6 art and crafts activities for kids

It’s never too young to get children into art, and the summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to keep idle hands busy with a selection of fun and stimulating art activities for kids.

Summer holiday art activities for kids

 

Now the sun has finally started to emerge and the schools are closing for the summer, instead of spending all day stuck to an ipad or in front of the TV, introducing some art-based activities each day to keep curious minds active.

Adorable Painted Houses

 

If you’re looking after slightly older children, why not make these cute miniature houses? Each building can be made using clay and acrylic paint – two simple and affordable art materials that will form something you’ll treasure for years to come.

What you’ll need:

DAS clay
Acrylic Paint
Brushes

Separate your clay into as many sections as you want (this will depend on the size you want your houses), then smooth them into the classic house silhouette – square or rectangular with a pointed roof. Follow the DAS clay instructions to set your clay.

Once the house has dried, you can add you own detail and colour using acrylic paint – try using an unusual colour pallet and adding details such as windows and doors to create a tiny, vibrant neighbourhood.

Hand Painting

What you’ll need

Poster pain
Coloured card

Hand painting is always a winner for younger children who enjoy the interactive and messy aspect of the medium. It couldn’t be more simple to sort out, just get some coloured card out, make sure you’re not doing it near a cream carpet, and start making hand painted masterpieces.

If you’re out of ideas, why not try to capture the likeness of a various safari animals – rhinos, zebras, lions, tigers and giraffes (pictured).

Glittery Magic Wand

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What you’ll need:

Sticks
Sandpaper
Poster paint
Glitter<

If your little ones are fans of a certain bespectacled wizard, a fun and simple activity is making a wizard’s wand. First, head out into the garden (if you don’t have a garden, a local park is perfect too) and hunt for the best sticks you can find. Gather up a bunch, then head back home.

Once you’ve decided which sticks are the best, adults should carefully remove any sharp twigs – snapping them off, then using sandpaper to smooth out the remainder.

Next, the wands need painting with your poster paint. Apply glitter while the paint is still wet so it’s gives each wand an overall covering, leave to dry and voila - you have a selection of sparkling magic wands!

Nautical Collage

What you’ll need:

Paper
Fabric (optional)
Scissors (try use child friendly scissors)
Glue stick
Glitter

Collage is a fun and easy way of creating great looking images – an ideal option if you can’t draw (or if you just want to try something new!). To start, gather up a range of different types of paper. For the sails you can use fabric or paper depending on your preference – cut a selection of different sized right angle triangles, then stick them so the large triangle is on the right side.

For a sparkling ocean affect, use your glue stick to draw wavy lines, then sprinkle some blue or green glitter on top.

Make Fake Food!

What you’ll need:

2 x DAS clay
Acrylic Paint

Did you know that in Japan there’s a whole company that only makes fake food? In days gone by, Japanese restaurants used to display the food they sold outside in clear containers. After a few hours the intense heat meant the dishes started to spoil and took unappetising – that’s where the invention of fake model food came in.

Be part of this Asian tradition by making your own fake food. Simply form the shapes of whatever food you fancy (pies, fruits, burgers, tomatoes, fish – the world is quite literally your oyster). Put the clay food in the oven, then apply the finishing touches with acrylic paint.

Ink Blowing

What you’ll need:

A straw (cut in half)
Ink
Paper

Ink Blowing is a fun and simple activity that kids (and adults) will enjoy. It couldn’t be easier to do, just lay out some paper (bigger paper can be more fun and create less chance of any major spillages!), then drop ink onto the page. Using the straws - and being careful not to blow too hard - guide wet ink around the page to make brilliant patterns.