Easy Fun Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids

As the school year winds down, every mom is thinking about summer fun with the kids, like enjoying Tennis Lessons in Detroit. Without a plan, your summer will dissolve into chaos fast. Luckily, these easy fun summer crafts and activities for kids make creating a game plan easier!

Collage of photos of kids crafts and activities with text overlay: Easy Fun Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids

[bctt tweet=”These easy fun summer crafts and activities for kids help you maintain your sanity without the kids glued to screens each day.” username=”diyadulation”]

Admittedly, my kids would be happy to play on the Xbox and their tablets all summer long. While this is easier on me, it’s not good for them. That’s where these crafts and activities come into play.

It’s important to include indoor and outdoor activities in your summer schedule. Some days the weather doesn’t cooperate others you simply don’t want to brave the humidity. That’s why you’ll find a fun mix of activities on the list below.

Mini fairy garden

Soda Bottle Fairy Garden House (My Pinterventures)

This fun craft actually counts as both an indoor and outdoor activity. Create your fairy house inside then head to the backyard to create the entire fairy garden. Little ones will love pretending they are in a magical, secret fairy world throughout the summer.

Hanging his and hers kissy emojis

His and Her DIY Emoji Door Hangers (Hello Creative Family)

Does your kids love emojis? Add some to their doors with these easy emoji door hangers.

Rainbow jello sensory bin with toys and tools

Rainbow Jello Sensory Bin Activity (Must Have Mom)

This easy activity can also be enjoyed indoors or out. Toddles will love watching the colors “magically” appear. They’ll have even more fun exploring with cars, scoops, and their hands.

Pink plastic pencil case turned into a Lego play set

DIY Lego Travel Kit (Coupons and Freebies Mom)

The best thing about this Lego activity is that you can take it in the go. Make waiting at the doctor’s office more fun or keep kids entertained on road trips with this easy DIY.

Close up of gem stone crayons

DIY Avengers Infinity Stones Crayons (Comic Con Family)

Are your kids bent on ultimate power? Help them achieve their dreams, or at least color them, with these Infinity Stones crayons!

Square Sesame Street Softies in a basket

DIY Sesame Street Character Softies (Gluesticks Blog)

These adorable softies have so many practical uses for play. My favorite is to turn them into bean bags and create a toss game for the kiddos.

Painted salt dough dinosaur imprints with plastic figurines

Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils (A Mom’s Take)

Get ready for some archaeological fun with the kids this summer. These dinosaur “fossils” are fun to create and even more fun to paint. For added fun, hide them in the yard and let your budding explorers dig up the past!

Collage of gold salt dough finger print charms

Fingerprint Salt Dough Necklace (Spaceships and Laser Beams)

Looking for something a little more feminine to make with salt dough? Try your hand at these adorable necklaces. Make a bunch to give as gifts and for the kids to wear.

Purple slime close up

How to Make Eyeshadow Slime (Tuxedo Cats and Coffee)

Slime is always at the top of kids’ crafty wishlists. Now you can make it work for you too and use up that eye shadow color you hate. Everyone wins!

Close up of pink summer activities board

Easy DIY Summer Activities Board (DIY Adulation)

Of course, you need somewhere to lay out all of that summer fun. This summer activities board is the perfect solution. Plus, I added a little something for mom too.

Collage of photos of kids crafts and activities with text overlay: Easy Fun Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids

I can’t promise you won’t be ready for school to start back up as early as July, but I can help make your summer easier. These easy fun summer crafts and activities for kids help you maintain your sanity without the kids glued to screens each day.

Don’t forget to make a plan. Gather the supplies you need before summer starts and have a list (or use the activities board) of activities and ideas. Then all you have to do it pull it out and have fun when the time comes.

Now that we have a plan for summer break, it’s time to head on down to this week’s Merry Monday link party! Find even more awesome summer activities and crafts for your kids or simply be inspired by what others are sharing. See you down there!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Collage of photos of kids crafts and activities with text overlay: Easy Fun Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids

Easy DIY Summer Activities Board + Free Printables

Summer will be here before you know it. It is easy to forget about in all of the end of the school year chaos. Get your summer activity plan in place with an easy DIY summer activities board.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

Collage of Photos of Summer Activities Board with text overlay: Easy DIY Summer Activities Board + Free Printables

I am a planner at heart. Lists, calendars, and detailed schedules are kind of my thing. Unfortunately, my kids haven’t caught that bug yet.

As they have gotten older, the usual by-the-numbers schedule doesn’t cut it during summer break. Instead, we’re taking a new approach this year with this DIY summer activities board.

Each day has a specific theme and has only one “structured” activity. This theme is a little different than your average summer calendar. I wanted to make sure that we remained productive.

 

Summer Activities Cards Pinned to Pink Poster Board

Theme Days

Mommy Mondays

Each Monday the family will take part in a home improvement, decluttering, or cleaning activity chosen by me. These are not huge undertakings because I don’t want it to take the entire day.

Instead these should be smaller activities. Some that I included are:

Tech-Free Tuesdays

Tuesdays are reserved for anything that doesn’t use technology. This means no video games, tablets, or television. These days are mostly filled with crafts such as:

A couple of the days I want to take it a step further and make dinner without electricity. Then we will spend the evening by candlelight.

Wandering Wednesdays

Wednesdays are all about getting out of the house. We have a zoo membership so I included multiple zoo days in our schedule. Other activities include:

 

[bctt tweet=”Get your summer activity plan in place with an easy DIY summer activities board.” username=”diyadulation”]

Think It Thursdays

Keep your kids learning with “Think It Thursdays”. These days will have science experiments, writing activities, and hands on learning. Luckily, it’s easy to keep the learning fun. For example, we will be:

Family Fridays

Of course, summer isn’t summer unless you get some family time in. Family Fridays keep us close with fun activities like:

DIY Summer Activities Board Materials

 

Bag of Mini Clothespins

Step 1

Start by removing your mini clothespins from the packaging.

 

Mini Clothespins Laid Out on Cardboard

Spray Painted Mini Clothespins

Step 2

Align the clothespins on a piece of cardboard or newspaper and cover with spray paint.

 

Flipped Over Mini Clothespins on Cardboard

Spray Painted Mini Clothespins

Step 3

After the spray paint has dried, flip your clothespins over and again, cover with spray paint.

 

Printable Activities Cards Pages

Step 4

Now, print out your printable summer activities cards.

 

Cut Out Stacks of Summer Activities Cards

Step 5

Cut apart your summer activities cards and fill out any blank ones you want to customize.

Note:

 

Pink Poster Board with Words Written on It in Marker

Step 6

Next, pull out your poster board and write the words “Summer Activities” across the top of the short end with your Sharpie.

Tip:

 

Pink Poster Board with Words Written on It in Marker

Pink Poster Board with Words Written on It in Marker

Step 7

Underneath your title, label your days of the week as pictured.

 

Gluing Yellow Poster Board Strip to Pink Poster Board

Note:

 

Summer Activity Card next to Glued Mini Clothespin

Step 8

Next, glue one mini clothespin under “Mon” in the center with hot glue.

 

Mini Clothespins Glued to Pink Poster Board

Step 9

Now, place one of your cards next to it to measure where to glue your next mini clothespin.

 

Summer Activities Board with Mini Clothespins Glued to It

Step 10

Continue gluing your mini clothespins under “Mon” until you have 5 in the row.

 

Summer Activities Board with Mini Clothespins Glued to It

Step 11

Next, fill in the rest of your board with 5 mini clothespins under each day.

 

Step 12

Lastly, add 4 cards under each day. Clip the extra cards on the 5th pin. Replace the ones you do as needed.

 

Summer Activities Cards Pinned to Pink Poster Board

Summer Activities Cards Pinned to Pink Poster Board

Summer Activities Cards on Pink Poster Board with text overlay: Easy DIY Summer Activities Board + Free Printables

We are so excited for summer now that we have this DIY summer activities board. This is the perfect way to stick with your summer goals without fighting for a rigid schedule.

I’ll give you an update on the efficacy of this new schedule at the end of the summer. Before you go, I’d love to know what your favorite summer activity to whip out for your kids is. Let me know in the comments!

See where I’m linking up!

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Collage of Photos of Summer Activities Board with text overlay: Easy DIY Summer Activities Board + Free Printables

 

More Ideas You’ll Love:

DIY Travel Fund Savings Jar | Easy Upcycled Project

Learning to pay cash for everything to prevent going into debt takes practice. Sometimes leaving that money in savings makes it too easy to spend on other things. When you want to splurge on a family vacation you need to protect that savings. A DIY travel fund savings jar is the perfect solution.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

Collage of photos of travel fund jar with text overlay: DIY Upcycled Travel Fund Savings Jar

 

[bctt tweet=”Turn your spare change into vacation savings with a DIY Travel Fund jar!” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Before we get onto the tutorial I have some bad news. I lost the entire folder of photos for this project. After a day of fruitlessly trying to retrieve it from some unknown depth of my computer and a night of tears over the loss, I had decided not to share it.

However, this beauty sits on our mantle every day and I absolutely love it. It is such a fun piece of decor and is helping us stay on track with our vacation savings. I have decided that I’m going to share it with you anyway.

 

Close up of travel fund jar

Eventually I will get around to finding another jar to remake the project. Then you can see photos of the creation process. Until then, you can use the easy directions below to create your own. Don’t worry. It’s incredibly easy to make.

 

Upcycled glass travel fund savings jar

Materials

Step 1

First, make sure that your jar is thoroughly cleaned. This will help the paper and stickers adhere better to the jar.

Step 2

Next, cut out a sheet of travel themed scrapbook to create a fun scene. I decided to keep the plane and the clouds from mine. The rest, I removed from the page.

Step 3

Paint Mod Podge directly onto your jar with your 1 inch foam brush.

Step 4

Then place your paper cut out to your jar over the Mod Podge.

 

Mod podge sealed paper on travel fund jar

Step 5

Add more Mod Podge to the top of the paper to help it mold to the jar.

Step 6

Next, add your letter stickers to the jar to spell out “Travel Fund”.

 

Close up of sealed letter stickers on travel fund jar

Step 7

Immediately cover your stickers with additional Mod Podge.

Step 8

Continue covering the rest of your jar with Mod Podge up to the lip of the jar.

Tips:

 

[bctt tweet=”Stop blowing your vacation money online with a DIY travel fund savings jar!” username=”diyadulation”]

Step 9

Allow your Mod Podge to dry completely before moving on.

Step 10

After your Mod Podge has dried, seal your jar with acrylic sealant and allow it to dry. This makes it a durable and long-lasting piece for your home.

 

Cording glued to jar lip

Step 11

Once your sealant has dried, glue your cording around the lip of your jar with hot glue.

 

Braided cording glued to jar lip

Knotted end of braided cording

Step 12 (Optional)

If you have some cording left over, braid it into a faux handle for your job and knot each end.

 

Glue braided cording knot end to jar lip

Step 13 (Optional)

Lastly, glue your “handle” to the lip of the jar with hot glue.

 

Upcycled glass travel fund savings jar

Upcycled glass travel fund savings jar

Close up of travel fund jar with text overlay: DIY Upcycled Travel Fund Savings Jar

You can see why I decided to share this DIY travel fund savings jar with you despite the lack of photos. It is such a cool piece and will help you on your frugal journey. Now you can toss extra change into it to save up cash for vacation. You can also do what I do, which is take any leftover allowance I have at the end of 2 weeks and toss it in.

Your travel fund will be growing in no time. Seeing it displayed beautifully in your home every day will help you keep your eyes on the prize, too. Where will you go with your new travel fund?

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Collage of photos of travel fund jar with text overlay: DIY Upcycled Travel Fund Savings Jar

 

More Ideas You’ll Love: