Summer holidays are almost here, and now begins the hunt for finding ways to engage the children without technology, phones, or tablets. And in a time where electric entertainment is plentiful, it can become difficult to convince the children to leave their phones. But if art activities and a little mess clean up does not bother you, here we mention 6 easy art activities to do over the summer holidays.
Finger painting is a favourite activity for many children, and while it does get messy after a point, it is super fun and enjoyable. There is no need for brushes, or canvases, or mixing palettes, and all it requires are fingers and some paint cans.
So just whip up a few sheets of paper and some watercolours, and let the imagination of your little ones run wild. From sunflowers to little houses with smoke chimneys, children can paint anything they like.
Another fun art activity for the children and adults is making natural colours at home. Just collect natural colour sources like turmeric, beetroot, spinach, coffee, blue-pea flowers, and the likes, and then crush and boil them in water to make small amounts of natural dyes.
For example, add some grated beetroot to a litre of water, and let it boil till it thickens and reduces to about half its quantity. Soon, you will see layers of red forming over the pot. Scrape this for some powdered colour or use the reduced water as watercolour.
What better way to spend time than to colour through Mandala art sheets?
Mandala arts are super calming, but also help both children and adults focus better as they colours through the geometrical lines. Just print some Mandala designs on paper or draw your own with circles, squares, cones, and more, and hand the children a set of pastel colours to paint through the sheets.
Another fun activity for the holidays can be flower making with sheets (regular or origami). All you need is coloured paper, scissors, glue, and some seeds or coffee grounds for the seeds of the flower.
Ask the children to cut out petals and leaves and stick them together to form beautiful flowers. And with their final creations, you can also make a paper flower bouquet or decorate those flowers onto greeting cards.
If you feel up for a challenge, why not tie-dye a shirt with the children?
It is super fun, pretty easy, and the results are simply amazing. Just grab some old white shirts or t-shirts, some fabric dye (can be bought online), a large bucket for water, and some rubber bands. Now, twist the clothes in different ways, tie rubber bands through the ends or in the middle, and dip them in fabric dye section by section. After a few hours, rinse them and keep it to dry in direct sunlight for a few hours.
Play-Doh is always a hit with children, and doing fun activities with play-doh is a delight for both kids and adults. The best part? You do not even have to be very involved when they are creating their masterpieces!
Just grab some doh from the store near you or buy it online, and let the children make fruits, or animals, or letters, or a home with the play-doh. Make them use the rolling pins and the cutters for amazing shapes, and if you let it dry well, it can be the perfect summer vacation memory.