when the Summer holidays are coming to an end and you're running out of ideas to keep the kids entertained, we're on a mission to help fill your weeks ahead with some easy and cheap craft activity ideas for kids
With the return school or nursery just around the corner, now is an ideal time to get them prepped and ready, back in the mindset!
Here are 6 more quick and easy craft ideas for entertaining the kids this Summer, for getting them prepped for school!
1- PLASTIC BOTTLE APPLE BOX
We saw this idea by our 'go-to' craft resource site and thought it was fab! Red Ted Art say it's a great back to school teacher gift, but it can be used for all sorts of things like keeping you treasures safe, a makeshift stationery box/ pencil case, using as a gift box or simply as a decoration!
To make one, you will need:
one large plastic bottle (2ltr size) per apple
a bit of green paper
if the bottle is not already green or red, then tissue paper in red or green
a little tape
scissors
brown paper or sharpies – for the lid
To make your apple:
Make sure the bottle is rinsed and dried as best you can.
Measure about 10-12cm up from the bottom and cut around the plastic bottle. Then, if required, leave to dry fully.
Cut the top part off the plastic bottle (again approx 10-12cm). And leave to dry fully or use a cloth.
Cut 1 cm slots around the edge of the top part of the apple - about 2-3cm apart
Fill the plastic bottle apple with treats and tissue paper.
Insert the top part of the plastic bottle apple into the bottom part to close the container and form the apple shape (the slots will help you to make the diameter smaller so it fits inside)
To finish, cut a leaf from some green paper or colour one in or you could even use a real one from outside if you like! then cellotape or glue it onto the side of the lid (as per the photo)
If your bottle top is not green, or doesn't match the rest of your apple, then you can either colour it green/brown with a sharpie or wrap some brown paper around it.
If you haven't seen your friends for a long time why not make them a friendship bracelet for when you go back to school?
This craft is super easy, we've even been making them at our kids craft workshops in store! all you need is a bit of cardboard from an old box and some lengths of off-cut wool!
This craft is a simple weaving technique called kumihimo which works much like the old-school knitting dollies.
Simply take a circle of cardboard (thick corrugated cardboard box card works best) we cut around the base of a tin can as a guide and cut some 1cm slots around the perimeter (we recommend drawing 4 straight lines across the centre of the disc to create 8 evenly spaced points) You also need to punch a hole through the middle big enough to get 7 stands of yarn through - some sharp scissors or a pencil/pen should do the trick
Then choose some wool, in your friend's favourite colours, and cut to about 50cm lengths (you'll need 7 strands)
To make your bracelet:
Take your seven strands of yarn and tie a knot at one end – now depending on how you finish off your bracelet, you may want to vary how you make this knot – see below for different options
Thread your strands through the hole in the disc. I find using scissors to push them through really helps!
With your 7 strands dangling down, take one strand at a time and slot it through one of the 1 cm strips. So the first strand through one slot, the second strand through the next. The order of the strands doesn’t really matter at this point.
You should now have 7 strands tucked in and one left over “space slot” hold your disc so the space slot is at the bottom
To start creating the bracelet simply take the 3rd strand to the LEFT of the space slot, lift it up, bring it down and slot it into the space slot. This creates a new space slot.
Rotate your disc so the new space slot is now at the bottom and now again, pick the strand 3rd to the left and slot it into the space slot.. repeat over and over again.
Your yarn friendship bracelet will begin to “grow” on the other side of the disc, give it a gentle tug every so often to keep it coming through.
Keep going until the bracelet is the length you need to fit around your friend's wrist with a little extra for tying off.
To finish your bracelet you have a couple of options:
A simple knot. You can “unknot” the knot you made at the beginning and then knot together each end securely onto the wrist. These friendship bracelets are harder to remove!
A loop and knot. Instead of using 7 individual strands or wool, you can use 3 1m strands and fold them in half, creating a loop. Add the 7th strand and knot. This loop forms part of your closing mechanism.. either later tie the ends to this (which means you can make a shorter friendship bracelet), OR add a bead/ button to the end which can be pushed through the loop.
Use 3 longer pieces of yarn (as above) thread a bead or button through them and create a loop. Add the 7th strand and again knot. Then, once your friendship bracelet is finished, make two knots next to each other – wide apart enough for the bead/ button to fit between the knots. (Crating a button hole effect)
3- DIY SCRAPBOOK JOURNAL
You're coming to the end of the Summer and made lots of memories along the way, why not keep those memories forever in a photo journal?
You don't need much to make your very own journal either, it can be made really simply from some more cardboard, a bit of ribbon, a glue stick and some paper, here's how:
bring together all your materials - the basic supplies are some card, some paper, ribbon and anything you need to decorate your book
cut two pieces of cardboard for the front and back of your book, this should be slightly larger than your page size so it keeps everything inside protected - for example, if you are folding A4 sheets in half to make your pages, make the cardboard covers about 16cm x 23cm
bring your pages together, we find folding A4 sheets of paper in half and putting them together to form a book works well but this stage is completely up to your imagination, you can even make you own paper if you're feeling creative!
punch some holes in the folded side of your paper (or along an edge if you haven't used folded paper) make sure the holes are far enough into the paper so its not going to rip but not too far in so you've room to create designs on it (top tip, you can reinforce the edges of the paper by creating a margin with a band of cellotape along the edge before punching holes in it)
measure up your pages with your cardboard covers and punch some holes in along the edges of the cardboard in relatively the same places
cut some short lengths of ribbon and thread through your oles to bring all your pages and covers together, tie off in a secure knot or bow on the front
Voila! you now have a journal ready to fill with your memories
Now you can let your imagination run wild! decorate the front and back of your journal with pens, paints, stickers and gems, don't forget to give it a title! Then gather all your memories from your summer; photos, pictures you've drawn/made, tickets from places you've been, foraged items like dried flowers, leaves, twigs and sticks and put them together into a 'story of your summer' in your book. Use decorative tape, stickers and gems to make your designs come alive!
The best thing about the DIY version of this book is that you can add pages whenever you need to, just undo the ribbon and thread in some more paper.
Don't forget to take your journal to school with you to show your teacher and friends everything you did during the Summer!
4- NO-SEW ROLL UP PENCIL CASE
You're going to need somewhere to keep all your pencils for school, right? well why not make your very own super-simple roll-up from one piece of felt!
This is another really simple one, but you may need a little help with measuring and cutting the slots:
Choose your favourite colour felt sheet, these ones are perfect for our pencil roll up (9 pencils)
Mark a row 5cm from the top and from the bottom of the long edges of your felt (you can do this with chalk or a disappearing ink pen to be sure not to leave a mark on the finished piece)
Place a pencil 2cm from the short edge of the felt and mark on the row where it sits, then place the rest of your pencils every 2cm apart marking it on your rows
You need to leave enough space at the end of your felt to roll over the rest of your wrap so don;t go all the way to the other end with pencils
Before you cut, make sure your marks are LINED UP so the pencils sit straight.
Carefully cut 5mm (or larger if you pencils are chunkier) slots at your mark points with small scissors (leaving 2cm between each slot)
Finally.. at the roll up end, make two smaller incisions and thread your ribbon through as a clasp for your no sew pencil roll up
Now slot your favourite pencils in and roll up your 'case' and tie the ribbon!
Pop your case into your school bag nice and neatly and you'll have your pencils to hand whenever you need them!
5- SCHOOL BAG POMPOM CHARM
Here's another one we have been making in our craft shop this Summer! Why not make a fab keyring charm to pop on your new school bag?
This one is a Buzzy Bee but you can just make a plain pompom or a few small ones to hang together? Or turn it into any animal you want by adding eyes and embellishments:
All you need is a bunch of wool in your chosen colours (yellow and black if you're making our bee) a pompom maker, a bit of felt and a keyring hook
Watch our how-to video here:
6- ORIGAMI NINJA STAR FIDGET SPINNER
Back to school, will you need something to fidget with in class? This quick and easy fidget spinner toy is a great one to make and decorate and even give to your friends!
A small piece of cardboard (from a cereal or cardboard box)
A toothpick
Some glue
How to make your spinner:
You need to make a ninja star - the easiest thing to do is follow this video by RedTedArt rather than read through our written instructions - depending on the size of your hands you may want to use smaller peiecs of paper to ensure there is room for the spinner to spin between your fingers!
to turn your star into a spinner:
draw around 1p coin twice onto some cardboard (cereal box thickness is fine) and cut out - colour them in to match your star if you like!
take a pin and punch a hole in the centre of your discs
thread one disc onto a tooth pick
then thread your ninja star onto the pick (you may need to shimmy the star a bit to make sure you have a hole in the middle)
the thread the other disc onto the pick
leave a couple of millimetres between the star and the discs then trim the tooth pick so the discs are on each end
you can now use a bit of hot glue or tape to cover the ends of the tooth pick on your discs
Boom! you spinner is ready to go spin!
If you fancy making a spinner even more complex and funky looking head here to Paperpapers for some more shape ideas!
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that's 6 fun ideas for getting the kids prepped and ready to go back to school! a few more activities to finish up the Summer Holidays!
keep an eye out for more craft inspiration coming this way very soon!
until next time
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