BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details
Menu
 
Expert Shopper Toys & Games

Best outdoor crafts for kids

Adobe Stock

What are the best outdoor crafts for kids?

With summer on its way, you want your kids outside and not cooped up in the house. We automatically think of pool parties, barbecues and sports as ways to keep the kids occupied. Still, arts and crafts are an excellent way to stimulate their imagination and encourage their creativity.

Shop this article: Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye PartyCrayola Washable Kids Paint and SparkJump Jr Birdhouse Kit With Paint Set, Cedar Wood for Outdoors

Crayola Washable Kids Paint

You may consider crafts an indoor activity, but it’s easy to take your kids’ paint, paint brushes, and set up an outdoor easel. Even sidewalk chalk is a simple way to get your kids’ creative juices flowing without causing any permanent property damage, but there is a long list of craft activities that can keep your kids engaged for hours.

Sold by Amazon

The benefits of outdoor crafts

Improve overall health

Parents have been saying it for generations, but the World Health Organization confirms that children under 5-years-old benefit from spending less time inside in front of screens and more time outside being active.

Art is an excellent way for children to develop and improve their communication, fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities. Crafting is great for children to improve their social and emotional skills by creating something with other kids.

Getting in touch with nature

If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where you’re close to nature and animals, crafts can expose your kids to the local wildlife. Building bird feeders or birdhouses come with a special sense of accomplishment because kids can sit back and watch animals utilize what they created.

Outdoor crafts are a great bonding activity

Even though it can be beneficial to get the kids out of the house so you can enjoy a little quiet time, working on an arts and crafts project with your kids can be a fun family project. Whether creating a piece of art, or a decorative item for the house, creating something that lasts can be a rewarding experience.

The overall best outdoor crafts for kids

Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Party

This 15-color tie-dye kit offers supplies for up to five people. The dyes come in easy-squeeze bottles and don't contain any toxic chemicals. The dyes are machine washable, so you can wear your outdoor craft apparel over and over again.

Sold by Amazon

Alex Art Sidewalk Mandala Sweet Stuff

Take the classic sidewalk chalk art up a notch and create beautiful mandala designs using this 22.5-inch stencil.

Sold by Amazon

Adventure Girls!: Crafts and Activities for Curious, Creative, Courageous Girls

This book is jam-packed with crafts, adventure ideas and outdoor activities entirely different from a typical craft book. Empower your young one to develop independence, dive into science and get their hands dirty while fostering their creative side.

Sold by Amazon

The best nature crafts for kids

4M Green Creativity Pressed Flower Art Kit

This pressed flower kit is the perfect option for combining arts and crafts with the outdoors. This kit will teach kids how to press flowers into bookmarks, cards and boxes. It includes a press, glue and double-sided tape.

Sold by Amazon

Creativity for Kids Enchanted Fairy Garden Craft Kit

See your child’s creative side flourish while they have the opportunity to grow their own plants. This fairy garden craft kit comes with everything to decorate their pot, including paint, gemstones, flowers and butterflies. It also comes with seeds to plant in the pot that can sprout within just four days.

Sold by Amazon

Creativity for Kids Make Your Own Firefly Light Craft Kit

Allow your kids to experience the same joy you had catching fireflies while not harming any little bugs by creating and designing their own pretend firefly jar with LED lights. The pretend lighting bugs will come to life when you place them in the oven and watch them shrink right in front of you. Once completed, these make for a great night light!

Sold by Amazon

SparkJump Jr Birdhouse Kit With Paint Set, Cedar Wood for Outdoors

Everything you need to construct and decorate your own birdhouse is included, except the hammer, which you should use with adult supervision. Your child can develop a sense of pride while learning basic building and engineering skills. Give them the joy of knowing that the result of their work will create a home for animals.

Sold by Amazon

Gadjit Soda Bottle Jumbo Wild Bird Feeder Kit

This is a budget-conscious outdoor craft for nature and bird-loving kids. This kit promotes recycling by using two two-liter soda bottles to create a wild bird feeder. However, doesn’t include soda bottles or bird seeds.

Sold by Amazon

The best outdoor painting crafts for kids

Creative Roots Paint Your Own Mosaic Butterfly Stepping Stone

Allow your kids to express their creativity while creating a stepping-stone that you can place in an indoor potted plant or outdoor garden. They can decorate it as they like with the paints included to make it uniquely their own.

Sold by Amazon

Paint & Plant Flower Growing Kit

This STEM-authenticated educational kit gives your kids two awesome opportunities to foster creativity and learn the life cycle of plants and botany. They can decorate the planter with brightly colored paint and then plant the Zinnia, Cosmo and Marigold flowers by following simple step-by-step instructions.

Sold by Amazon

Create & Paint a Mini Wind Chime Making Kit

This high-quality outdoor craft is both entertaining and educational. Have your kids spark their creativity when designing and painting a wind chime. This kit comes with two domes, five chimes, paint and everything you need to hang a wind chime.

Sold by Amazon

Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.

Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.

Ryan Dempsey writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.

Share this post: