Easy Summer Crafts for Kids to Make

In my house we have always relied on craft projects to get us through the summer (or any other time, let’s be honest). My daughter is 13 now and the projects have changed from making rainbow loom bracelets and perler bead projects to digital art and closet cosplay, but it’s still making and I still love it.

Here are a few ideas for easy kids crafts to give your kids something to do during the summer or whenever you need a little project.

I feel like we still have an excess of pipe cleaners even though it’s been years since I’ve bought any. Maybe we need to make some of these three-strand pipe cleaner bracelets from One Little Project. They’re so cute and easy for little kids to make and will also use some of your limitless supply of pony beads.

I recently shared a post full of ideas for weaving with kids, and here’s another one. These cute little turtles are made in a God’s eye style, which is a summer camp classic and easy for kids to do. Get the tutorial from Pink Stripey Socks.

A dreamcatcher is another classic craft that will use up some of the random craft supplies you have lying around the house, such as feathers, yarn and beads. And paper plates. Why are there so many paper plates that are not used for eating? It’s a mystery. These instruction come from One Little Project as well!

And to go along with the ocean activities I shared the other day, why not have your older kids make these amazing watercolor ocean collages? This idea comes from Mr. Amsler’s Art Room, and while there’s not exactly a tutorial for how it was done there are plenty of photos that are sure to inspire you and your kiddos.

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There’s something great about every state, and Clive Gifford has collected fun facts, trivia and firsts from every state in Record-Breaking USA: Celebrating America’s Biggest, Brightest and Bravest.

Each state gets a one or two-page spread, with facts scattered around the page and illustrations by Paul Hammond. The page lists a state nickname, the capital, state mammal, a fun fact and some famous residents, as well as firsts and record breaking events that happened in each state.

You’ll learn that Alabama is home to the biggest unclaimed baggage center in the world, that Florida is home to the most toxic tree (the manchineel tree, which has sap that can burn the skin and make people go blind, and its fruit is toxic) and that Iowa is home to the largest model of a strawberry, to name a few facts. Loma, Montana, holds the record for the largest temperature range in a day (from -54 to 49 degrees F, which is a 103 degree difference), while Ohio’s Geauga County once employed the smallest police dog on record, an 11-inch-tall chihuahua/rat terrier mix.

South Dakota has the world’s biggest Bigfoot statue, the cotton candy machine was invented in Tennessee, and a car that was 91 percent cake was driven (and eaten) in Washington state in 2021, now holding the record for the fastest moving mostly edible car.

As you might guess from these sample facts, kids will find this book funny and probably learn some things, too. In addition to the states there’s a page for Washington, D.C., where President Theodore Roosevelt broke the record for the most hands shaken in one day (8,513, a record that’s held since 1907), and the US territories, as well as records that cross state lines and span the globe.

Readers will also learn about records set in space and read what it takes to be a record breaker. There are even a few records listed that you can try to break yourself.

This fun and colorful book is sure to engage kids who love facts, and would be a great one to take along on your next road trip.

About the book: 96 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Have you read?

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