30 June Activities for Kids {Free Activity Calendar}

Free summer activity calendar for kids. Keep the kids busy all June long with these awesome activities and crafts for kids!

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May zipped by, didn't it? That's why I'm barely squeaking this free activity calendar for June in before June officially arrives. At least, in my time zone. This month's activity calendar is jam packed with fun ways to enjoy nature, bubbles, and water, while celebrating Father's Day with unique craft ideas.

Fun story, though. While I was working on this month's calendar, I discovered that I dated last month's calendar as May 2015 instead of May 2016.

Why did no one tell me?! 

No worrries, I'm just going to pretend it never happened. I'm just going to admit that I'm too tired and too lazy to change it at this point instead.

Get ready for spring and summer with this activity calendar! It includes lots of activities and crafts perfect for warmer weather, but it also includes lots of homemade gift ideas for celebrating Father's Day! Here's what you'll find on this amazing free June activity calendar for kids:

1. Flower Chain Crown Craft from Fireflies & Mudpies
2. Fly Swatter Color Mixing Painting from House of Burke
3. Watermelon Soap Foam
4. Angry Birds Knock Down Game from Lalymom
5. DIY Water Wall from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tail
6. DIY Mason Jar Straw Cups from Crayon Box Chronicles
7. DIY Upcycled Bubble Blowers
8. Outdoor Art Station from Where Imagination Grows
9. Pool Noodle Water Sensory Bin from Sugar Aunts
10. Outdoor Prereading Activity from Sugar Aunts
11. Giant Paper Airplanes from Fireflies & Mudpies
12. Outdoor Writing Station from Lalymom
13. Ocean Life Sensory Small World from House of Burke
14. Tape Resist Art with Watercolors & Oil Pastels from Where Imagination Grows
15. Nuts & Bolts Frames for Father's Day from Fun-A-Day!
16. Tissue Paper Father's Day Frame from Crayon Box Chronicles
17. Boot Print Poem for Father's Day from Crayon Box Chronicles
18. Homemade Father's Day Tic Tac Toe Game
19. Easy Father's Day Card Idea from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tail
20. Squirt Gun Painting from Fireflies & Mudpies
21. Fork Painting Ice Cream Cone Painting from Sugar Aunts
22. Building with Loose Parts in the Backyard
23. DIY Sponge Bombs from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tail
24. Kid Made Camping Lantern from Lalymom
25. Flower Art Nature Collages from Where Imagination Grows
26. Free Printable Popsicle I Spy Game
27. Camping Pretend Play from Where Imagination Grows
28. Fine Motor Seashell Transfer Game from House of Burke
29. Paint the Car from Fun-A-Day!
30. Summer Time Capsule from Sugar Aunts

These crafts and activities can be found on this free activity calendar for kids. Download your copy below and keep it handy on your phone or computer. Then every morning, simply open the calendar, find the current date, and click on the corresponding photo. You will be taken to the activity's or craft's instructions. No need to plan activities for your kids as this calendar has it all: math, science, crafts, fine motor activities, and more! To download the calendar, either click on the image below or click the link below the image.

>> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE

Handprint Suncatcher Craft

Looking for a cute handprint craft for Mother's Day or Father's Day? Look no further than this colorful handprint suncatcher craft for kids.

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We really enjoy making suncatchers around here. After all, they add some much needed color to our windows, especially during our long and drab winters.

But one of my favorites that my kids have ever made is this colorful handprint suncatcher craft. It's so vibrant!

I particularly love that crafts like this suncatcher require no glue and encourage fine motor skills. I also love that this handprint craft provides an opportunity to explore color mixing. On top of that, it makes for a great gift to relatives!

A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.

What You'll Need for this Handprint Suncatcher Craft

Here's what we used to make this beautiful handprint suncatcher:

• Cardstock - You can use whatever color you'd like. We went with purple.

• Contact paper - I buy this at Dollarama. It can be found in the office supply aisle and goes by the name of vinyl book cover (or some variant of that).

• Colored transparencies, tissue paper, or colored cellophane - Use what you have on hand or can easily find in stores near you. We happen to have transparencies on hand for other crafts like this or for light table play.

• Scissors - To cut out the handprints, as well as the colored transparencies (or similar). You could also use a craft knife and mat to cut out the handprints.

• Pencil - You'll need a pencil to trace your child's hands onto the cardstock.

Please note that this craft requires some prep from an adult. It is not intended to be made entirely by a child. However, once the template is created, this craft can be finished by kids of any age. Yes, even toddlers.

How to Make this Handprint Suncatcher

First, you need to trace your child's hands onto a piece of cardstock using a pencil. Depending on the size of your child's hands, you might want to do only one hand per cardstock. Or you could stagger the hands like we did.

Next, cut out the interior of the hand using scissors or a craft knife.

After it's cut, place the cardstock onto the sticky side of some contact paper.

You'll also need to prep the colored transparencies, tissue paper, or colored cellophane by cutting them into little strips. Your child could also cut these materials themselves as a way to practice their scissor skills.

Once all the materials are prepped and ready to go, it's time to decorate the hands. Since contact paper is sticky, no glue is required. Instead, you simply place the colored transparencies onto the contact paper until the hands are well covered.

Once the hands are fully covered, you can seal the suncatcher by putting another piece of contact paper over top.

Then it's ready to hang up to display. Isn't it a pretty way to capture your child's handprints? It's also a heck of a lot cleaner (and more sensory friendly!) than doing handprint art with paint or something.

Three year old K really enjoyed making this handprint suncatcher craft. And I think it looks so lovely hanging up. Are you going to try making one too?

Father's Day Gift: Homemade Tic Tac Toe

Father's Day is just around the corner and I tried hard, like really hard, to come up with a cute craft for the boys to make for their daddy.  But then my idea didn't work.  So I tried another idea and it had its own problems.  One, the boys weren't really into it and two, it ended up looking horrible.  Epic fail.  Twice.

One of the failed crafts, however, was going to make use of some wooden letters.  I had intended to spell DAD with them on the first project.  While I was brainstorming my next craft, J started playing with the letters and spelled dad twice, one right under the other.  

Then it dawned on me.  

We could make tic tac toe with the letters.  Good bye Xs and Os, hello Ds and As!

Don't worry if you haven't made the perfect gift for daddy yet, this craft has two steps and is easy enough for a toddler to make!  Read the full tutorial over at CBC Parents.

Two "We Love Dad" Gifts for Siblings to Make Together

Father's Day is just around the corner and I am here to hook you up with two easy crafts that children of various ages can make together.  So whether you have a baby, a toddler, or a preschooler, either of these crafts will be perfect for them to make for their daddy.

Tape Resist Art

First up, is the tape resist art project.  Write out the words "We heart Dad" using tape on a large piece of paper.  I used a piece of easel paper.  I also taped the paper to the table so it wouldn't move.

"We heart Dad" in tape.

Have your children decorate the paper using whatever craft supplies you'd like (finger paints, crayons, markers, paints, etc.).  J wanted to use Do-A-Dot Markers and crayons.  While K was napping, J started to color the paper using the dot markers.  Now if you want to keep a preschooler busy for 30-40 minutes, give them a large piece of paper and dot markers.  Yes, J covered the paper one dot at a time for nearly 40 minutes.  And he insisted on using only one color: yellow.

J covering the paper with a dot marker.

K wanted to help decorate the paper once he woke up from his nap, and that was my original intention anyway, but after all of J's hard work, J didn't want to let K help.  However, I think if K had helped with the initial stages, it would have gone a lot differently.  Anyway, J proceeded to decorate the paper using a red crayon.

Adding another layer of color to the picture.

Then we peeled off the tape to reveal the "We heart dad" message.

The finished craft.

Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Plaque

Last year, K was under a year old so he wasn't really into crafts yet.  However, we made this simple craft together using salt dough.  I followed the instructions found here.  

Both J and K each did a handprint and a footprint.  Then I mixed some food coloring with some salt dough to make the "We heart Dad" message.  Unfortunately, our plaque cracked while drying out due to a wrinkle in the parchment paper that was underneath.  Regardless, it turned out to be an amazing keepsake and a lovely gift for my husband.

The finished salt dough plaque.