Summer is a time of pure enjoyment for kids. Their schedules are more relaxed- and so are their parents. It gives them a chance to really dive into and explore the things around them, like art. 

Art is not only good for kids emotionally because it gives them the gift of self-expression but, it’s also good for them physically and cognitively. It improves fine motor skills, stimulates the senses, lengthens attention spans, and encourages decision-making. 

Inside this post are 3 Kid-Friendly crafts for all ages. 

Edible Paint

What you’ll need: 

• Pancake mix 

• Syrup

• Food coloring 

• New paintbrushes

• Old egg carton 

Kids love paint, and kids love pancakes. So, why not combine the two for some pretty delicious fun? You can do this one of two ways.

The first is to put a bit of pancake better aside when you’re mixing up the batch. Divide the batter into separate bowls, or sections of the egg carton, and add a few drops of different food colors into each one. Mix until combined.

Once the pancakes are nearly done, take them off and plate them. Have the kids paint silly faces or pictures on to one side of their pancakes with the colored batter. When they are done, you can return them to the griddle, face-down, sealing their pictures onto the cakes. 

The second option is to thoroughly cook the pancakes and put them aside. Then, fill the egg carton with syrup and mix the food coloring into the syrups. Once the pancakes cool, the kids can paint on them with their rainbow syrup, or fold them up and dunk them in. 

Recycle Robots 

What you’ll need: 

• Cereal boxes

• Bottle caps 

• Toilet paper tubes

• Paper towel tubes 

• Straws

• Shreds of paper 

• Construction paper, aluminum foil, googly eyes, buttons, craft sticks, crayons, and anything else you can find in your art cabinet 

• Glue sticks, or glue guns (with supervision) 

With a bunch of people home for summer, the garbage tends to pile up quickly. Give some of it a second life by creating robots from your recyclables. No instructions needed. Anything goes!

Sit back and watch how creative your kiddos will get. 

Rock Pets 

What you’ll need: 

• Rocks or pebbles 

• Paint 

• Paintbrushes 

Rock pets have been entertaining children for decades. And what’s extra special about this project is it’s a two-parter. First, you have fun going on a family walk/treasure hunt, and then you go home and make cool designs on all of your findings. Turn your rocks into pets or people by painting faces on them.

A pretty cool movement going on right now is “Kindness rocks” where people put uplifting words on rocks and leave them around public places for others to find. It’s a great way to brighten someone’s day. 

Happy Crafting!