In summer vacation crafting, there should be no room for boring and plain crafts. That’s why I had to curate these NEW summer craft activities, for preschoolers, in particular, that will keep them engaged. They are playful, unique, colorful, and easy to perform with FREE printable templates for most of them.
This time, you will be recycling the yogurt container, cupcake liner, pom poms, glitter, scrap paint, and more stuff, along with the regular materials.
As for the themes, I included some NEW ones, too, such as the bald eagle, butterfly, flamingo, and also the beach ball. You can make a headband, greeting cards, suncatchers, wall art, a momento, and much more with them. So, let’s talk about the summer crafts!
Note: This is not my first discussion on SUMMER crafts. I have already talked about the ways to craft for summer in general and watermelon crafts in particular. If you are interested, check them afterwards, too.
Suggestion #1: Pufferfish Craft Activity
Let’s craft this colorful and funny pufferfish craft using a cupcake liner and watercolor paint. Having the cupcake liners in an assortment of colors, you will only draw the googly eyes and the spots. Help the kids cut the pufferfish fins and the blobs. For 3Dness, be sure to stuff the center with crumpled paper.
Suggestion #2: Pirate Headband Craft Activity For Kids
Suggestion #3: Paper Plate Fish Craft for Kids
Assemble this glittery rainbow fish using a simple paper plate base and multiple colors of cardstock circles. Kids can apply glitter to the folded “scales” and glue them in overlapping rows to make such a beautiful, 3D scale pattern. To make it cuter, attach one googly eye and try to have a bigger one.
Suggestion #4: Paint an ice cream cone
Whip up a batch of DIY puffy paint using shaving cream and glue to craft this Purr-Fect, 3D ice cream scoop on recycled cardboard. Kids can customize their favorite flavors with food coloring and add the real sprinkles and a pom-pom cherry on top. Also, don’t forget to draw the wafer pattern on the cardboard.
Suggestion #5: Flamingo Card Craft For Kids
I never expected a flamingo paper craft to be constructed from a handprint cutout, but it is here. So, let’s craft this summery flamingo card on pink cardstock that perfectly uses the thumb to make the attachment for the neck.
This card requires two handprint cutouts for hiding your greeting. It also comes with a simple printable template for the beak and legs, making it a perfect birthday greeting card.
Suggestion #6: Paper Plate Seahorse Craft
Let’s craft the CUTEST and most shimmering seahorse craft from a paper plate and watercolors with this method. Start by tracing the downloadable PRINTABLE template and painting it with bright colors such as red, parrot, or orange.
Finish yours by adding glitter and a googly eye. The best summer decoration, in my opinion, and you can also make an ocean scene with it.
Suggestion #7: Coffee Filter Sun Craft
For preschoolers, I have this simple but COOL sun craft activity for a Solar System Science project. It requires just a white coffee filter and yellow crayons. After gluing the colored filter with crayons to a blue sky background, kids can practice drawing yellow rays around. Kids can also draw eyes and a small face on it.
Suggestion #8: Pom Pom Bald Eagles
Let the kids celebrate the USA by assembling this “cute-as-pie” pom pom bald eagle plushie using layered brown and white pom-poms. This is finally something playable, soft, 3D, and perfect for using as a keychain. And you don’t have to use homemade pom poms.
Kids can practice cutting with foam sheets to add wings, tiny beaks, and orange feet, making this a perfect patriotic project for the 4th of July.
Suggestion #9: Jellyfish Craft for Kids
With a FREE printable template cut from colored construction paper, let’s craft this oh-so cute 3D Jellyfish card. I like the “bows” on the tentacles, which kids can DIY by making rings of paper strips and glue-pinching the middle with a clothespin.
With the large googly craft eyes and background card with drawn waves behind the jellyfish, it is the cutest craft for this summer.
Suggestion #10: Beach Ball Craft
Let’s turn a white paper plate into a colorful beach ball without cutting the plate with this method. The idea is to use torn pieces of construction paper. So, it is a perfect recycling craft, and easy to perform.
Will help the preschoolers in sorting “primary color” segments before adding a clean white circle to the center. You can laminate it to use it practically, too.
Suggestion #11: Butterfly Suncatcher
This is my favorite summer craft of this week. The idea is to use homemade black glue and Sharpies to DIY stained glass butterfly suncatchers for your garden on recycled clear plastic.
Kids will find it easy to stay within the lines thanks to the slightly raised glue borders and the FREE printable template for the butterfly. Still, I recommend it to adults.
About "Talha"
Hey, I’m Talha, the Crafter on Craftstive.com. I love to share guides on folding cute origami models and paper crafts, and I am always ready to inspire your next craft project with my weekly craft discussions.