[Summer Vacation Crafts for Lower Grades] Make It with Everyday Materials! Simple Yet Awesome Craft Ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
A Vocaloid producer who is also a music writerAraki Jakkan
I’ve worked in a variety of roles—regardless of pro or amateur settings—including live event PA, cameraman for video and photography, restaurant staff, and logistics center staff. I now spend my days as a part-time writer. I’ve contributed to music and manga websites with feature/review articles, and wrote the liner notes included as a bonus for 1st PLACE Inc.’s “IA SUPER BEST.” As for my music background, I started playing guitar in junior high and focused on band activities during my school years. For over 15 years since then, up to the present, I’ve continued releasing original tracks as a Vocaloid producer. My areas of expertise are Japanese rock, Vocaloid, and manga.

Have you ever had the experience of working hard on a summer vacation craft project, only to have someone say it looks “simple”? In fact, with a little creativity, you can make projects that really impress people, even using basic materials.

Here, we’ll introduce craft ideas that even lower elementary school children can enjoy.

Using familiar items, you can create lots of projects that are more fun and interesting than they look.

Be sure to use these ideas to find a favorite craft that you’ll be proud to show off to your friends once it’s finished!

[Summer Break Crafts for Lower Grades] Make it with familiar materials! Simple but amazing craft ideas (111–120)

Sunflowers to make with kids

@silk_haru3mama
Summer craft: Making sunflowers with kids 🌻Summer Vacation Craft Translation Montessori Education basting (stitch); tacking work Summer vacation #AtHomePlay
♬ Don!! – Ryokuoushoku Shakai

This is a sunflower craft whose finely layered petals evoke the fun of summer.

First, make the center part out of cardboard or thick paper, then attach the petals to it.

Punch holes in the round center piece and thread string through them to faithfully recreate the look of a sunflower’s center.

After that, just glue the petals around the edge and you’re done—the key is how you choose the petal colors and how you layer them.

For a more realistic look, it’s also recommended to curl the petals to add a three-dimensional effect.

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kappamaki

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[Summer Break Crafts for Lower Grades] Made with Everyday Materials! Simple but Amazing Craft Ideas (121–130)

Handmade star wand

@n.annlee321
Replying to @miukanon0101 Star wand ☺️✨#tiktok classroom #StayHomeTime Life with children Tanabata #Summer Vacation
Shuwa-shuwa Honey Lemon 350ml – Sharou

Many girls probably love wands, don’t they? You often see them in anime with magical-girl themes.

This time, I’ll introduce an idea for making a simple wand.

Thread ten 2 cm pieces of straw and five beads alternately onto a 30 cm chenille stem (pipe cleaner), then shape it into a star.

Twist the two ends of the stem together to secure it, trim any excess, then take a 15 cm chenille stem folded in half, hook it onto the star, and twist it into a single rod.

Slide on a straw and glue it in place to finish.

It might also look cute decorated with washi tape, etc.

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sasashina

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Craft ideas made with origami and a shredder

@n.annlee321
The shredder was a fun crafting tool ☺️🙌 This is a piece my son made 😁 More details in the comments →#tiktok classroom Life with children #StayHomeTime
♬ Nerd Strut (Instrumental) – Gen Hoshino

Let’s use the shredding function that cuts paper into fine strips to create various shapes.

We’ll use a hand-crank shredder, and by controlling where you stop shredding and other small tricks, you can make different parts and combine them.

Food motifs are an easy example: if you insert long, thin strips sideways and shred them even finer, they can look like a coating or breading; roll up long, thin strips and they’ll resemble shredded cabbage.

By layering parts and experimenting with how you bend them, you can also add a sense of three-dimensionality.

Think carefully about how to reproduce what you want to make.

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kappamaki

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Easy Spinning Top Made from a Milk Carton

@silk_haru3mama
Simple spinning top made from a milk cartonSummer Vacation Craft Summer Vacation Craft #HandmadeToys #HandmadeEducationalToy #Milk Carton Crafts #Milk carton #AtHomePlay work Simple craft Educational toy #Summer Vacation
Fuzzy Navel – Conton Candy

Here’s an idea for making a spinning top you blow on using a milk carton.

First, cut the carton about 1.5 cm up from the bottom, then make slits at the four corners and open it up.

Next, rotating the carton in a consistent direction from each corner, cut along the edges of the bottom.

Leave about 1 cm uncut at the ends.

Bend the sections you just cut inward so they gather toward the center, and decorate with masking tape or stickers to finish.

If you blow straight down from above, it will spin around and around.

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sasashina

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Picnic bag made from a box

@sayacky_be.child
Materials and tips are here 👇🏻 Open it up—too cute♡ ⁡ ▫️Materials▫️ ・Magnetic paper box (mine is from Seria) ・Rattan-pattern remake sheet (mine is from Seria) ・Bamboo-style bag handles (mine are from Seria) ・Ribbon or cord, etc. ・Fabric of your choice, 28×33 cm ⁡ ▫️Tools, etc.▫️ ・Scissors ・Utility knife and cutting mat ・Ruler ・Pencil or pen (for marking) ・Ice pick (mine is from DAISO) ・Extra-strong double-sided tape for fabric (mine is from DAISO) ⁡ ▫️Tips▫️ ・It’s quite hard, so you might need adult strength to cut or make holes. ・You don’t have to buy bag handles—feel free to substitute with something else ◎ ・The food that appears at the end of the video is introduced in one of my past videos♪ ⁡ ⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆ ⁡ Nice to meet you! “Let’s be kids together♪” I’m Sayacky, a nursery teacher and mom of two♡ ⁡ I share activities that get both kids and former kids excited! ⁡ Please follow me☆ ⁡ @sayacky_be.child ▲ Check out my other posts here ໒꒱ ⁡ ⁡ ⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆#Sayakki-World #HandmadeToys #Childcare Crafting Craft Play #Childcare topic #AtHomePlay #StayHomeTime #100-yen shop DIY Simple craft Kids' crafts Handmade #BasketBag
♪ Original Song – Sayakki's Atelier – Sayakki's Play Atelier

We’ll show you how to make an adorable picnic bag that’s a joy to open.

Prepare a one-piece box with an attached lid as the base.

Cut the box into your preferred picnic bag shape, then cover the entire surface with a makeover sheet that gives it a woven basket look.

Attach a handle and adhere fabric to the inside of the box to finish.

Any handle you like is fine.

As for fabric, a classic check pattern is always a good choice, but use your favorite.

Make some sandwiches and pop them in to complete a realistic-looking picnic bag!

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sasashina

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Simple salt sand art

@watako.hoiku
Also great for summer projects 🌻 | Salt Sand Art |Simple craft Independent Research translation
♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – น้องมิแมวว♡ – ⋅˚₊‧ ୨ 𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒊 ୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

This is about layering different colors of salt in a glass to create a picture-like, beautiful look.

Start by making colors that match what you want to create: mix paint into the salt to prepare it.

Once your colored salt is ready, simply layer it into the glass.

It’s best to pay attention to the boundaries between colors and avoid overmixing.

After filling the glass, press the layers to compact them—you can aim for more complex shapes this way.

Try various patterns to see what you can achieve.

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kappamaki

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paper cup hat

@lunimama_asobi
Easy craft: paper cup hat! A super simple and super cute paper cup hat. Perfect for the coming season!Handmade Origami #origami #papercraft #easycraft #HandmadeToys work
Fuzzy Navel – Conton Candy

If you’re looking for a craft idea that can double as a decoration, how about making a paper cup hat? Cut off the rim of a paper cup, then leave about one-third from the bottom intact and make many vertical slits starting from the rim side.

Spread the slit sections outward, then weave them by folding them up diagonally from the rim side to form the brim of the hat.

Decorate it with your favorite ribbon and you’re done.

The color and pattern of the paper cup will become the hat’s design as-is, so choosing the cups is part of the fun, too.

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sasashina

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