Perfect Summer Craft Ideas to Try in July for 4-Year-Olds
Four-year-olds who are trying hard to express what they want to do and what they can do.
Here, we’ll introduce July-perfect crafts recommended for four-year-olds, themed around Tanabata, water play, and sea creatures.
We hope this helps you create wonderful pieces that showcase each child’s individuality.
Be sure to display what they make.
Value children’s free ideas and let them express the joys of summer!
Since we treat what children make as works of art, we use the term “production” consistently in the main text.
- [For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with preschoolers in July and August: Creative activities that let kids feel the summer
- Craft ideas to try in July for 3-year-olds
- [July] Recommended for 1-year-olds! Fun summer craft ideas
- [Childcare] A collection of ideas you’ll want to use for July wall displays!
- [For 3-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas to enjoy in summer! Introducing various motifs and techniques
- [Crafts] A special feature on ideas to try with three-year-olds in August! Choose from a variety of motifs
- For 1-year-olds! Craft ideas recommended for August
- [For 4-year-olds] Recommended for August! Craft ideas: Enjoy a variety of motifs
- [For 5-year-olds] Crafts to try in July! Ideas that capture the season
- [4-year-olds] Craft ideas to enjoy with children in June
- Fun with preschoolers! July origami ideas to feel the season
- Craft activity ideas for 4-year-olds
- Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas
[4-year-olds] Summer-perfect craft ideas to try in July (71–80)
stag beetle

Here’s a popular stag beetle you can make with origami that’s a big hit with kids.
We recommend preparing black or brown origami paper.
Line up the left and right edges of the paper and crease along the center.
By making firm creases, it becomes easier to fold the beetle’s base body and mandibles evenly.
Fold the body while checking the size and keeping the balance.
Finally, fold both sides of the body to finish.
Add eyes and draw a face to create a cool-looking stag beetle!
spotted seal

Why not try making a ribbon seal with origami—its round body and beady eyes are so cute! It may look tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy.
If you start by creasing carefully, the rest of the steps will go more smoothly, so pay attention to each crease and work patiently.
There are many small steps, so when working with children, prepare large origami paper and fold together while checking each step—it’ll be smoother.
It’s also recommended to have photos or illustrations of real ribbon seals ready and show them to the kids before drawing the face and body markings.
Give it a try with everyone!
soft serve ice cream

Let me show you how to fold a soft-serve ice cream that’s perfect for hot summer days.
Prepare two sheets of origami paper to make it.
For the cone, make firm creases as you fold.
The step where you inflate the paper and flatten it might be tricky, so take your time and fold along together with gentle guidance.
Align the creases to form the cone shape, and that part is complete.
For the soft-serve top, wrap the folded paper around a pencil to curl it and set the shape—this adds more depth and makes it look more eye-catching.
It’s also fun to try different colors of origami paper.
[For 4-year-olds] Summer-perfect craft ideas to try in July (81–90)
penguin

Here’s how to make a penguin from a single sheet of origami paper.
First, fold the paper into a triangle and crease well.
Then fold the top edge down to meet the crease you just made.
As you fold the body and flippers, keep an eye on the left-right balance to make a neat finish.
Adjust the proportions, like the roundness of the head and body, and you’re done.
Finally, color in and draw the eyes and beak to make your penguin even cuter.
Try making this three-dimensional, summery penguin!
yo-yo

Here’s an idea for making a classic summer festival game toy—a yo-yo balloon—using just one sheet of origami paper.
Fold the paper in half twice to make a smaller square, then unfold it.
Using the crease lines as guides, fold all four corners toward the center.
Next, pick one corner and fold it outward, then fold just the tip of that corner back inward once more.
Fold all four corners slightly inward to round the shape—now it’s starting to look like a yo-yo balloon.
Make small snips with scissors on the left and right sides of the folded-back section, then fold the part above the cuts inward to represent the tied mouth of the balloon.
That’s the end of the folding steps.
Finish by drawing your favorite patterns or adding stickers.
Tomatoes you can decorate with for Tanabata

Let’s make a cute tomato with origami.
Prepare red and green origami paper.
First, cut the green paper into four strips, and glue one strip—green side facing out—onto the top of the white side of the red paper.
Once it’s dry, start folding.
Fold the paper in half top to bottom and side to side to make a square, crease well, then open it.
Place it with the red side facing up.
Fold the top edge down by the width of the attached green strip.
Turn the paper over, then fold the top left and right corners down to meet the center line.
Open the small gaps of the folded corners and squash them into triangles, then make a mountain fold along the border between the green and white sections.
Finally, tuck the remaining white corners inward to round out the shape of the tomato—and you’re done!
Origami Star

Here’s how to make a star that’s perfect for summer wall displays or Tanabata decorations.
This time, we’ll use two pieces of origami paper, each cut into quarters.
First, fold both pieces into triangles.
Take one of them and fold it into a triangle once more.
Open the other triangle, flip it over, and fold it into a triangle again.
Fold down the top layer’s corner so that the leftmost corner is halved.
Fold the whole piece in half to create a mountain fold.
Open the pocket with your finger and flatten the fold.
Finally, layer the two pieces by inserting the remaining triangular piece between them, glue them together, and your star is complete! Try making lots of stars in different sizes and patterns and decorate with them.



