Summer is here, and it’s time to relax and enjoy the sunshine. Oh, wait, maybe not so much for us parents! School-aged kids are home all day, and for the younger kiddos, well . . . they’re just always kind of there, right? So along with the glorious sunshine comes some much-needed activities planned to keep everyone occupied for the next couple of months!
Even when taking a break from official “learning” at school, it’s still important that our kids use at least some of their time to stay mentally stimulated. Reading is a wonderful way to do that, which is why summer reading challenges are so popular! Of course, to get them excited to read and keep track of where they are in their books, DIY summer bookmarks are a great craft for the summer!
This fun craft is so easy and perfect for summer reading! There are tons of ways to design the bookmarks, but for these, we chose some summer staples to decorate with to keep it festive. Using basic shapes makes it a fun way to sneak in a little learning as they create designs out of the shapes!
Making DIY Summer Bookmarks
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Cardstock or construction paper in various colors
- Scissors
- Glue
- Ruler
- Crayons
That’s it! Super easy, right? I bet you already have these items in your home!
1. Cut out shapes for summer-themed decorations
To make our summery designs, basic shapes are perfect for two reasons.
- It is an extra layer of fun (and learning) for kids to figure out which shapes go together to make a familiar picture.
- Cutting out shapes is so much easier for kids (or you!) to cut out rather than more elaborate designs.
So for these summer bookmarks, we first figured out which shapes to make for each picture.
To make them the right size, I drew out a bookmark outline on the paper and drew the shape inside. This way, we can see how it will fit on the final bookmark. I made these summer bookmarks 2.25 inches x 6 inches, and that worked perfectly for us! Once you have your shapes drawn, simply cut them out.
2. Cut out the bookmark rectangles
Now the bookmarks themselves have to be cut out. Again, 2.25×6 inches was a great size to show a cute design without getting too bulky. It works best to use cardstock for this part to help them withstand use better. If you only have construction paper (like us), then they will still work great, and you could even laminate them for extra sturdiness!
While cutting the bookmarks out, pick out which colors you want to be the background for the different pictures that will be put on.
3. Glue the shapes onto the bookmarks
At this point, your kiddos can go ahead and glue the shapes onto the bookmarks to get the designs started. The designs we chose for our summer-themed bookmarks were as followed:
- Watermelon (half circle)
- Pineapple (oval)
- Butterfly (two hearts)
- Sun (half circle)
- Fish (oval and triangle)
- Ice cream (triangle and three half circles)
- Sunglasses (two larger circles and two smaller circles)
- Crab (oval)
4. Finish the summery designs
You’ll notice the designs aren’t quite complete with just the shapes, so now your kids can let their creativity shine to finish them! Each bookmark needs some details drawn on to be complete. The designs are simple enough for a younger child to complete, but older kids will enjoy it too as they put their unique marks on their summer bookmarks.
Once your kids finish drawing on the rest of the pictures, they will have eight fun new bookmarks to use all summer! Opening up their books to find a crab, sun, watermelon, ice cream, pineapple, sunglasses, butterfly, or fish, will be a fun treat!
