Summer Kid’s Camp: Arts and Crafts for Kids

What would a summer camp series from Crafts Unleashed be without an arts and crafts theme? We firmly believe in the importance of instilling art as part of a child’s development. Art helps children develop valuable fine motor skills, decision making abilities and visual learning.

Arts and crafts also give kids a chance to express their personality and develop a stronger sense of self-awareness. That’s why the second theme in our Summer Kid’s Camp series is Arts and Crafts for Kids.

Arts and Crafts Kid’s Camp Activities

It’s easy to get children excited about arts and crafts. For every age group, you can easily find activities that will awaken their creativity and get them excited about crafting. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be all about arts and crafts. Getting children interested in music, art appreciation and writing are all great ways to encourage self-expression.

Try any combination of the following activities to get children engaged and channeling their artistic talents:

Sing along to kid’s camp songs
Give each child a box of the same art supplies and tell them to create something original
Put on a play for the local community
Visit the local art museum
Use a photo as a prompt to write a story as a group
Create a food collage with dry food items
Let children draw self-portraits using craft mirrors
Photo scavenger hunt

(Photos all courtesy of Niki Meiners. Learn how to make her tie dye t-shirts)

Arts and Crafts Project for Kids

After your day of fun activities, you need an arts and craft project to top off the day. We’ve got you covered with an outdoor arts and crafts project that every kid will love. Tie dye! This simple art project allows kids to be truly creative, a little messy and entertained for hours.

Work as a group to create theme t-shirts or let kids bring in tote bags, bedding or other white clothing to dye. The unveiling of their masterpiece will be the cherry on top of a fun and creative day.

What you’ll need:

Jacquard Tie Die Kit (Each kit includes supplies for 5 tie dyed shirts)
Tote bag
White clothing
White bedding

Directions:

Fold and roll your tie dye shirt. Simply fold it in half and then roll the piece, starting from one end and working your way to the other.
Place rubber bands where you’d like the stripes located on your shirt or sheet. Or, get creative and make your own pattern by twisting your shirt in other directions or moving the rubber bands.
Soak the t-shirts in soda ash that is included in the kit. Soak fabric for half an hour.
Once garments have soaked, start using the dye to make your pattern. Always start with lightest colors first and be sure to get all sides of the fabric well covered.
Let dry, remove rubber bands and machine wash.

Get creative with your tie dye patterns. You might even want to try out different techniques to see what works best. Just make sure all the kids are prepared to get messy and pick a warm day so you can do most of the dirty work outside.

Play music and take pictures while the children are creating their masterpieces. Creating a positive memory will ensure they keep up their enthusiasm for arts and crafts long after camp is over.

Be sure to check back next week for another brand new theme in our Summer Kid’s Camp Series.