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3 Summer Crafts For Children!

When looking for activities that will keep your child busy and their mind active this summer, crafts are a great solution!

We are sharing 3 of our favorite summer crafts from Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County’s Play to Learn Book! All are fun and easy to do together with your child at home.

Decorated Flower Pots

Painting terra cotta flower pots is easy, inexpensive and a great way to decorate your backyard or make gifts for loved ones. You can also talk to your child about how they’d like to decorate the flower pot and what materials they’d like to use. Encourage your child to touch the flower pot and think about how it feels. Ask them what they’d like to do with their finished pot. Would they like to give it to someone? Would they like to plant something in it? If so, what would they like to plant?

MATERIALS:

  • Terra cotta flower pot
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Small sponge
  • Glue
  • Small decorations like beads, buttons, sequins, yarn, stickers, etc. (Be sure to watch your child closely when using small pieces)
  • Mod Podge or a similar sealing coat if you’d like

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cover your work area with an old sheet to avoid making a mess and place a cup of water on the table to clean the paintbrushes and sponge.
  2. Put the flower pot on your work area.
  3. Have your child paint the flower pot however they’d like! Choose any tool to paint: A paintbrush, sponge, piece of towel or even their fingers. Help your child cover all parts of the pot with paint.
  4. Place the pot in a safe place to dry and use the time to clean your paintbrushes and sponge.
  5. When the paint is dry, add decorative items to the pot.
  6. If you’d like, coat the finished pot with Modge Podge or a similar sealer. This will help your work last longer.

Heart Sun Catchers

Simple sun catchers are another great decorative item for your home, or even your child’s room! When making them in the shape of a heart, it’s a good opportunity to talk to your child about how hearts are a symbol of love. Ask why they think hearts stand for love? What are some ways to show love to family, friends and even pets? Tell them how you feel when you love someone and they love you back!

MATERIALS:

  • Round, white coffee filters
  • Watercolor paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Cup of water (for wetting the brush and rinsing)
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch
  • Thin string

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cover your work area with an old sheet to avoid making a mess and place a cup of water on the table to clean the paintbrushes and sponge.
  2. Flatten the coffee filter on your work surface.
  3. Have your child use the watercolor to paint the filter in any colors they would like.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to paint several coffee filters.
  5. Let the coffee filters dry.
  6. An adult should cut the painted coffee filters into the shape of a heart.
  7. Punch a hole at the top of each heart (help your child do this to avoid pinched fingers).
  8. Tie a piece of string through each hole and hang from your window to watch the sun shine through. Explain to your child that coffee filters are translucent. This means that some light passes through the painted filters to make pretty hanging art.

Pet Rocks

Turn rocks into pets! Head outside and have your child collect rocks in all different sizes and then have them make them into pets! When they’re finished, ask your child to name their pet rocks. What names did they choose? Why?

MATERIALS:

  • Rocks in any size
  • Sink
  • Googly eyes
  • Permanent black marker
  • Glue
  • Decorative items like buttons, beads, yarn and anything else your child would like to use.
  • White crayon or paint

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Go outside and gather rocks!
  2. Wash your rocks in the sink, scrub them to remove dirt and let them dry.
  3. Glue two googly eyes on your rock or make eyes using other items.
  4. Use a permanent black marker, white crayon or white paint to add a mouth, nose and other features.
  5. Glue the other decorations to the rock to add hair, ears, a tail, etc. Encourage your child to be creative since it’s their pet!
  6. Make as many friends for your rocks as you’d like!
  7. Find a small box to make a home for the pet rocks. Even add a little fluff to the bottom for a bed!

Start a Craft Drawer or Bin

If you want to do more crafts like these, start a craft drawer or bin at home. That way, you will have supplies on hand when you and your child are ready to start a new project! Make sure to have construction paper, paint, paint brushes, crayons, markers, buttons, pom poms, ribbon, squeeze bottles, and any other items that your child likes to use when doing art projects.

For more fun activities like these, order CLC’s Play to Learn Book.

Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County (CLC) is committed to providing early childhood education for all families, with direct services and programs focused in health, nutrition & family support for children aged 6 weeks – 5 years of age. Find more information about enrollment, here!