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
[Age 4] Summer-perfect craft ideas to try in July (111–120)
Tanabata decorations
Let’s make Tanabata decorations with the children in preparation for the Star Festival.
There are many ways to make them, so choose a method that’s easy for your class to try.
Making lanterns is good practice for using scissors—be sure to draw guide lines first.
Also, Tanabata decorations look much more festive when they’re colorful.
If you use patterned origami that you don’t usually use, the children will likely exclaim, “So pretty!” at the results.
It would be great if you could make lots and hang them up.
[For 4-year-olds] Summer-perfect craft ideas to try in July (121–130)
The Milky Way and Orihime and Hikoboshi
Turn a kitchen must-have—parchment paper—into the Milky Way! It’s a fun, hands-on craft you can enjoy with kids.
First, spread several colors of acrylic paint onto the parchment paper, fold it in half, and use your hands to spread the paint.
Next, open it up and flick white paint with a brush to complete the Milky Way.
Then roll the parchment into a tube, staple it, and hang Orihime and Hikoboshi motifs from twine to finish.
The tactile fun of spreading paint on parchment paper and the freedom to combine colors will give you a unique, personality-filled Tanabata decoration!
Origami crab
Let’s try folding a crab with origami.
It’s suitable for ages 4 and up, and it’s a versatile piece you can use as an accent in crafts or as a motif in collaborative projects.
While crabs are often imagined as red, children’s creativity knows no bounds—let them fold with any color they like.
For the eyes, using googly-eye stickers helps create the look of cute, round, protruding eyes and enhances the overall feel.
Crabs are great for all kinds of scenes, from ocean-themed crafts to aquarium displays.
Make lots of them with the kids and have fun together!
Shooting Star Production
Here’s an idea for making shooting stars that’s perfect for Tanabata decorations in July.
Decorate strips of cellophane tape (suzuran tape) cut to look like shooting stars with star-shaped sequins! When attaching the sequins, you can easily make this using double-sided tape, wood glue, or OPP tape.
Curious three-year-olds will likely be fascinated by the sparkling sequins! For the star at the top of the shooting star, it would be fun to let the children try marble rolling to create the pattern.
Making a refreshing-looking swim ring
Let’s make a refreshing craft of animals playing with swim rings using paper plates.
Before you begin, cut out the center of the paper plate.
For 3-year-olds, let them freely draw on the ring-shaped paper plate.
Choose materials like crayons or paint according to your class atmosphere.
It also looks cute if you add small squares cut from construction paper with a single snip.
Once the paper plate is decorated, make the motif that goes inside.
Try different methods, such as pre-cutting construction paper and having the 3-year-olds draw the faces or glue on the parts.
Your adorable craft of animals swimming with float rings is complete!
Make a butterfly net and play pretend
How about making original butterfly nets and enjoying indoor bug-catching pretend play as a July activity? Teachers can prepare the base of the nets in advance, and then let the children decorate them by putting on stickers and drawing pictures.
Letting them decorate freely will nurture their creativity! Also, prepare insects like ladybugs, cicadas, and rhinoceros beetles, and stick them around the classroom or facility.
Then have the children catch them with their nets and get everyone excited! It can be hard to enjoy bug catching outdoors, but with pretend play, you can do it indoors and still make great summer memories.
Osakana-maru Uchiwa
Let’s make an essential uchiwa fan to keep cool in summer! Cut a circle out of thick paper, then use a craft knife to cut out a fish shape and a small round hole sized for a finger.
Prepare two of these.
The cutting with the craft knife should be done by a teacher.
Prepare a clear file cut to about the size of the fish and place it on one of the thick paper pieces.
Randomly attach cellophane in various colors to resemble fish scales.
Then glue the other piece of thick paper on top, add an eye with a round sticker, and decorate around the fish with crayons, and you’re done! The transparent part looks refreshing, making it the perfect uchiwa for summer.
