We’ve been talking a lot about summer lately and even though summer doesn’t officially start until June21st, it’s hot and school has ended for my kids so to me, it is OFFICIALLY summer!

Over the weekend we shared some easy tips to stay cool this summer, but today we are talking crafts and activities for the kids over the break! These activities are not only fabulous ways to incorporate sensory play, but they are also an opportunity for your kids to get creative, get a little dirty, and have a whole lot of fun! That’s what summer is all about, right?! So here we go…

Summer Activities for the Kids, Austin Moms Blog

Homemade Chalk Paint

DIY Chalk Paint

     What You need:

  • Chalk
  • Water
  • Paint Brushes
  • Containers

     What You Do:

  • Take those old broken chalk pieces {or new} and crush them in a food processor or in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until you have a very fine powdery consistency.
  • Place the chalk powder in a container of your choice… mason jar, jelly jar, paper bowls, etc.
  • Start adding a little bit of water and stirring until you have the consistency you are looking for. **Note: a thicker paint is easier to work with for the children, but won’t last as long as a thin paint**
  • Get your paint brushes out and let the kids go to town on the driveway, back porch or wherever else their creative hearts desire!

DIY Chalk Paint, Austin Moms Blog

DIY Chalk Paint, Austin Moms Blog

DIY Chalk Paint, Austin Moms Blog

Homemade Bubbles

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

     What You Need:

  • Tear Free Baby Soap
  • Water
  • Container

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

     What You Do:

  • Mix 1 part Baby Soap with 1 part Water in a container of your choice. Again, mason jars work well for this but anything will do!
  • Shake the container with a tight lid vigorously to mix the soap and water and create the bubble-making process.
  • You’re ready to start the bubble-blowing fun!
  • So now what? Read below!

Homemade Bubble Blower

     What You Need:

  • Straws
  • Rubber Band

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

     What You Do:

  • Take 4-6 Straws and wrap one end with rubber bands so that they are tightly secured.
  • Dip your bubble blower in the container of your homemade bubbles and let your kids start blowing on the straws!
  • The best part is that if these bubbles pop on their face or if the solution gets in their eyes, you’ve used a tear free soap so you won’t have to worry about their little eyes burning.

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

DIY Bubbles & Bubble-Blower, Austin Moms Blog

Cool Whip Finger Paint

Homemade Cool Whip Finger Paint

What You Need:

  • Cool Whip
  • Food Coloring
  • Cupcake Tray
  • Paint Brushes {optional}

What You Do:

  • Fill your cupcake tray with cool whip
  • Mix in a few drops of food coloring and stir
  • You’re ready to let your little one(s) paint… or EAT!

Homemade Cool Whip Finger Paint

Homemade Cool Whip Finger Paint

Homemade Cool Whip Finger Paint

Homemade Moon Sand:

DIY Moon Sand, Austin Moms Blog

     What You Need:

  • Flour
  • Baby Oil
  • Large Bowl

     What You Do:

  • Mix 8 cups of flour with 1-2 cups of baby oil and mix well
  • It’s literally that easy and ready to go!
  • Find a nice sized container or a spot for them to play where you don’t mind a mess and they can make shapes, balls, or just play with for hours!

Here’s a video of my oldest playing with the moon sand… he thinks it’s pretty “cool” 🙂

DIY Moon Sand, Austin Moms Blog

DIY Moon Sand, Austin Moms Blog

Homemade Fudgesicles

Homemade Fudgesicles, Austin Moms Blog

What You Need:

  • Instant Pudding or Homemade Recipe
  • Popsicle Sticks, Cake Pop Sticks, or Toothpicks
  • Ice Cube Trays

What You Do:

  • Figure out what kind of Popsicle you want to make… the sky is the limit with Popsicle recipes and you can get so creative! I chose fudgesicles.
  • Fill up your ice cube tray with whatever mixture {or in this case, pudding} you want.
  • When you’re working with chocolate pudding, the stick stays in place pretty well so you can put your stick in the pudding immediately. Some other recipes that have more of a liquid texture may need to be in the freezer for an hour or so and then place the stick in the mixture.
  • Place your tray in the freezer
  • Pop your fudgesicle cubes out of the tray and voila! You are ready to send the kids outside to play and enjoy their Popsicle!

Homemade Fudgesicles, Austin Moms Blog

Homemade Fudgesicles, Austin Moms Blog

Homemade Fudgesicles, Austin Moms Blog

Summer Journal

Austin Moms Blog Summer Journaling for the Kids

My 7 year old niece is a super crafty and documenting little girl and she is who inspired the Summer Journal. Every year when she goes back to school she is usually asked what she did over the summer. This summer she decided to make a Summer Journal so she could document all of the fun places she visited, activities, birthday parties, and overall summer fun she had!

   What You Need:

  • Construction Paper or Scrapbooking Paper
  • Stapler
  • Stickers
  • Crayons
  • Markers
  • ETC

   What You Do:

  • I could add so much more to the “What You Need” list, because there are so many options for your child to get creative with.
  • Grab as many pieces of construction paper as you think your kiddo will need to fill up the journal.
  • Staple along the edges to create a book
  • That’s it! Now let your little one begin documenting their summer little by little!

Austin Moms Blog Summer Journaling for the Kids

Austin Moms Blog Summer Journaling for the Kids

 We hope some of these crafts inspire you to get out this summer and do something fun and creative with your little ones! I had so much fun experimenting with the kids and they definitely enjoyed every minute of it!

What will you be doing this summer?

 

 

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here