If you’re in the mood for something bright, cheerful, and a little zesty, these fun and easy lemon crafts and activities for kids are the perfect pick.
They’re fresh, simple, and packed with play — plus, they’re a great way to sneak in sensory fun, science, and creativity all in one go.
Whether you’re planning a summer theme, a citrusy playdate, or just want a quick activity that feels like sunshine, this list has you covered.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Crafts & Activities
- They smell amazing! Citrus sensory play? Yes, please.
- Perfect for summer. These ideas feel like a warm-weather celebration.
- Sneaky learning moments. Kids explore color mixing, chemical reactions, fine motor skills, and more — without even realizing it.
- Easy and low-prep. Most of these activities use basic materials you already have at home.
Grab a few lemons and let’s play!
Fun and Easy Lemon Crafts & Activities for Kids
Lemon Boats
Cut lemons in half, add a paper sail on a toothpick, and set them floating in a bin of water. Add LEGO figures for extra fun — it’s a floating adventure in a citrus slice!
Lemon Oobleck Sensory Play
Mix lemon juice, cornstarch, and water to create a goopy, stretchy, science-packed sensory play experience. It’s a little bit weird, a lot messy, and so much fun.
Paint with Lemons
Dip lemon halves in paint and stamp them onto paper to make fruity, textured prints. Try twisting or dragging the lemons for different effects!
The Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Nothing beats a cold cup of freshly squeezed lemonade! Let kids help juice lemons, stir in sugar and water, and enjoy the delicious reward.
Lemon Playdough Recipe
Make your own soft, squishy lemon-scented playdough — just add lemon juice or zest for an extra sensory boost. It smells incredible and lasts for days!
Lemon Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with sliced lemons, water, scoops, and cups for a juicy, hands-on sensory experience. Add yellow pom poms, fake lemons, or lemon-scented soap for even more fun.
Cardboard Lemonade Jug Craft
Cut and paint a cardboard jug of lemonade and decorate it with paper lemon slices and straws. Perfect for pretend play or setting up a mini lemonade stand at home.
Fizzy Lemon Volcanoes
Squeeze lemon juice onto baking soda-filled lemon halves and watch the fizzy, foamy reaction! Add food coloring for extra wow factor.
Colour Changing Lemonade
Mix up a batch of natural lemonade and add a splash of butterfly pea flower tea to watch it turn from blue to pink before your eyes — it’s science + magic in a cup!
Invisible Ink
Use lemon juice to write a secret message on paper. Let it dry, then hold it near a light bulb or iron (adult help required!) to reveal the hidden writing.
Lemon Scented Puffy Paint
This lemon-scented puffy paint is soft, squishy, and smells amazing — it’s the perfect sensory art activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
Lemon and Watercolors
Add a little citrus twist to your painting routine with this lemon and watercolor activity — the acid in the lemon creates beautiful texture and unexpected effects on the paper!
Simple Lemon Battery
Turn a lemon into a mini science experiment with this simple lemon battery activity — a fun and fascinating way to introduce basic STEM concepts to curious kids.
Lemonade Sensory Bin
This pretend-play bin is filled with water, lemon slices, cups, and spoons. Kids can “make” and serve lemonade again and again — perfect for dramatic play lovers.
Lemonade in a Bag
Add lemon juice, sugar, and water into a zip-top bag and shake, shake, shake! It’s a quick, fun way to mix up lemonade — and get a little movement in too.
Whether you’re looking for a quick activity on a sunny day or building a whole citrus-themed week, these lemon crafts and activities are guaranteed to bring smiles (and probably a little mess too — but the fun kind).
So grab a lemon and get started — there’s so much juicy fun waiting to happen!
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.
