on how to make a summer journal for your kids.
8. Hold a summer photo shoot.
Lou from Click Love Grow has an awesome post about creating your own summer photo shoot! If you need ideas, go check it out!!
9. String beads.
Menucha over at Moms & Crafters has 18 fun and easy bead craft ideas for kids.
10. Make some fizzy sidewalk paint!
Okay who doesn’t think this looks like fun!! 😁 Holly seriously has it going on over at Kids Activities!! Check out her post on how to make fizzy sidewalk paint!
11. Make homemade boats.
You can float them down the river or a creek if you have one near your house. Playing with them in the bathtub or a backyard pool is fun too!
Holly over at Kids Activities has 18 different boats you can make with your kiddos.
12. Make some sand spray paint.
Don’t just make sandcastles, momma, do like Jill over at Sandy Toes and Popsicles, and spray paint them!!
Read her post to find out how to make the spray paint.
13. Make kinetic sand.
What is kinetic sand? It kind of resembles wet sand. So, you could potentially take the beach indoors! 😁
Holly, from Kids Activities, will show you how to make it. 😉
14. Make bubbles and giant bubble wands.
When I worked in the preschool classroom, this was one of my favorites! We used to do it at ECFE nights as well.
Highlights has a great post on how to do this, but we used to make a wand out of a hula hoop and have the kids stand in a kiddie pool, like Marie does, over at Make and Takes.
They are both fun ideas!
15. Flip flop painting!
Deirdre from JDaniel4’s Mom has a great idea – decorate the bottom of a flip flop, and paint, and wha-la! A fun summer painting idea. 😁
16. Make friendship bracelets.
I spent many a-summer day making these little bracelets. 🥰
Loved them!!
17. Make summer slime.
There’s a slime for every season! 🤣😂 You can make unicorn slime or galaxy slime – either one are bound to be fun!
18. Monster truck art!
My 18-year-old loved monster trucks when he was little! I wish I had thought of this!!
Find out how at Kids Activities.
19. Paint with bubbles.
Try this bubble paint recipe from TinkerLab! It’s sure to be fun!!
20. Make these awesome puffy paint ice cream cones!
Stefanie Settlemire shared this gorgeous craft over on the Pittsburg Mom Collective, but she didn’t share how to make it! So, I did some searching and found this puffy paint recipe, from Debbie over at One Little Project…at a time.
21. Tie dye t-shirts.
Learn how to tie dye t-shirts with Heide over at Happiness is Homemade!
There you have it momma! 21 simply fantastic summer arts & craft ideas to keep your days at home super fun!
Don’t forget to check out all of our posts on summer fun at home!
Grab your free printable summer bucket list!!
If you want more fun this summer, create a summer bucket list momma!
My free summer routine kit has everything you need to create your summer schedule, meal plans, summer activities, and so much more!
Including a few different summer bucket list printables. All you have to do is put in your email and I’ll send it to ya! 😉
Get the printables!
The Summer Routine Kit
At the end of the day…
Doing arts and crafts with your kids is a great way to not only keep them busy, momma, but it’s also a great way to bond with your kids and build those summer memories.
Your kids want to spend time with you. And that gets really tricky during the summer, especially when you work from home. But it can be done!
With an awesome summer routine, a fantastic bucket list, some great at home fun summer ideas, and even these fun outside summer toys, you’ll be well on your way to creating the best summer ever, for both you and your children!
More at home summer fun for families
Fun things you can do at home in your backyard
Fun things to do on a hot summer day at home
Fun things to do at home on a rainy day
