With school out and the sun shining, now is the perfect time to get your kids crafting with a fun summer theme. In between the days out at the park and trips to the beach, it’s nice to sit down at home and get creating! The warmer weather is the perfect excuse to try out some messy outdoor activities in the garden, plus we also have some fun indoor ideas to try when the sun gets too hot. Read on to see our favourite summer crafting tips…
Handprint strawberries
Younger kids will love creating their own handprint strawberries. This simple craft is perfect to do at home after enjoying a morning of strawberry picking. To create these delicious sweet treats, use red finger paint to cover each of their palms, then press two overlapping handprints on paper so the fingers meet to create the pointy strawberry tip. Use the sides of their little fingers to create two green leaves, then finish the masterpiece with black fingerprints for the seeds.
Homemade birdfeeders
Attract interesting summer birds to your garden with a homemade birdfeeder. Children will love getting messy creating these little feeders, and they’ll love watching which birds come down to taste their food! For this project you’ll need a cardboard toilet roll, two small sticks, string, peanut butter and a packet of seeds. Create two holes for a stick to go through near the bottom of the toilet roll, then two more holes for the other stick. These will serve as foot rests for the birds. Next attach string through two holes in the top to create a loop for hanging. Then the messy part… coat the roll in peanut butter before sprinkling on and pressing down the packet of seeds. Hang outside and wait for the birds to enjoy their feast!
Tropical postcards
If your children love sitting down to create greeting cards, why not let them make their own summer holiday postcards instead? Let them go to town creating a summer-themed postcard filled with palm trees, sunshine, flamingos and ice creams. There are lots of holiday-themed stickers you can buy from craft shops, plus they can add glitter, colourful drawings and patterns as they wish. Let them write their messages on the back and send the postcards out to friends and family. It’s a brilliant way to let others know how much they are enjoying their summer break!
Flowerpot painting
Inspire a love of plants and let your little ones decorate terracotta plant pots. Using acrylic paint, they can create lovely outdoor decorations personalised to them. They can paint leaves, flowers and patterns, then add their names as a sweet keepsake. Once finished, fill the pots with soil and let them plant their own herbs or flowers. This project can give them summer long fun as they make sure they are watered properly and watch them grow!