Super Summer Crafts for the Kindergarten Class

These projects will all work well as stand-alone crafts, but you can also use them with themed days or to reinforce lesson topics. For example, if you are studying a particular letter and its sounds, use pictures of words that begin with that letter in the crayon-resist project. Use relevant pictures to match your theme or study unit for the sand paintings or the other projects, as well.

Bring the beach inside with sand paintings and frames with seashells, sea glass and driftwood. You can use commercial craft sand or mix your own with white sand and dry tempera paint.

Sand Paintings

Things You Need

Newspapers

Cardstock

Pencils

Black crayons

Craft glue

Disposable bathroom drinking cups

Small paintbrushes

Colored sand

Construction paper

Spread newspapers on student desks to facilitate clean up.

Give the students pieces of cardstock and ask them to draw a scene of the ocean and the beach or another summer scene.

Next, students outline the drawing with the black crayon.

Mix craft glue and water in equal parts and pour it into the cups.

Students brush the glue in the spaces between the outlines of their pictures and sprinkle sand over the glue. Then, they shake the excess sand onto the newspapers.

When the pictures are dry, “frame” them with construction paper strips around the edges.

Beach Frames

Things You Need

Wooden picture frames

Sandpaper

Acrylic or tempera paint

Sponge brushes

Seashells, sea glass or small pieces of driftwood

Craft glue

Acrylic spray varnish

Give each student a wooden frame. Show the children how to use the sandpaper to smooth the surfaces of the wood.

Students next paint their frames with the acrylics and sponge brushes. After the first light coat has dried, they may need to apply a second coat. For a little extra texture, allow student to sprinkle small amounts of sand onto the wet paint and then shake off the excess before allowing the paint to dry.

Next, student glue the found treasures to their frames.

When the glue is dry, spray the frames with varnish to protect them. Be sure to take them outside to spray the varnish.

Students experience a little crayon magic when they add wax and tempera paint to ordinary drawing.

Things You Need

Drawing paper

Crayons

Tempera paint

Sponge brushes

Begin by asking students to draw summer-themed pictures.

Next, students color their pictures, pressing very hard to leave a heavy surface of wax on the paper.

With the sponge brushes, students paint over the entire paper with thinned tempera paint, including the areas colored earlier. Use a paint color that matches the picture design, such as blue for a fish picture or yellow for a picture of a flower garden. The paint will bead up on the wax and allow the picture to show through, while the paint fills the background.

Following a nature walk when students collect small rocks, twigs or leaves make new friends with pebble people. Go “green” by creating them on take-out containers with the sides trimmed away

Things You Need

Disposable foam trays

Small rocks, twigs and leaves

Low-melt hot glue gun and glue sticks

Allow students to arrange their rocks and twigs to make fun and silly faces.

Help students affix their pebble people to the trays with hot glue.

Students use their leaves to make hair or clothes for their new arty friends.

Impress parents when your students create dot-mosaic shirts for summer wear.

Things You Need

Prewashed tee shirts

Pencils

Baby carrots

Fabric paint

Foam plates

Cardboard or poster board scraps

Vinegar

Iron

Ask students to draw a picture of a sun on the front of their shirt with a pencil.

Cut a few carrots to make flat surfaces of different sizes.

Pour small amounts of paint onto the plates.

Slip a piece of cardboard inside the shirt to keep the paint from soaking through to the back of the shirt.

Students dip the carrot surfaces in the paint and then dab them on the shirt to outline the sun pictures they have drawn. If they choose, they may also fill in the outline with a series of carrot paint dots.

When the paint is thoroughly dry, dab the inside of the shirt, behind the painted area, with vinegar and iron it to set the paint.

Use these ideas as a starting point for your kindergarteners, as you create fun summer crafts together.

Ideas come from the author's extensive teaching and crafts experience.