Creative Summer Crafts for Kids

The summer holidays are the perfect time to get creative with the kids. Crafting is a fantastic way to keep little hands busy, encourage imagination and create special keepsakes to treasure. Whether you’re looking for a 5-minute activity or a bigger ongoing project, paper crafts are affordable, versatile and suitable for all ages from toddlers to teens.

While summer holiday clubs and organised activities can be a brilliant way to keep children entertained, six weeks is a long time, and the cost of multiple sessions over the summer can quickly add up. By keeping your craft cupboard at home well stocked, you’ll always have fun activities ready to reach for whenever boredom strikes. With just a few essentials like coloured paper, card, paints and glue, you can enjoy hours of creative fun together, making memories as well as masterpieces.

In this guide, we’ve gathered some of our favourite crafts for summer, including the supplies you’ll need, so you’re never stuck for ideas.

Why crafting is great for children

Whether it’s a quick colouring session, getting messy with paint or a larger craft project, every creative activity offers children so much more than just fun.

Develop new skills

Art stimulates the imagination and encourages children to express themselves creatively. They’re also developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration and, we’ve all been there, patience. Following instructions, exploring different materials and seeing a project through to the end all help build confidence and problem-solving skills.

Time away from the screen

With so much entertainment centred around tablets, phones and TVs, crafting offers a welcome break from screens. Thirty minutes with a colouring book is just as an effective way to unwind as sitting in front of screen, plus you don’t have to deal with the inevitable fight when the telly goes off.

Share the moment

If you’re a keen crafter yourself, summer crafts for kids are the perfect way to introduce children to your favourite hobby. Spending time making things together creates lasting memories, plenty of laughter and moments to connect. You may be surprised at how easily conversation can flow once you get going.  

Summer crafts for kids

Paper marbling

A simple activity children will want to try again and again. Paper marbling is one of those magical crafts that children, and adults, never seem to get bored of. The simple act of adding ink to water and watching the colours swirl and dance together is the perfect combination of science and art. Best of all, no two designs are ever the same, making every piece a one-of-a-kind creation. You can then use your marbled paper to make cards, photo frames, bookmarks and more.

There are lots of ways to try paper marbling. Older children will love the vibrancy and professional look that marbling ink delivers. Kits are around £10, easy to use and give great results. For younger kids, you can have just as much fun with a few drops of food colouring added to vegetable oil.

Marbling with food colouring and oil

Add three to five drops of liquid food colouring to two tablespoons of vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. Repeat this step for as many colours as you’d like, keeping each colour in its own bowl. Fill a baking tray with a shallow layer of water, about 2cm deep. Add small drops of your coloured oil to the water, swirling the water with a cocktail stick or paintbrush until you are happy with your pattern. Lay your paper on top. Leave for a couple of seconds and the slowly lift from the solution revealing your design. Lay flat or hang from a washing line to dry.

Paperbox supplies for marbling

• White matte paper – this uncoated paper provides the perfect surface for making your own marbled paper.
• Hammered card - the subtle textured finish adds another dimension to your marbled designs and gives them a premium feel.
• A6 card and envelopes - create a truly unique writing set by marbling cards and envelopes. You can add finishing touches with ink stamped messages.

Summer scrapbook

This is a great ongoing project for children of all ages. Documenting the summer break with a scrap book is a fun way to capture the highlights of the summer. It’s also a great way to encourage kids to have input on what they’d like to do with their time off school. You can make a list in the front of the book and tick them off as you do them, filling the pages with memorabilia in much the same way you would a junk journal. For primary school children it’s also a brilliant way to cunningly sneak in some writing practices with a description.

Include:

• Photos
• Tickets
• Drawings
• Pressed flowers
• Holiday postcards
• Journal entries

It’s the perfect way to capture your family time together, can be dipped in an out of easily and you may start a long-lasting tradition to be looked back on in years to come.

Paperbox scrapbook supplies

• Vellum paper – add texture and over lays to your pages.
• Coloured envelopes – create excellent pockets for keep sakes.
• Glue dots and tape – a mess free way to quickly secure embellishments and photos.
• Sealing wax – brilliant for older children and teens but adult assistance may be required.

Handprint art

Handprint art is a brilliant project for younger children. Getting the go ahead to get messy is so freeing when you’re a kid. Simply paint the palm of their hand with skin-friendly paint, stamp onto paper, and reveal your handprints. This is an ideal craft for summer as you can take the activity outside into the garden, where you don't have to worry about painty fingerprints on the furniture or carpets. Simply hose off your little artists when you’re done or jump in the paddling pool.

Dried handprints can be transformed into fish, flowers, lions, dinosaurs and so much more with just a few added lines. Handprints are also a lovely keepsake for parents and family.

Find design inspiration here

Paperbox supplies for handprint art

• A5 blank cards – these generous cards give lots of space for handprinted designs.
• Kraft paper – stands up brilliantly to paint and messy play, while its natural brown finish gives children’s artwork a warm, homemade character that makes every creation feel that little bit more special.

Colourful collages

If you’re a crafter then you’re probably no stranger the scraps! Collage is perfect for using up those cut offs that otherwise would have ended in the bin. Young children love to cut, rip and stick and collaging is a great way to do all those things. Whether they’re using blocks of colour to create a bigger picture, like a rainbow or cutting out pictures from magazines to create their own universe, it’s a great way to explore colour texture and storytelling.

Try these colllage themes for a fun-filled crafting session:

• Under the sea
• Summer holidays
• Favourite foods
• New planet

Paperbox supplies for collage

• A3 matte card – the perfect baseboard for letting little imaginations run wild.
• Glue pen – goes on blue so you can see exactly where glue has been applied
• Coloured card and paper swatch samples – filled with all of our papers and cards, these are just the thing for creating colourful collages.

Summer crafts for kids without the stress

Crafts are a brilliant way to fill the summer holidays while sparking children’s imagination. With just a few simple supplies and plenty of inspiration, they can create artwork they’ll be proud of while enjoying hours of hands-on fun. Whether it’s painty handprints, card making, collage or scrapbooking, give children the freedom to get messy, experiment and make mistakes. Crafting is always more enjoyable when the focus is on creativity and discovery rather than perfection.

Explore our range of quality card, paper and craft supplies to help make this summer full of colourful creations and pass your passion on to the next generation.