Summer Crafts for Toddlers

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Arts and crafts for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers has become our forte here at Eat Play Say. Our Occupational Therapist, Olivia, has created the easiest crafts for littles for each season!

Crafts are often thought of as activities for older kids, but crafts are skill-building opportunities for babies and toddlers, too. We love that these crafts turn into independent play and exploration for your 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 min craft set up with 20 supplies (and glitter?! No, no glitter). I want minimal supplies and minimal prep. If you do too, these next three crafts are for you!

Regardless if your little one is just a younger baby or a full blown preschooler, we have awesome crafts for you to do this summer! Enjoy!

3 Simple & Fun Crafts for Summertime:

01. Pool Noodle Monsters:

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 pool noodle into different sizes with a serrated knife (between 2-5 inches thick). These will be the bodies of your different monsters.

2. Glue googly eyes onto 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 then curvy and curly.

4. Use your monster for pretend play after you are done creating them and even take them to the water table or the bath!

My littles played with these for weeks after we made them!

02. Toy Washing Station: A Summer Sensory Bin for Babies & Toddlers

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 and just do baking soda and vinegar for some fizz or just 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!

03. Fingerprint Watermelons: Easy Finger Painting Project

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 watermelon (pink on 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 water melon 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!

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:

Did you know that participating in crafts can support overall 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.

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!)

School’s Out for Summer? Spend Summer Days Crafting!

As a mom to two myself, I know it can be hard to fill the long summer days with things to do! That’s why we made our Free Summer Crafts for Babies and Toddlers to help parents find fun and easy things to do with their little ones this summer.

From sensory bins to the cutest seasonal craft ideas, we have got you covered! 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!

Click below to download for FREE!

Looking for more crafts?

For all of our other freebies, head to the Freebies page and download as many as you’d like! If you need crafts for holidays, fall, winter, and spring, we have those, too!

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!