13 Playful Summer Daycare Crafts for Little Kids

Summer daycare crafts need to be easy to set up, simple to explain, and fun enough to keep little kids interested. The best projects use bright colors, familiar shapes, and hands-on steps like painting, sticking, stamping, tearing, and gluing. They do not need to look perfect to be cute.

These summer craft ideas are made for group settings, busy tables, and short attention spans. Each one uses simple supplies and gives kids a playful way to explore summer themes like sunshine, fruit, flowers, bugs, beaches, popsicles, and ocean animals.

They are sweet enough to send home, display on a classroom wall, or use for a cheerful summer bulletin board.

1. Paper Plate Sun Hats

This craft is playful, colorful, and easy for little kids to decorate in their own way. The paper plate shape makes it simple to manage in a daycare group, while the sun theme feels perfect for summer.

Materials Needed:

1. Paper plates
2. Yellow washable paint
3. Orange and yellow construction paper
4. Stickers
5. Pom-poms
6. Glue sticks
7. Crayons
8. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Let kids paint the paper plate yellow.
2. Set the plates aside to dry.
3. Cut orange and yellow paper strips or triangles for sun rays.
4. Help kids glue the rays around the edge.
5. Let them add stickers, pom-poms, or crayon marks.
6. Write each child’s name on the back.
7. Display the suns together on a wall or bulletin board.

2. Sticky Paper Popsicle Collage

This popsicle collage is perfect for little kids because it does not require much glue. They can tear tissue paper, press it onto sticky paper, and make a bright summer treat craft with very simple steps.

Materials Needed:

1. Clear contact paper
2. Tissue paper in bright colors
3. Craft sticks
4. Cardstock
5. Tape
6. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Cut a large popsicle shape from clear contact paper.
2. Tape it sticky-side up to the table.
3. Give kids small pieces of torn tissue paper.
4. Let them press the tissue onto the sticky paper.
5. Seal with another piece of contact paper.
6. Attach a craft stick at the bottom.
7. Trim the edges if needed and display.

3. Bubble Wrap Ice Cream Painting

Bubble wrap stamping gives this ice cream craft a fun texture little kids will enjoy. It is easy, a bit messy in a good way, and the final scoops look playful and sweet.

Materials Needed:

1. White cardstock
2. Brown construction paper
3. Bubble wrap
4. Washable paint
5. Paper plates
6. Glue sticks
7. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Cut cone shapes from brown paper.
2. Glue each cone onto white cardstock.
3. Dip bubble wrap into washable paint.
4. Help kids stamp round scoop shapes above the cone.
5. Let them use one color or mix several colors.
6. Add crayon sprinkles after the paint dries.
7. Let the finished art dry flat.

4. Handprint Pineapple Craft

This pineapple craft makes a cute keepsake because it uses each child’s handprint for the leafy top. The yellow fruit shape is easy to prep ahead, which makes it great for daycare groups.

Materials Needed:

1. Yellow construction paper
2. Green washable paint
3. Brown marker
4. White cardstock
5. Glue stick
6. Paintbrush
7. Wipes for cleanup
8. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Cut yellow oval pineapple shapes.
2. Glue each pineapple body onto white cardstock.
3. Paint the child’s hand with green washable paint.
4. Help them press their handprint above the pineapple as leaves.
5. Let the paint dry.
6. Draw simple crisscross lines on the pineapple with brown marker.
7. Display or send home as a summer keepsake.

5. Paper Bowl Jellyfish

Paper bowl jellyfish are easy to prepare and fun for kids to decorate. The hanging tentacles add movement, which makes the finished craft extra exciting for little kids.

Materials Needed:

1. Small paper bowls
2. Washable paint
3. Yarn, ribbon, or crepe paper strips
4. Googly eyes
5. Glue
6. Paintbrushes
7. Hole punch, adult-used
8. String for hanging

Steps To Make:

1. Turn each paper bowl upside down.
2. Let kids paint the outside of the bowl.
3. Set the bowls aside to dry.
4. Cut yarn or crepe paper into long strips.
5. Help kids glue the strips under the bowl edge.
6. Add googly eyes to the front.
7. Punch a hole at the top and add string if hanging.

6. Sponge Stamp Lemonade Cups

This lemonade craft works well for daycare because kids can stamp color quickly and still make something cute. It also fits summer snack, picnic, or pretend-play themes.

Materials Needed:

1. White cardstock
2. Yellow washable paint
3. Sponge pieces
4. Yellow construction paper
5. Striped paper or colored paper for straws
6. Glue sticks
7. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Cut simple cup shapes from white cardstock.
2. Pour yellow paint onto a paper plate.
3. Let kids stamp the cup shape with sponge pieces.
4. Cut small lemon circles and paper straw shapes.
5. Help kids glue the lemon and straw onto the cup.
6. Add crayon dots or ice cube shapes if desired.
7. Let everything dry before displaying.

7. Cupcake Liner Seashells

Cupcake liners make easy seashell shapes, so this craft is simple but still pretty. Little kids can fold, glue, and decorate while making a calm beach-inspired picture.

Materials Needed:

1. Cupcake liners
2. Blue cardstock
3. Tan construction paper
4. Crayons
5. Glue sticks
6. Small paper starfish, optional
7. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Fold cupcake liners in half to make shell shapes.
2. Glue tan paper along the bottom of blue cardstock for sand.
3. Help kids glue the cupcake liner shells onto the sand.
4. Let them draw waves, bubbles, or sunshine with crayons.
5. Add small paper starfish if desired.
6. Let the craft dry flat.
7. Display as a beach wall scene.

8. Paper Strip Rainbow Fish

This fish craft helps little kids practice gluing and color sorting. The paper strips make the fish look bright and fun without needing detailed drawing or painting.

Materials Needed:

1. Fish shapes cut from cardstock
2. Colored construction paper strips
3. Googly eyes
4. Glue sticks
5. Blue cardstock, optional
6. Crayons

Steps To Make:

1. Cut simple fish shapes from cardstock.
2. Cut short paper strips in many colors.
3. Help kids glue strips onto the fish body.
4. Add a googly eye near the front.
5. Trim extra paper from the edges if needed.
6. Glue the fish onto blue cardstock.
7. Let kids add bubbles or waves with crayons.

9. Pom-Pom Watermelon Seeds

This watermelon craft is great for little kids because they can practice picking up and placing small pom-poms. It feels like a simple summer fruit craft, but it also builds fine motor skills.

Materials Needed:

1. Pink or red construction paper
2. Green construction paper
3. Small black pom-poms
4. Glue
5. White cardstock
6. Child-safe scissors, adult-used
7. Crayons

Steps To Make:

1. Cut watermelon triangle shapes from pink or red paper.
2. Cut green strips for the rind.
3. Help kids glue the green strip to the bottom of each triangle.
4. Glue the watermelon onto white cardstock.
5. Add dots of glue where the seeds should go.
6. Let kids place black pom-poms onto the glue.
7. Let the craft dry flat.

10. Sunflower Fork Painting

Fork painting is simple, fun, and gives sunflower petals a nice texture. It is a great group craft because kids can make flowers quickly, but each one still looks different.

Materials Needed:

1. White cardstock
2. Yellow washable paint
3. Plastic forks
4. Brown construction paper circles
5. Green crayons or paint
6. Glue sticks
7. Paper plates

Steps To Make:

1. Glue a brown circle near the top of the paper.
2. Pour yellow paint onto a paper plate.
3. Let kids dip a plastic fork into the paint.
4. Help them press fork marks around the brown circle as petals.
5. Add a green stem and leaves with crayons or paint.
6. Let the paint dry.
7. Hang the sunflowers together as a summer garden display.

11. Ice Cream Sticker Cones

Sticker crafts are perfect for little kids because they feel easy and exciting. This ice cream version gives them a simple shape to decorate while practicing peeling, sticking, and color choice.

Materials Needed:

1. Brown construction paper
2. Pastel construction paper
3. Stickers
4. Glue sticks
5. Crayons
6. Child-safe scissors, adult-used
7. White cardstock

Steps To Make:

1. Cut cone shapes from brown paper.
2. Cut scoop shapes from pastel paper.
3. Help kids glue the cone and scoops onto cardstock.
4. Let them decorate the scoops with stickers.
5. Add crayon sprinkles or a paper cherry.
6. Let the craft dry if glue was used.
7. Display the cones in a pretend ice cream shop wall display.

12. Butterfly Wing Dot Art

This butterfly craft is easy to scale for different ages. Younger kids can use stickers, while older little kids can add dot marker patterns and decorate both wings.

Materials Needed:

1. Butterfly shapes cut from cardstock
2. Dot stickers
3. Dot markers
4. Pipe cleaners
5. Glue or tape
6. Crayons
7. Child-safe scissors, adult-used

Steps To Make:

1. Cut large butterfly shapes from cardstock.
2. Let kids add dot stickers to the wings.
3. Use dot markers to fill extra spaces.
4. Add crayon lines or small patterns if desired.
5. Tape or glue a pipe cleaner to the top for antennae.
6. Let everything dry if using glue.
7. Hang the butterflies together in a classroom display.

13. Pool Noodle Flower Stamps

Pool noodle stamps are chunky and easy for little hands to hold. They make bold circle prints that can turn into flowers, suns, bubbles, or fruit, but flowers are especially sweet for summer.

Materials Needed:

1. Pool noodle slices, adult-cut
2. Washable paint
3. White cardstock
4. Paper plates
5. Green crayons or markers
6. Paper towels

Steps To Make:

1. Have an adult cut pool noodles into thick stamp pieces.
2. Pour paint onto paper plates.
3. Let kids dip the pool noodle pieces into paint.
4. Stamp circles onto cardstock.
5. Add green stems and leaves with crayons or markers.
6. Let kids add more dots or petals if they want.
7. Let the artwork dry before displaying.