Summer Crafts for Kids

Every child enjoys being creative and making crafts. During the long summer break, find some time to get down and put their imaginations to work! Help the kid in your life be creative and make crafts for the summer months.

Luau Name Plates:
To create a luau name plate, and enforce your child learning to write and spell their name, you will need a thick sheet of cardstock paper and colored tissue paper. You will also need glue. To begin, cut a 12x12 sheet of paper in half and glue the edges together horizontally. Your paper should now be long and fairly thin. Tear or cut tissue paper into small squares and place on a shallow dish. Using the glue, draw the first letter in your child's name. Use the entire width of the paper. Encourage your child to squish the tissue paper into small balls and adhere to the glue that makes the letter. Continue doing so until all letters of the child's name have been drawn out with glue and covered with tissue paper. Once finished, you should have a brightly colored name plate that resembles a lei from a luau.

Watermelon:
For this activity you will need red and green paint, a paintbrush, a thick sheet of white cardstock paper, glue and watermelon seeds. Allow your child to paint a watermelon on a sheet of white cardstock paper. Using glue, adhere the watermelon seeds to the page. Let it dry and hang for enjoyment!

Fourth of July Necklaces and Bracelets:
Celebrate the Fourth of July with festive and fun jewelry. Kids enjoy stringing beads and making necklaces and bracelets. You will need red, white and blue beads, yarn and scissors. Cut the yarn to the desired length and tie a knot at one end so that the beads will not come off. Let the child string the colored beads on the yarn and tie in a knot when finished.

Pet Rock Magnets:
On a nature hike, let your child choose a rock or two to turn into a pet rock. Once at home, let your child paint on the rock or draw on them with markers. Glue on wiggly eyes, colored yarn for hair and affix a magnet to the back of the pet. Hang them on the refrigerator for viewing.