summer crafts Archives - Look! We're Learning!

40 Simple Summer Crafts for Kids

May 7, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

One of the things I love best about summer is that it’s such a relaxed time. While we still continue schooling, we do so without making lesson plans or trying to meet objectives.

Unfortunately, that also leaves a lot of free time for the kids. And it only takes a couple of days into June before they’re shouting “Mom, I’m bored!”

That makes summer a great time of year to do some crafting. And these simple summer crafts for kids are perfect!

Each of these crafts requires six or fewer supplies, so they’re awesome for quick art activities, afternoon family fun, or easy projects for the…ahem….not so crafty among us. (Myself included.)

Take a look to find some easy summer crafts you’ll love to share with the kids! And, for more summer fun, don’t miss our list of 50 summer books to share during read-aloud time!

40 Simple Summer Crafts for Kids:

1. Toilet Roll Butterfly Craft – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Seaside Shell Windchime – Red Ted Art

3. Easy Pebble Art – Blue Bear Wood

4. Pool Noodle Shark – J Daniel 4’s Mom

5. DIY Bubble Snake Blower – Messy Little Monster

6. Paper Roll Flowers – The Best Ideas for Kids

7. Glowing Campfire Craft – Buggy and Buddy

8. Painted Seashell Craft – Moms and Crafters

9. DIY Mermaid Necklace – Creating Creatives

10. Tin Can Lanterns – Rainy Day Mum

11. Threaded Watermelon Craft – Homebound But Hopeful

12. Flower Petal Suncatcher – Messy Little Monster

13. Salt Dough Shell Pendants – Red Ted Art

14. Starfish and Sand Paper Plate Craft – J Daniel 4’s Mom

15. Egg Carton Bee – Buggy and Buddy

16. Decorated Sunglasses – Moms and Crafters

17. DIY Washcloth Puppy Pals – Gluesticks

18. Grass Seed Art – Blue Bear Wood

19. DIY Friendship Bracelets – Red Ted Art

20. Painted Watermelon Craft – Homeschool Preschool

See more simple summer crafts for kids on page 2!

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Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Sailboat Craft

May 18, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

It’s summer and that means it’s time to hit the high seas! Well, as close to the high seas as we get in the South….lol.

I’ve been on a motorboat before, but outside of that, I haven’t been on a boat at all. The notion of sailing out into the ocean with nothing solid underneath my feet makes me a tad…nervous.

But with this easy coffee filter sailboat craft, even sea-scary people like me can go sailing! And this is such a fun ocean-themed craft for kids to make along with parents!

If your children like this, don’t miss our other coffee filter crafts for kids, including our coffee filter beach ball craft! And make this summer the best one yet with our list of 50 summer crafts!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Sailboat Craft

To make this coffee filter sailboat craft, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Start by cutting the coffee filter in half. Then cut a little curve out of the center to form a half-moon shape. This will be the boat.

Cut the other half of the coffee filter in half again. Use one piece (a quarter of the whole filter) as the sail.

Color the half-moon piece (the boat). I used bright yellow to make a boat that would stand out against the waves. But feel free to use any color you like.

Glue the boat and the sail onto a piece of construction paper. Be sure to glue the sail a bit higher than the top of the boat.

Use a crayon or colored pencil to draw the pole that connects the sail and the boat.

Now add a few sea details! Use colored pencils to draw a few waves, clouds, and seagulls!

And we’re done!

She looks pretty seaworthy to me! What do you think?

Try these other fun learning ideas!

And see more simple art projects on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

50 Super Easy, Super Fun Summer Crafts for Kids!

May 16, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am not the craftiest mom. I like to knit and sew, but I usually take those interests as opportunities to get a break from being mom. Crafting with kids does a real number on my patience.

But it’s worth it to make crafts with children. It teaches them to produce their own artwork, it helps them to improve fine motor skills, and it helps me to become a more patient mom – something I desperately need.

I’ve been working on adding more crafts into our kids’ lives. For me, that means looking for the simplest, easiest projects I can find – especially with four kids getting involved!

And that’s why I’ve rounded up this list of 50 easy summer crafts for kids! These are all summer-themed, so they’re a great fit for any summer unit studies you’ll be doing! Plus, there are ideas for kids of all ages, including summer crafts for preschoolers and summer crafts for tweens!

If you love these, don’t miss this list of beach crafts for kids or this roundup of more simple summer crafts kids can try!

50 Super Easy, Super Fun Summer Crafts for Kids:

1. Coffee Filter Baseball Craft -Look! We’re Learning!

2. Easy Seashell Craft for Preschoolers – Local Fun for Kids

3. Paper Plate Ice Cream Craft – Easy Peasy and Fun

4. Summer Straw Shooter Craft – Red Ted Art

5. Summer Twig Ornaments – Happy Hooligans

6. Circle Suncatcher Craft – B-Inspired Mama

7. DIY Summer Memory Book – Creekside Learning

8. Cereal Bird Feeder – No Time for Flashcards

9. Popsicle Stick Picture Frame – Kids Activities Blog

10. Summer Sky Salt Painting – Coffee Cups and Crayons

11. Colorful Jellyfish Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

12. Seashell Ladybugs – Still Playing School

13. Ice Cream Handprint Craft – A Little Pinch of Perfect

14. Squirt Gun Painting – Fireflies and Mud Pies

15. DIY Play Beach Sand – Look! We’re Learning!

16. Sandcastle Notecards – Inner Child Fun

17. Pine Cone Fireflies – Fireflies and Mud Pies

18. Toy Surfboard Craft – Play Trains

19. Tin Can Lanterns – Coffee Cups and Crayons

20. Footprint Flip Flops Art – Fun Handprint Art

21. Sponge Sailboat Craft – Easy Peasy and Fun

22. Paper Plate Boat Craft – Non Toy Gifts

23. Summer Daisies Handprint Craft – Beauty Through Imperfection

24. Paper Plate Seagull – Local Fun for Kids

25. Seashell Jellyfish Craft – I Heart Arts and Crafts

See more awesome summer crafts for kids on page 2!

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Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft

April 27, 2017 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Summer is right around the corner! When I was younger, summer was easily my favorite season of the year. I grew up about 30 miles from the beach, so hitting the shore was my favorite pastime.

Now we live further inland. About five hours further inland. So my trips to the beach are few and far between. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to have some summer fun with the kids!

I’ve even been known to make moon sand on our driveway. Hey, at least it’s sand, right?

One of the ways we’re welcoming summer this year is by making another one of our coffee filter crafts for kids. This time, it’s a beach ball coffee filter craft!

Remember those multi-colored beach balls you’d see all over the shore as a kid? Here’s a way to make one of your own with the kids, even when the weather won’t cooperate with a trip to the beach.

If you enjoy this craft, be sure to try our coffee filter sun craft as well!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft

For this coffee filter beach ball craft, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Start by using a black crayon to trace a circle around the center of the coffee filter. Then draw a horizontal line on either side of the circle.

Draw two diagonal lines inside each “half” of the filter. You should end up with six (roughly) equal-sized sections.

Then color every other section with a primary color. I went with green, blue, and red, leaving the other sections white. Glue the filter onto a piece of construction paper.

Now all you have left to do is color the center circle yellow…

and trace over all of your section lines again with a black crayon. Done! Looks like it needs a little air, though. 🙂

Check out some of our other easy peasy coffee filter crafts for kids to make!

And see more easy activities on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

This post is part of the Summer Unit Study roundup! Click on over to read even more summer learning ideas from my fellow bloggers!

Children’s Board Books about Summer from The Jenny Evolution

Summer Field Trip Guide from Bambini Travel

Summer Apps for Younger Kids from The Moments at Home

25 Summer Learning Activities from My Joy-Filled Life

25 Beach Crafts for Kids

July 10, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Have you made it to the beach yet this year? We’re planning a quick trip to a local one in August, so I thought I’d look for some fun and adorable beach crafts for kids that we can make together before we leave!

What I love about studying the beach with kids is that the topic is so broad! You can learn about the sun, the ocean, ocean animals, beach sand, animals that live on the beach, seashells, ice cream, and so much more! So there are crafts for all these things below!

Read on to find some fun beach crafts you can try too!

25 Beach Crafts for Kids

1. Beach Diorama for Kids from Look! We’re Learning!

2. Puffy Paint Ocean Collage from ArtsyMomma

3. Seashell Keepsake Craft from Moms and Crafters

4. Beach-Themed Sand and Shell Art from Happiness is Homemade

5. Sand Footprint Craft from Paging Fun Mums

6. Newspaper Shark Craft from I Heart Crafty Things

7. Paper Plate Sun Craft from Buggy and Buddy

8. Starfish Ocean Button Craft from A Little Pinch of Perfect

9. Shell Sunflower Craft from Rhythms of Play

10. Sand Handprint Keepsakes from The Imagination Tree

11. DIY Beach Sand from Look! We’re Learning!

12. Cupcake Liner Sun Craft from I Heart Crafty Things

13. 3-Ingredient Ocean in a Bottle from Happy Hooligans

14. Paper Plate Seashell Craft from Artsy Crafty Mom

15. Sand in a Bottle Craft from Gift of Curiosity

16. Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft from Look! We’re Learning!

17. Popsicle Stick Mosaic Sun Craft from Kids Activities Blog

18. Cupcake Liner Lighthouse Craft from Sugar Aunts

19. DIY Seashell Mobile from Nurture Store

20. Egg Carton Ocean Craft from The Imagination Tree

21. Bubbling Shell Painting from Mess for Less

22. DIY Moon Sand from Look! We’re Learning!

23. Paper Plate Beach Ball Craft from Glued to My Crafts

24. Sun Craft Scissor Skills Activity from A Little Pinch of Perfect

25. Beach Keepsake Craft from Fireflies and Mudpies

Need more summer learning ideas? Try these with your kids!

Plus, get even more ideas on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest Board!

And don’t miss my All About Beaches Printable Pack – perfect for keeping kids learning over the summer!

This post is part of the Summer Activities for Kids Blog Hop! Check out more summer fun for kids below!

Flower Suncatcher Nature Craft – Messy Little Monster

Make a Bee Bath – Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Water Play Car Wash – Play and Learn Everyday

Tic Tac Toe Races – Royal Baloo

Finding Dory Wind Sock Craft – The Gingerbread House

Activities for the Book Hello Ocean: Beach Shoebox Diorama

June 16, 2014 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

I’m originally from the coast and I miss the beach so much. In fact, I think it actually intensifies as I get older. So when summer time approaches, my mind lightly turns to thoughts of warm sand, salt air, and waves.

Unfortunately, we live several hours inland now, so a trip to the beach is not always feasible. But we can always head to the shore with a beach shoebox diorama activity!

This was such a fun summer activity and it only took a few minutes. Plus, it was a great tie-in for a beautiful beachy read-aloud! If you enjoy this project with the kids, be sure to try our simple Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft!

Beach Shoebox Diorama Activity

To make this beach shoebox diorama, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Empty shoebox
Crayons
Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Scissors
Glue stick
Cotton balls
Play sand (If you want to make your own, try our DIY play sand recipe!)
A copy of our Day at the Beach Diorama Pack (See below)

We decided to read the book Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan to introduce our beach theme.

I love this book. It’s very simple for young readers and the pictures are absolutely beautiful.

The poetry does an excellent job of capturing the feel of a day at the beach, right down to the taste of the salt water.

After we read the book, we decided to put together a shoebox diorama featuring a beach scene.

This was another of our super simple activities. We only needed a shoebox, some crayons, scissors, glue, and our printable Day at the Beach Diorama Pack!

The kids colored the bottom and sides of the shoebox using the colors mentioned in the story: grey, blue, and green.

We cut out the background scenes…

and pasted them to the bottom of the shoebox.

Our background is all done, so it’s time to add a few props!

We cut out each upright scene image, including the bottom square, as one piece.

Then we folded the bottom square under to make the image stand up.

After we used a stretched cotton ball as a cloud, we poured a little play sand in the bottom and added our upright images to get a feel for the beach in our dining room! 🙂

Scroll down to get your printable beach shoebox diorama pack!

Don’t miss these other posts!

To see even more fun summer crafts, follow my Summer Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

If you’d like to complete this activity with your littles, grab our free Day at the Beach Diorama Pack by clicking the image or the link below to download it!

>>>> Day at the Beach Diorama Pack <<<<

This post is part of the “A Book and a Big Idea: Summer” linkup at iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read the great book activities of our fellow bloggers!