If you need some ideas for summer fun, here’s some awesome arts & crafts ideas to keep your kids busy!
Hey there momma, are you looking for some ideas for summer fun right at home?
As a stay at home mom, it can be tricky getting out and about in the summer. If you have a lot of kids, it’s oftentimes more work than it’s worth! 😆 At least, that was my experience.
Plus, it can be quite spendy, going to amusement parks, county fairs, the zoo… admissions prices add up fast! And you usually have snacks and trinkets to buy…it’s hard on a sahm’s budget.
So if you are looking for ways to entertain your kids at home, I have a few arts and craft ideas that just might keep them busy this summer!
Arts & Craft Ideas for Summer Fun Key Takeaways
But…if you need the short and sweet version right now, ‘cause the baby’s screaming and the toddler wants a snack, no worries!
Here are my favorite arts & craft ideas to keep your kids busy this summer at home:
Easiest arts & craft idea – Paint rocks.
Best summer craft idea – Make a time capsule.
Most unusual arts & craft idea – Make fizzy sidewalk chalk.
Cutest arts & craft idea – Make fairy houses with your kids.
Most fun arts & craft idea – Make some sand spray paint.
Best arts & craft idea for toddlers – Play with sidewalk chalk.
Best arts & craft idea for preschoolers – Make bubbles and giant bubble wands.
There you go! My favorites. Go ahead and pin this post for later. You can come back and read all the great ideas when you have more time. 😉
What are some fun summer activities for kids?
Momma, I have so many fun things to do on summer break, that I had to break them down into nine different posts!!
I’ve got:
- Arts & Craft Ideas
- Educational Ideas
- Rainy Summer Day Ideas
- Hot Summer Day Ideas
- Backyard Fun Ideas
- Water Play Ideas
- Outdoor Game Ideas
- Outside Nighttime Ideas
- Ideas for Playing in the Rain
That’s a lot of things to do at home in the summer, momma! It should keep you busy for a while. 😉 You should probably pin this post (and all the rest!) for next year too.
You’ll never get them all checked off this summer! 🤣🤣
What are some good arts and craft ideas?
Okay momma, hang on to your hat! Here we go!!
{This post has a few affiliate links, btw, which means if you choose to purchase something from a link in this post, I earn a small commission. See my disclosure policy for more info. Thanks momma!}
1. Make a bird feeder.
This post from Happy Hooliganshas a list of 32 bird feeders you can make with your kids!
2. Make fairy houses.
This post from Shelterness has 11 cute DIY fairy houses you can make with your kids this summer.
3. Make a time capsule.
Personal Creations has a great post on making a time capsule with your kids, complete with adorable free printables!
4. Paint rocks.
Messy Little Monsters has some adorable rock painting ideas. Check it out!
5. Create a summer mural.
Painting a mural is no easy task! Luckily, Meri over at Meri Cherry has a great post about getting it done! You just gotta check it out, momma! It’s amazing!!
6. Play with sidewalk chalk.
Aly from What Moms Love has 101 ideas for sidewalk chalk! You could spend the entire summer checking off these ideas alone! 🤣😂
I used to draw a racetrack on our driveway with sidewalk chalk, and my boys would either pretend they were cars, and race each other, or pretend they were running in track, and race each other. (They had big brothers in Track & Field.)
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