by Christina Mendoza

Created on: July 13, 2010   Last Updated: July 14, 2010

Simple summer crafts that you can make with your preschooler are a fun and educational way to keep them entertained on a rainy day, or when it’s just too hot and sunny to play outdoors.  Many of the materials for these four crafts can be found around the house, so they’re also affordable and most can be made on the spur of the moment. 

Fluffy Coffee Filter Flowers 

Your little one will be so proud to see the pretty painted flowers he or she made displayed in a vase in your home!  Have your child paint watercolor designs on three paper coffee filters for each flower.  Also have him or her paint two cotton swabs yellow to make stamens for each flower.  Let the filters dry, then fold and gently crumple them to make a triangle or cone shape, with the bottom point at the center of the filters .  Use scissors to snip off about 1/4” of the tip of the triangle. Tuck the swabs inside the center of the filters, so about an inch sticks out the bottom hole, and secure tightly with tape.  Insert the stamens into a plastic drinking straw for a stem (pull off a little cotton if needed to make the swabs fit), and tape the filters tightly to the straw.  Gently separate and crinkle the filter layers to finish your preschooler’s fun and fluffy flower!

Cardboard Tube Bead Necklace 

Giant-sized beads are perfect for little hands to hold and string, and this craft teaches dexterity as well as creativity and planning skills.  Collect some empty cardboard tubes from paper towels, gift wrap or toilet paper rolls.  Cut the larger tubes into pieces two or three inches long.  Allow your child to decorate the tubes with art materials you have on hand, such as poster paints, markers, crayons and stickers.  Cut a little hole in a plastic drinking straw to make a big, safe “needle,” pull some yarn or string through the hole and out the end, and let your child string the humongous cardboard beads into a necklace. (To avoid frustration, temporarily tie the string around the first bead so the others won’t slide off the end.)  Your child will love wearing this homemade necklace for dress-up play, or giving it to a beloved grandmother or babysitter as a gift.

Plastic Case Purse or Carry-All

Your child can use this adorable, easy-to-make child-sized tote for pretend play around the house, or for gathering summertime nature treasures outside.  You will need a small, thin-plastic case

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