Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas
In July, many daycare centers and kindergartens start Tanabata celebrations and pool time.
Summer is full of events kids can enjoy, like beach trips and fireworks festivals.
Here, we’re introducing craft ideas to make summer even more fun.
You can create summer-themed projects related to Tanabata, seasonal flowers, sea creatures, and cool treats.
Use these ideas as a guide to enjoy crafting with the children and spend the hot summer happily and energetically!
- Fun Fish Craft Ideas to Make at Daycare and Kindergarten
- Fun July Craft Ideas for 2-Year-Olds: Summer Wall Decorations
- Fun crafts using straws
- [July] Recommended for 1-year-olds! Fun summer craft ideas
- [For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with preschoolers in July and August: Creative activities that let kids feel the summer
- Perfect Summer Craft Ideas to Try in July for 4-Year-Olds
- [Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Craft activity ideas
- [For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with
- [Childcare] Fun craft ideas and craft activities perfect for summer
- [For 5-year-olds] Crafts to try in July! Ideas that capture the season
- Craft ideas to try in July for 3-year-olds
- [For 3-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas to enjoy in summer! Introducing various motifs and techniques
- Fun to make in childcare! A collection of easy origami ideas recommended for July
Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas (91–100)
Making yo-yos with crayons and stickers
How about making cute yoyos using crayons and stickers? Prepare construction paper pre-cut into yoyo shapes, and have your child add patterns to the yoyos.
If you paste the yoyo-shaped pieces onto another sheet of paper, you won’t have to worry about crayon marks going outside the lines.
Let your child draw lines and patterns with crayons and add stickers however they like.
If your child isn’t yet used to crayons, it’s a good idea to first show them how to use them before starting.
Give it a try as a fun summer craft activity!
watermelon lantern
When it comes to fruits that symbolize summer, watermelon surely comes to mind.
Its vivid red and green look also boosts that feeling of summer.
Here’s a craft that fuses an essential summer watermelon with the lanterns that brighten summer festivals.
The key is layering green construction paper over red, so that the red peeks through from inside the green, evoking a watermelon.
Make slits in the green paper and shape it so the inner red shows through.
If you add black stripes and black seeds, it will look even more like a watermelon.
Roll the paper into a cylinder with a hollow center, attach a handle, and your lantern is complete.
Placing a light inside is also recommended.
Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas (101–110)
A sunflower field made from toilet paper rolls
Let’s try painting sunflowers that bloom vibrantly in summer using a toilet paper roll! Cut several slits into a toilet paper roll and spread them out like petals.
Paint the ends with yellow paint and stamp the color onto drawing paper—this creates the sunflower’s yellow petals.
For the brown center, bundle a few cotton swabs together, dip them in brown paint, and stamp to fill it in.
If you want to add leaves, finger stamping is recommended.
Teachers should prepare the toilet paper rolls and cotton swabs, and let the children do the stamping.
Having real sunflowers or photos on hand will help the children visualize more easily.
Let’s create an ocean with scissors and glue
This project is perfect for kids to practice using scissors.
First, cut construction paper to make sea creatures.
It’s a good idea to choose animals with lots of legs, like octopuses and squids.
When making an octopus or a squid, don’t cut each leg individually at first—start by cutting a fairly rough overall shape.
Once you have the basic shape, draw straight lines where the legs will be, and have the children cut along those lines with scissors.
On a separate piece of paper, draw zigzag patterns, then cut along the lines to make seaweed.
After everything is cut out, glue the pieces onto a large sheet of construction paper to complete the ocean scene! It’s a fun way to practice scissor skills, so give it a try.
Five types of summer origami
Why not use a summery watermelon-themed origami for your craft activity? First, glue a sheet of red origami paper to a sheet of green origami paper to make one piece.
Crease it along the diagonal, then cut along the crease with scissors.
Fold up the base of the triangular piece, and by repeating the fold-and-tuck steps, you’ll have a watermelon! Because there are some detailed steps, aim this for ages 3 and up, with a teacher providing assistance.
Once it’s finished, draw the seeds with a pen.
Try making lots of these origami accents to add a special touch to your crafts.
Let’s try making a big ocean!
Let’s experience the joy of painting a big ocean on a large sheet of drawing paper using plenty of paint.
Lay down a plastic sheet or something similar to protect the floor, and wear clothes that can get messy so you can paint freely and boldly without worry.
There are no strict rules—use your hands, brushes, rollers, or wide brushes however you like.
Part of the fun is trying different tools; the result changes depending on what you use.
Savor the joy of creating freely.
Let’s make sea creatures out of scrap materials
Crafts made from recycled materials are a great way for kids to casually engage with eco-friendly practices and the SDGs! Try combining everyday recycled items—like empty tissue or snack boxes, gashapon capsules, cardboard, and wrapping paper—to create sea creatures.
An empty box can transform into a big fish, and wrapping paper can become beautiful fish scales—there are countless ways to use them.
Of course, you can also mix in construction paper or origami.
If everyone sticks their creations onto a large sheet of poster paper imagined as the sea, you can bring an ocean right into your room!