A table full of children's art supplies including paper, scissors, glue, paint, crayons, and markers.

The summer season is full of fun, sun, and laughter – and what better way to keep your kids entertained than with some fun crafts? Here are three summer kid’s crafts that are sure to bring joy to your children’s faces! 

Thumbprint Flowers

  • Piece of paper or paper plates
  • Acrylic paints or watercolors in bright color
  • Marker (preferably black)

This craft is super easy and requires minimal materials. All you will need is a piece of paper or paper plates, acrylic paints or watercolors, and a marker. Have your child dip their thumb in the paint and make flower petals from their thumbprints. Use different colors and let your child have fun! Your child can make dandelions, tulips, roses, or their favorite flower. Draw a stem or trace around the petals with the marker if you choose. This craft is a great way to express creativity while having fun!

Different colored flowers made from a child's thumbprints.
Paper jellyfish decorated with markers, large googly eyes, and ribbon tentacles.

Paper Plate Jellyfish

  • Paper punch
  • Paper plate
  • Colored construction paper
  • Yarn, crepe-paper streamers, or gift ribbon
  • Googly eyes
  • Glue

This craft requires a paper plate, a paper punch, yarn, crepe-paper streamers or gift ribbon, googly eyes, and glue. Cut a paper plate in half and let your child color or decorate it. Your child can add googly eyes, cut out a big smile from red construction paper, and add any other decorations they might like. Then, using a paper punch, punch holes along the flat edge of the plate and string yarn through them to create the jellyfish’s tentacles. This craft is perfect for an under-the-sea-themed party and can be a great decoration for a child’s room.

Salt Dough Sea Stars and Sand Dollars

  • 2 Cups flour
  • 1 Cup salt
  • 1 Cup water
  • Toothpick
  • Cookie sheet
  • Ribbon or yarn (optional)
  • Paints (optional)
  • Food coloring (optional)

This craft is a little more intricate, but the results are completely worth it. To begin, you will need two cups of flour, one cup of salt, one cup of water, a toothpick, a cookie sheet, ribbon or yarn (optional), and paints (optional). Mix the flour, salt, and water together until it forms a dough. Print out some pictures of sea stars and sand dollars, and let your children design their own! For colorful sea stars, add some food coloring to the dough. Divide the dough into equal parts and mix in a little food coloring until the dough is the color you’d like it. Encourage your children to use toothpicks to make small holes in the starfish. Your child can paint the sea stars and sand dollars before or after they dry, and you can help them make a hole at the top to hang them up using ribbon or yarn. When you’re done, line a baking sheet with foil and bake in an oven for two hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Let them cool completely before letting your children play with them. This craft is a great way to learn about the ocean and some of its inhabitants. 

Pink and blue salt dough sea stars and sand dollars.

These three summer kid’s crafts are perfect for keeping children entertained while teaching them some valuable skills. Whether you make thumbprint flowers, paper plate jellyfish, or salt dough sea stars and sand dollars, your children are guaranteed to have fun and create long-lasting memories. Your local Ocean State Job Lot has many supplies for these and other crafts. Give these a try, and let us know how they turned out!