Free Summer Craft and Activity Ideas

Hello, summer! The season of popsicles, pool days, and lots of play is officially here—and we’re so excited to share something special to help you make the most of it. Our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities Printable is packed with simple, screen-free fun designed to keep little hands busy, minds engaged, and creativity flowing all summer long.

This printable download includes a collection of adorable, kid-friendly templates that can be colored, cut out, and transformed into all kinds of creative projects. From ice cream cones to popsicles and smiley fish, each design offers a fun opportunity to spark imagination while supporting important early learning skills—like fine motor development, sensory exploration, and even early math and writing concepts. Ready for the ideas? Let’s get into it!

Free Summer Craft and Activity Ideas

 Fish Fun

Use: The blank fish template from our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities 

This one’s a classic—and a favorite for a reason! Print out our blank fish template and let your little one bring their underwater friend to life with color, texture, and creativity. One easy and engaging idea is to set out a few squares of colorful tissue paper and have your child rip them into smaller pieces (great for building strength in  little hands!). Next, spread glue all over the fish shape—either with a glue stick or a brush—and let them stick the tissue pieces on however they’d like to decorate their fishy friend!

Want to make it even more magical? Add a “special” shiny scale using a small piece of tin foil for a Rainbow Fish-inspired touch. Not only is this activity fun and creative, but it also helps build essential fine motor skills, hand strength, and coordination—all while encouraging self-expression!

Skills they’re building:

• Fine motor (tearing tissue = big pre-writing win!)
  

• Hand-eye coordination
  

• Early artistic choice and creativity
  

Pro tip: This is great for kiddos who aren’t quite ready for scissors yet—ripping paper builds those same little muscles they'll use for writing!

Ice Cream Cone Delight

Use: The blank ice cream cone template from our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities 

This one is as sweet as it sounds! Print and cut the cone template, then create your own fluffy "ice cream" using homemade puffy paint (just mix shaving cream, white glue, and a drop of food coloring). Glue your cone onto a sheet of construction paper, then paint your scoops on top! Add sprinkles with glitter, chocolate drizzle with markers, or top it off with a pom-pom cherry!

Skills they’re building:

• Sensory exploration
  

• Fine motor skills
  

• Creativity and artistic expression
  

Extend the learning: Have your child describe (or write about!) their dream ice cream cone. What does it look like? Smell like? Taste like? Engaging the senses builds vocabulary and storytelling skills.

Symmetry Butterfly

Use: The blank butterfly template from our FREE Spring Crafts and Activities 

Symmetry has never been so satisfying (or cute)! Start by printing and cutting out our butterfly template. Fold it in half and reopen to show the crease. Let your child paint just one side—using dots, stamps, or brush strokes—then fold the other half over and press lightly. When you open it again, you will have a perfectly symmetrical butterfly!

Skills they’re building:

• Fine motor control
  

• Early math concepts (like symmetry and spatial reasoning)
  

• Cause and effect understanding
  

Bonus: This is a great way to introduce the idea of balance in nature—plus, it’s just plain magical for kids to see their art double in an instant!

Spotty Sun

 Use: The smiley template from our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities

This one is simple, sunny, and so much fun! Start by printing out the smiley sun template and grabbing a few Q-tips and some yellow (or any color!) paint. Dip the Q-tips in the paint and let your little one dot all over the sun to create a fun, spotty texture. They can fill it in completely or just add dots around the edges—there’s no wrong way to make their sunshine shine!

This is a great activity for little artists to work on control and precision in a playful way. Plus, the finished product is bright, cheerful, and ready to hang on your fridge or summer art wall!

Skills they’re building:

• Fine motor (holding and dotting with a Q-tip = tiny hand muscles in action!)
  

• Hand-eye coordination
  

• Focus and control
  

• Creative expression through color and design

Pro tip: You can switch up the colors to create a rainbow sun, or even add a little glitter glue for some sparkle!

Popsicle Creativity

Use: The blank popsicle template from our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities 

This activity is as cool as it sounds—and totally customizable! Start by printing out the blank popsicle template and then let your little one decide how to decorate it. One fun idea? Tear up small pieces of colorful tissue paper (great for building those fine motor muscles!) and glue them inside the shape to create a bright, textured popsicle. Or go wild with paint, markers, glitter, pom-poms—whatever you have on hand!

This open-ended activity lets kids explore their creativity while working on important early skills like coordination, control, and decision-making. No matter how they design it, their popsicle masterpiece is sure to be sweet and one-of-a-kind!

Skills they’re building:

• Fine motor (ripping, gluing, and placing small materials)
  

• Hand-eye coordination
  

• Color and texture sensory exploration
  

• Creative expression and decision-making

 

More Ways to Use These Summer Activities 

You can also use the templates in our FREE Summer Crafts and Activities

download for:

• A summer-themed bulletin board or art wall
  

• Creating puppets for storytelling or dramatic play
  

• Decorating party bags or summer journals
  

• Making cards for friends, neighbors, or grandparents
  
  

Let your little one’s creativity lead the way!

Your Turn!

With all these fun and easy Summer Craft and Activity Ideas, the possibilities are truly endless! If you’re loving these ideas, be sure to check out our full Free Summer Crafts and Activities printable download—featuring ice cream cones, sunshine, popsicles, beach shovels, fireworks, and more!

We’d love to see your sunny creations—tag us on social media using #PlaygroundPressKids so we can share the summer fun!