If you’re looking for an easy, cheerful way to kick off summer (and help kids understand time a little better), this Summer Countdown Craft is such a fun one to try. It’s bright, simple, and doubles as a visual way for kids to track the days leading up to summer fun—whether that’s a trip, camp, or just long sunny days at home.
What I love most about this craft is that it’s low-prep but feels extra special. Kids get to create something cute and interactive. Each loop becomes part of the countdown, which means there’s a built-in daily ritual they’ll look forward to.
Materials
- Yellow construction paper (for the sun)
- Colored construction paper (red, orange, yellow, green, blue)
- Scissors
- Glue stick or tape
- Black marker
- Heart sunglass printable
- Su rays printables
- Pink paper (optional for cheeks)
- Black paper (for sunglasses)
- String or yarn (for hanging)
How to Make Your Summer Countdown Craft
- Cut a large circle from yellow paper, then trim it in half to make a semi-circle. This will be your sun.
- Draw a simple smile with a black marker. Cut out small pink circles for cheeks and glue them on. For a fun twist, cut sunglasses from black paper (or let kids design their own style!).
- Print out the squiggle lines and use them as a template for yours. You can either print them out in color and use them directly or print them out in black and use them as a template to cut strips on orange and yellow paper. Repeat the same for the straight rays.
- Cut a piece of yarn or string and glue or tape it to the top back of the sun so it can hang. This turns it into a decoration right away.
- Cut strips of colored paper (about 1 inch wide). Loop each strip into a circle and glue the ends together to form a chain. Link them together as you go to create hanging strands. You can make one long chain or several shorter rainbow chains like in this version. Count the number of days left until your summer holidays begin and add that number of loops.
- Glue or tape the top of each chain to the bottom edge of the sun. Space them out evenly.
- Each day, remove one loop. As the chains get shorter, the excitement builds—summer is getting closer!
Why This Works So Well
This isn’t just a cute craft—it’s a hands-on way for kids to understand time. For younger kids especially, “a few weeks” doesn’t mean much, but seeing the chain shrink each day? That clicks.
It’s also great for:
- Fine motor practice (cutting, looping, gluing)
- Color recognition
- Building anticipation in a positive, visual way
And honestly—it just looks so happy hanging on a wall or window.
Make It Your Own
You can easily customize this:
- Write numbers on each loop
- Add activities to each day (mini summer bucket list!)
- Let kids decorate the sun with patterns, stickers, or glitter
Simple, bright, and actually useful—this is one of those crafts that checks all the boxes.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
