I have more crafts for the family. As it says on the box, for kids as young as three and as old as 103. So here we go. After this pandemic, I think we're all ready to celebrate the 4th of July in a big way. Involve those kids and grandkids in the home decorating with these crafts.

The first one is just a matter of buying some "Do-A-Dot Art®". Or you can get some finger-paint and some sponges. I think the "Do-A-Dot" markers are much easier. You'll also need a star stencil or pattern and let them paint around it. Very easy for even three-year-olds.

The next one is for the older kids. It involves hammering nails in wood and stringing embroidery thread so you'll have to be the judge for what your grandchild can do. Our grandson is seven and going on eight, and he was just fine with this craft.

It might be easier to show you the finished product before I go into any kind of explanation, so here is it.

As you can see, this involves a 5 inch by 16 inch piece of lumber, nails, red, white and blue string, and a 4 inch star pattern. Simply trace the star pattern on the board in three places, mark where you want your nails, hammer them in (but not all the way of course), and string the heavy thread. Voila! You've got yourself a pretty decoration for home or patio.

And there you have it--two more crafts you can do with your children or grandchildren. They love it when you make decorations together and love it even more when you use those decorations in your home. They beam with pride. We sent the string art home with our grandson so he could hang it in his house. We also put a sticker on the back telling the day it was made and signed it. If it survives his childhood, he'll have something to hang in his house and tell his kids that he made it when he was a boy.

Creating handmade items for this big summer holiday with the kids and grandkids!

I keep my seven-year-old grandson in the summer. And I recently had my 13-year-old granddaughter come to visit as well. I decided to plan some crafts for us to do while they were here. I thought I probably should use the time with my granddaughter to work on her sewing skills. She spent the night one night so we could work at the sewing machine without her 7-year-old cousin underfoot. We would do a craft with him when he came the next morning. 

Making Pillows out of Tea Towels:

My granddaughter's family has a lovely outdoor sectional on their patio. We decided it would be great to make some patriotic themed pillows for that couch. I took the easy way out and just bought some 4th of July tea towels. That way my grand just had to fold, sew up the sides and bottom and we were ready to stuff those pillows. Easy as can be!

A Patriotic Ribbon Banner:

The project we all three did together, and that's suitable for the younger kids (at least if they know how to tie a knot), was a 4th of July ribbon banner made of red, white and blue ribbons. We started by walking in the woods to find some sticks and twigs that would be suitable for us to tie our ribbons to. After we settled on the size and look we wanted, we brought them back to the craft room and began to cut our ribbons. We had an assembly line to measure each strand of ribbon and cut. I had already bought the ribbon when the craft store had rolls on sale at half price.  Then we were ready to simply tie the ribbons on the stick in any patterns we chose. An easy craft for young and old alike.

There you have it. Two easy summer crafts with the kids or grandkids. And it's a fun indoor craft--too hot in Texas right now to do anything outside.

As I always say, doing arts-and-crafts with the young kids is such a great bonding time. You can talk, share ideas, and learn what's going on in their lives. And you have cute pillows and a wall-hanging for Independence Day!