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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Printable Summer Activity Pack for Pre-K/Kindergarten

In our continuing exploration of lesser known holidays, let’s take a look at Terry Fox Day, which is probably one you know if you’re Canadian.

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete who had a leg amputated at age 18 because of cancer and then did a cross-country run to raise awareness and funding for cancer research. He was born July 28, 1958, and the first Monday in August is celebrated as Terry Fox Day in Manitoba.

Fox is considered a kind of folk hero in Canada despite the difficulties of traveling across Canada on foot (no one on his team spoke French, for example, the weather was often bad and cars would force him off the road) and the low number of donations at the beginning of his run. He ultimately had to end his run after 143 days and 3,339 miles, or 5,373 km, because his cancer had returned and spread to his lungs, but he raised $1.7 million, and a telethon a week after he ended his run raised $10.5 million.

Check out some Terry Fox quotes collected by My Little Desire. You can learn more in this video from CBC Kids, and listen to the Terry Fox song illustrated by a first grade class.

Twinkl has a bunch of Terry Fox related activities in both English and French, including an activity pack with a maze and word search, a coring challenge, a fact sheet and coloring page.

Most of the resources I could find were at Teachers Pay Teachers, but you can learn more about the activity pack for grades 1-3 that Mrs. Bremer’s Class has made, which tells his story and has kids write things they learned and discuss why they think he is a hero.

Creative Classroom Core has a few paid resources include writing activities, reading comprehension and a Terry Fox fact book.

That Fun Reading Teacher has a K-2 singalong with a differentiated reader and activity to teach kids about him.

You can also celebrate Terry Fox Day by talking about what makes a person a hero and who the kids in your home or classroom think of as heroes. And if you’re Canadian, there are Terry Fox runs in more than 650 communities in September, so you can make plans to participate or cheer on the runners to remember his legacy.

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