Last Updated on May 7, 2026 by Masha Eretnova
Is your preschooler bored? Summer crafts and activities on this list are all genuinely preschool-friendly, simple, and fun for both parents and kids.
Most develop fine motor skills, sensory awareness, or early creativity in some way, even if they just look like a really fun mess. If necessary, all come with a free printable.
Summer with a preschooler is a very specific kind of chaos. The days are long, the attention spans are short, and “I’m bored” hits about forty minutes into any given morning.
What makes it harder is that most preschool-age kids (roughly 3 to 5) are at a stage where they desperately want to make things, touch things, and figure out how the world works — but they also can’t sustain a complicated project, can’t follow more than two or three steps without getting frustrated, and will absolutely eat the glitter if you turn your back.
The good news: that’s actually a very fun age to craft with. You don’t need elaborate setups or Pinterest-worthy results. You need simple activities that use paint, playdough, scissors, and things you already have at home.
Butterfly Handprint Craft: Lifecycle Activity
This butterfly handprint craft walks kids through all four stages of the butterfly life cycle — eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly — using handprints, paint, and a free printable.
Flamingo Handprint Craft
Pink paint on a handprint flipped sideways becomes a flamingo with the thumb as the head and neck. Kids can add long legs and suddenly it looks exactly right. Tropical, summery, and a little bit silly in the best way.
Bird Playdough Mats (Free Printable)
These free printable bird-themed playdough mats give toddlers and preschoolers a structured way to build and explore. Print them out, laminate them if you want them to last, and set out the playdough.
Ocean Animals Paper Crafts (10 Animals)
This is a free 10-page printable pack where kids color, cut, and glue together 10 different ocean creatures. It works as a quiet activity at home or something to pack in a bag for travel. Great for ages 3 and up, and older preschoolers can do most of the cutting themselves.
Summer Camping Activity Pages
These free printable camping-themed activity pages are designed exactly for those moments on a road trip or at the campsite when the kids are bored or asking to play on the phone. There are mazes, riddles, and more. Perfect for families who camp or travel in the summer.
Free Habitats Color by Number Printables
These free color by number printables feature different animal habitats, so kids are practicing number recognition and color matching while they color dolphin, giraffe, monkey, and other animals.
Easy DIY Beach Moon Sand
This homemade kinetic sand recipe smells like a tropical vacation thanks to coconut oil, and it has that perfect sandy color that makes kids feel like they’re actually digging at the beach. You make a big batch in minutes with just a couple of pantry ingredients, and it keeps for weeks in an airtight container. Add some small seashells or plastic sea creatures and you’ve got a full sensory bin setup — perfect for ages 2 and up.
Free Printable Cut and Paste Crab Craft
This free printable crab craft is a classic cut-and-paste activity where kids first color the crab parts, cut them out, and glue the finished crab together. It’s a great scissors practice activity for preschool and kindergarten.
Rocking Sailboat Craft
This rocking sailboat craft uses a free printable template that kids color and assemble into a little sailboat that actually rocks. Stinking cute!
Summer Surfboard Craft
This surfboard craft comes with a free printable template to build a bright, beachy wave scene with a surfer. Great beach-themed craft, especially if you just got from a vacation!
Summer Paper Plate Wreath
This summer wreath craft starts with a paper plate that kids color and cut into a ring, then decorate with free printable summer art pieces they color and glue on. It’s easy enough for preschoolers and mostly focuses on coloring.
Easy Ladybug Craft for Kids
A red plastic party cup can be easily turned into an adorable ladybug using a pom pom head, googly eyes, and black paint for spots. Great for some DIY garden decor for summer days outside.
Toilet Paper Roll Firework Craft
Photo credit: Cultivating Brilliant Minds
This craft turns an empty toilet paper roll into a firework stamp that kids can use to create red, white, and blue firework bursts for Fourth of July.
MORE 4TH OF JULY: 50+ Easy 4th of July Crafts for Kids
Fork Painted Bee Craft
Kids can use a fork to create art, too! Dipped in yellow paint, it makes the bee’s fuzzy striped body and paper wispy wings is all it takes to build this cutie. It’s a rainy day craft that doesn’t take much supplies or effort from you or your kids.
Cloud Dough for Sensory Play
This cloud dough is made from just two ingredients — flour and oil — and the result is a soft, fluffy, moldable dough that’s more crumbly than playdough and deeply satisfying to squeeze and shape. It’s great for toddlers and preschoolers who need that tactile, hands-on sensory input, and it keeps well in a sealed container.
DIY Mermaid Hanging Mobile
This mermaid mobile is made using recycled cardboard egg carton cups painted and combined with a free printable mermaid to create a whimsical hanging decoration. It’s an eco-friendly craft that uses something you’d otherwise throw away, and the result is great to hang in a kid’s room.
Under the Sea Bubble Art for Kids
With just a simple dyed bubble solution, kids can blow bubbles all they want, plus, it can end up a whole under-the-sea scene. Once the bubble art dries, you can hand drawn sea animals.
Build a Mermaid Printable Craft
This free color-cut-and-glue printable craft lets kids create their own mermaid character. It’s interactive and creative without requiring any freehand drawing skills, which makes it perfect for preschoolers.
Beach Summer Photo Craft for Kids
Another summer and beach-themed craft to build a paper frame. It is a coloring activity and an instant summer keepsake in one. It’s perfect for a vacation photo from the beach or pool.
Chomping Shark Clothespin Craft
A wooden clothespin, with a bit of imagination and paint, can become a chomping shark for a plat pretend. It’s genuinely fun as a toy after the craft is done, which preschoolers love.
Easy Paper Plate Lion Craft
This paper plate lion is a no-template-needed craft where the plate becomes the lion’s mane and face using paint or crayons and pom poms. It’s approachable for preschool and kindergarten, and every lion ends up looking a little different!
Printable Jellyfish Craft
Kids color a free printable jellyfish template, cut it out, and add colorful yarn pieces as tentacles for a wiggly, ocean-themed craft. The cutting and yarn step are great fine motor practice for preschoolers, and the result is bright and sweet.
Owl Toilet Paper Roll Craft
Empty toilet paper rolls decorated with construction paper wings and feathers and does look like little owl family, right?? It’s the perfect zero-budget craft for preschoolers during summer break.
Salt Painting
This is one of those activities that feels like magic to preschoolers: salt painting with watercolor is super fun and every kid should try it at least once! Head to the craft page to see how to do it at home. You can draw ANYTHING.
Flower and Insect Puppets
These free printable insect and flower puppet templates let kids color, cut out, and glue their bug characters to popsicle sticks for an instant puppet show. It’s a great summer nature-themed activity and covers coloring, cutting, and imaginative play all in one project.
Paper Plate Beach Ball Preschool Craft
A paper plate becomes a colorful beach ball with a little help from bright paint and simple taping tricks to section off the stripes. It’s quick, colorful, and practically mess-proof.
Preschoolers will love this summer crafts for preschoolers activity—and you’ll love that it takes less time to clean up than it did to set up.
Masha Eretnova, born in 1991, is a Buenos Aires-based certified teacher, artist, and member of the Professional Artist Association with 20+ years of personal painting journey.
She started painting and drawing very early and is now an international abstract artist and educator passionate about acrylic painting, gouache, and crafts.
Her works are part of international exhibitions and contests, including ArtlyMix (Brazil), Al-Tiba 9 (Spain), Exhibizone (Canada), Italy, and many more.
Besides her artistic pursuits, Masha holds a post-grad diploma in Teaching Film Photography and 2 music school diplomas: piano and opera singing.