the summer holidays start, but it isn't long before they start
wondering what to do. To be honest they struggle without their
regular routine and start to drive my wife mad with the words,
“I’m bored!” However It is easy to keep them occupied and maybe
even teach them a thing or two with some inexpensive crafts.
Children love to create collages by gluing things they have
found on a walk to the park like seed pods, flowers and grasses
to a stiff piece of cardboard. These things are all free from
Mother Nature and encourage discussions about the natural world.
Maybe some of the things you collect will seem a bit bland so
help your child spray paint some of the findings with silver or
gold paint. Alternatively, they might like to glue glitter to
some of the findings to make them more sparkly!
Arranging a bouquet of fresh or dried flowers in a homemade vase
is another craft that naturally fits into the summer crafts for
children category. A simple vase can be made from a tin can.
Soup cans work particularly well because they are smooth on the
outside and rather narrow. Be sure to file off any sharp spurs
on the inside opening. Start the work of art by cutting a piece
of coloured paper to fit around the sides of the can. This will
be glued to the outside of the can, but first it needs to be
decorated.
The vase cover can be decorated in many ways. The child can
draw a summer scene on the paper and then decorate it with glued
on glitter or small stickers of summer things. Another idea is
for the child to write their name on the paper, and glue beans,
seeds, or glitter to the letters. Remember to let all glue dry
before attaching the paper to the outside of the can, then add
the fresh or dried flowers. Take a photo of the finished work
or even suggest they draw a picture of it to go in their scrap
book.
Jar vases make good summer crafts for children, too. Canning
jars make particularly cute vases, but any cast off mayonnaise,
pickle, or other jar, even plastic ones, can work as well. To
make a jar into a vase it first needs to be sparkling clean.
Children love getting wet in the summer, so let them roll up
their sleeves (or put on a bathing suit!) and have fun splashing
in a bowl of warm water in the back garden while "washing
dishes." When the jar is clean and dry, tie an attractive
ribbon around the opening. If desired, decorate the outside of
the jar with glued on beads and buttons. You can even ask your
child to make you a new desk tidy for your pens with one of the
jars, suggest they decorate it with your name.
Summer crafts for kids will provide some cute decorations around
the home and keep the kids from being bored. This summer,
crafts for kids should be at the top of every parent's To Do
list!
Want more ideas?
Download our Free Interactive Guide, “Educational Activities to
Share with Your Children” now. It’s packed full of great ideas
and is a fantastic resource you can use time & time again.
Researched and only available from here –
Educational Activities to Share with Your Child