Kid Arts and Crafts Ideas

Summer is the perfect time for creativity and exploration. Sometimes though our children may need a few kid arts and crafts ideas to get them started. Once they’ve been inspired and have all the supplies they need, sit back and watch their little imaginations soar.

Following are some of my kid’s favorite summer arts and crafts ideas:

Animal rock art. Take an ordinary stone and examine it carefully. Can you see the animal inside it? A long narrow rock might remind you of a lizard; a fat round rock may remind you of a ladybug. After washing and drying the rocks well, get out some paints and have your kids start creating their visionary animals. Paint the main color first and add features after drying.

Clothing art. Bored with the same old T-shirt and shorts? Children can give old clothing a facelift and a creative touch using inexpensive fabric paints. You might want to have them practice on something old first. If you decide to have the kids use a new shirt pre-wash the fabric first.

Next, place cardboard between the layers of fabric. Printing or sponging often works better than painting with a brush. Choose sponges, cookie cutters, pre-cut stencils, or stamps. You can also make your own stamps by carving a potato or an apple. Be sure to let the artwork dry completely before removing the cardboard.

Weaving outdoors. If you have any scrap yarn or string you can create a unique outdoor weaving frame. Pin the yarn or string down in a big square and then working with your kids, take the yarn across in rows and weave through it. Kids can add to it to make a design or picture. Scraps of material, sticks, flowers or paper can also be used. Have them put on their creative thinking caps to come up with even more things to include.

Make a collage. Grab a stack of old magazines, catalogs, glue, scissors and paper. Ask your child to cut out animals, foods or toys he likes. Create a paper-animal zoo by drawing bars on paper and pasting one animal on each sheet. Display this line-up of cages on the floor or on a large wall (using a reusable adhesive like Power Tack’ found in most dollar stores).

Other ideas include filling a paper refrigerator with favorite foods. Draw shelves and have your child glue on pictures of juice boxes, ice cream and cookies. Or, have your child cut out and paste on pictures of his favorite toys and use them to make a catalog or daydreaming’ wish book.

Create a board game of your neighborhood. On a large piece of poster board, have children draw a few of their favorite haunts; the ice cream shore, the community pool, the movie theatre, friends’ houses etc.

Next, have them connect the drawing with a winding road. Now, fill in a few blocks along the road with instructions. For example, at the pool the instruction might read, You forgot your ear plugs, go back five spaces, while on an empty stretch of road, the message might say, You cleaned up your room without being asked. As a reward, your mom takes you for ice cream. Move ahead to the ice cream store. Give the kids a pair of dice and some colored playing pieces from another board game (just remember to return them when you are done) and they’re ready to play.

Exploring with a camera lens. For many children a camera can be a window into an amazing world of creativity and exploration. If you own a digital camera, send your kids off for a little exploration. The advantage to digital photography is the immediate results you get and the fact that any mistakes are easily erasable. If you don’t have one, buy your child an inexpensive disposable camera and let them loose.

Become an architect. Have your child try on the role of an architect by giving them a pencil and graph paper and having them map out their ideal house. Your child can define room uses and add furniture and landscaping. Or, rather than design a whole house, you child may be happier designing a single room. What about an art room or a playroom? What things need to be in it? How should they be arranged?

Map out the neighborhood. Using graph paper and your stride length as a measure, chart out the neighborhood; who lives where, positions of trees, flower beds, driveways etc. One square on the graph paper equals one stride. The result is a scale map of your own neighborhood.