[For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with preschoolers in July and August: Creative activities that let kids feel the summer
Summer is full of events and activities that kids can enjoy! How about experiencing that summer fun through crafts together with four-year-olds? Here, we introduce a variety of motifs perfect for the season.
As children enjoy creating while exploring colors and shapes, their vocabulary grows and their imagination is nurtured.
Be sure to try these fun craft ideas packed with the charms of summer.
子どもたちの作品を「作品」として扱っているため、本文では「制作」という用語を使用しています。
- Perfect Summer Craft Ideas to Try in July for 4-Year-Olds
- [For 4-year-olds] Recommended for August! Craft ideas: Enjoy a variety of motifs
- Craft activity ideas for 4-year-olds
- [For 4-year-olds] Ideas for group games and craft activities that can be done indoors
- August Craft Ideas for 5-Year-Olds
- [For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with preschoolers in July and August: Creative activities that let kids feel the summer
- [For 5-year-olds] Crafts to try in July! Ideas that capture the season
- Recommended in July! Summer craft play ideas
- [For 2-Year-Olds] Craft Ideas to Enjoy in August! Incorporate Summery Motifs and Techniques
- [4-year-olds] Craft ideas to enjoy with children in June
- [For 3-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas to enjoy in summer! Introducing various motifs and techniques
- Have fun in August! A collection of summer origami ideas recommended for preschoolers (4–5 years old)
- [Childcare] Fun craft ideas and craft activities perfect for summer
[For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with middle preschoolers in July–August! Summer-themed craft activities (111–120)
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.
[Age 4] Crafts to make with middle-year kindergarteners in July–August! Summer-themed craft activities (121–130)
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!
Paper cup sunflower
Here’s an idea for making a three-dimensional sunflower using a common material: a paper cup.
Cut off the rim of the paper cup, then wrap double-sided tape around the bottom part.
Use the double-sided tape as a guide to cut the cup into 16 equal sections.
Peel off the tape and attach each strip by rolling it inward one by one.
Add color with pens or crayons, and the sunflower’s blossom is complete! For the finishing touch, make the stem and leaves out of origami paper to create an even more realistic summer scene.
Some steps can be tricky for children to do alone, so it’s best to enjoy making it together with a teacher or guardian.
Sparkling Tanabata Decorations Made from Paper Plates
Here’s an idea for a Tanabata decoration you can make with paper plates—perfect for July’s Tanabata event.
Cut out the center of a paper plate and punch a hole at the top.
Next, cut origami paper into star shapes, attach pipe cleaners, and thread them through the hole in the plate.
Finish by decorating the rim of the plate, and it’s done! Have the children decorate the plate with cutouts from construction paper in their favorite shapes or with stickers.
Besides stars, designing Orihime and Hikoboshi or adding metallic tape or raffia ribbon will make the decoration even more festive!
fireworks
Fireworks crafts really are a hallmark of summer, aren’t they? How about enjoying the process while imagining your child’s smiling face? I recommend drawing lines on black construction paper with a white crayon, then stamping paint on top with your fingertips.
If you work from the center outward, you can create beautiful firework shapes.
Use lots of your favorite colors and try expressing dreamy fireworks you’d love to see.
If everyone works together on a large sheet of paper, it’ll make a perfect wall decoration, too.
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.
Summer vegetable curry with vegetable stamps
Let’s make a summer vegetable curry using stamps made from real vegetables! We’ll use eggplant, okra, kabocha squash, carrot, lotus root, and more.
Cut the vegetables so their cross-sections are visible.
On white construction paper, draw an elongated oval and cut it out; on brown construction paper, sketch the curry shape and cut that out as well.
The white elongated oval will be the rice, so glue the brown curry piece on top of it.
Add vegetables by stamping onto the curry, then glue everything onto a paper plate and a backing sheet to finish! Be sure to use lots of colors for the stamps and create a curry that looks delicious!
