Summer Crafts for Toddlers & Kids

Last Updated on April 27, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman

Arts and crafts have sort of become our forte here at Eat Play Say, and summer crafts might just be one of my favorites. 

Crafts are often thought of as activities for older kids, but they aren’t just for the big kids! Crafts are skill-building opportunities for babies and toddlers, too. Our occupational therapist has created the easiest crafts for every season, and they all help your little one developmentally. They can work on their fine motor skills and practice speech-language skills while playing, which is always the goal!

These crafts are fun, too, because they often turn into independent play and exploration for littles. Hours of fun come from crafts you can complete in 10 minutes!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for a 30 minute craft set up with 20 supplies (and glitter?! No, no glitter). I want minimal supplies and minimal prep work. If you do too, these summer crafts are for you!

So whether your little one is a younger baby or a full blown preschooler, we have awesome, age-appropriate summer crafts ahead! Enjoy!

3 easy summer crafts for kids

Check out our top picks for easy summer crafts for kids below! You can find our favorite craft supplies here.

Pool noodle monster craft for toddlers + kids

Supplies needed: pool noodle, knife (for adults!), pipe cleaners, googly eyes

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Ages appropriate: 12+ months

Fine motor skills it supports: bilateral coordination, hand strengthening & pincer grasp

Directions: 

1. To prep the craft, cut a pool noodle into different sizes with a serrated knife (between 2-5 inches thick). Each piece will be the body of a monster.
2. Glue googly eyes onto the pool noodle monster.
3. Push pipe cleaners into the pool noodle to make arms, legs, and hair. Get creative! You can use long or short pipe cleaners. Use them straight or wrap them around and pencil to make them curvy and curly.
4. Use your monster for pretend play after you are done creating them. You can even take them to the water table or the bath!

My littles played with these for weeks after we made them! They’re so much fun and involve practically zero mess.

Toy washing station sensory bin for all ages

Supplies needed: 2 bins, towel, soap & water, toys

Time to complete: 5-25 minutes

Ages appropriate: 6+ months

Fine motor skills it supports: sensory exploration, fine motor strength and coordination, writing utensil strengthening, & fine motor manipulation

Directions: 

1. Head outside and fill one bin up with soapy water and the other up with clean water. (If baby puts a lot of stuff in their mouth, you can skip the soap. Try a little baking soda and vinegar for some fizz, or just use water!)
2. After playing with your toys outside, send them over to the toy washing station.
3. Model dipping the toy in soapy water first, then clean water, then setting them on the towel to dry.

Toy washing is a great activity for you to sit down next to them and watch. Get that coffee ready!

Fingerprint watermelon craft for all ages

Supplies needed: paper plate, paint, scissors

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Ages appropriate: 9+ months

Fine motor skills it supports:  sensory exploration, fine motor strength and coordination, writing utensil strengthening, fine motor manipulation, & isolating pointer finger

Directions: 

1. Cut the paper plate in half and paint it to look like a watermelon, with pink on the inside and green around the perimeter.
2. Help your little one isolate their pointer finger, then dip their finger into black finger paint and make “seeds” on the watermelon. Fill up the watermelon with as many fingerprints as you want.
3. After the paint dries, use your watermelon for pretend play. Pretend to eat it and serve it to each other!

These watermelons were so fun to play with and so simple to make! These are great crafts for infants exploring textures and testing out their senses.

How do crafts support milestone development?

Not only are crafts fun ways to pass the time, they support sensory development and fine motor skills within babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Support sensory development

Touching wet, crunchy, or oddly shaped items during craft time can actually support mealtimes, as little ones may be more willing to interact and accept new and different foods there, too. Exploring various textures and hearing the sounds that different craft supplies make (like crinkly paper or the “plop” of paint onto a plate) provides sensory input that littles need to understand the world around them.

Support fine motor development

Did you know that at 2.5 years of age, littles are expected to start cutting with scissors? (These are our favorite ones to start with!) Supporting fine motor development is crucial to developing skills like writing, tying their shoes, or zipping a jacket. Crafts help with all of these tasks!

More resources to spend summer days crafting

As a mom of three, I know it can be hard to fill long summer days with things to do! That’s why we made our Free Summer Crafts for Babies and Toddlers. Helping parents find fun and easy things to do with their little ones this summer is our jam! From sensory bins to the cutest seasonal craft ideas, we’ve got you covered.

Remember: when in doubt, craft it out.

You only need 10 supplies (that you likely already have at home) and just 10 minutes. And most of these will buy you much longer than that! You can also check out our Spring Crafts post, or find more age-appropriate activities in our Play Activities category on the blog!

For all of our other freebies, head to the Freebies page to download as many as you’d like! And be sure to check out all of our Summertime Favorites for baby and toddler, from sunscreen and baby bathing suits to beach toys and pool safety, we have you covered!

Click below to download for FREE!