Keeping summer memories

When you’re a kid, every summer is a summer to remember but before the year is out so much has been forgotten. Help your child remember the good times with these three fun keepsake crafts.

You know what you did last summer, but does your kid remember? That wonderful trip to the coast, the camping holiday and the magic that was Christmas become distant memories far too quickly.

To help make the fun last, why don’t you get crafty with your kids and make something that will help you remember summer forever? Here are three fun ideas to help get you started.

A jar of memories

Keep your memories sealed in a jar for many years to come. All you need are a few keepsakes from your holiday and you’re good to go.

Supplies:

(To make a seaside memory jar)

• Sand (take a small jar to the beach with you or buy it direct from Bunnings)
• Shells, driftwood, washed up coral and polished glass
• A photo of your trip
• A large jar
• Clear contact paper or Mod Podge

Instructions:

1. Simply fill the bottom of your jar with sand, then place your trinkets inside. If you went sailing you could pop in a toy sailboat, or if you went fishing you could include some decorative flies found at a local fishing store.
2. Seal the jar, then glue a photo of your trip on the lid. You can write on the date and location if you like, or include a collage of small photos to help you remember. Cover with clear contact paper or Mod Podge to seal against time.

A memory box

What little (or big) kid doesn’t love rifling through a box to find hidden treasures? You can make memories that will last forever by decorating a box to fit the theme of your summer and letting your child fill it with treasures along the way.

Supplies:

• A medium-sized box (plain or coloured)
• A few photos of your child
• Pictures of some of the activities you plan to do during summer
• Mod Podge and a small paintbrush

Instructions:

1. At the beginning of the summer holidays, decorate a box for your child to include photos of them and pictures of some of the things you plan to do with them over the holidays. Let them try and guess from the pictures what you have planned.
2. To decorate it, simply glue photos and pictures to the outside of the box, include the date, their name and their age. Seal it with a coat of Mod Podge.
3. Once you have completed the box, hand it over to your child to fill with the things they collect each day during summer. Nothing is too mundane to include — a rock from a trip to the river, leaves collected on a walk, movie tickets, photos, journal entries, artwork… the list is endless!
4. At the end of summer let your child look back through the box and remember their experiences with them.

A meal to remember

Little kids will get a great deal of enjoyment over crafting their own placemat! Use photos, artworks and objects that they have collected over the summer to create a mealtime conversation starter.

Supplies:

• 1 A4 sheet of cardboard
• Coloured crayons, markers and paint
• Photos of your child enjoying their summer
• Stickers, dried flowers or leaves

Instructions:

1. Lay the cardboard on a flat surface. Write your child’s name and the year on the cardboard then set your child down with the supplies listed above and let them get creative!
2. For little kids, try and get them to pop a handprint on the cardboad so you can remember just how small they were!

More crafty ideas

Recycled crafts
4 Ways to display your child’s art
10 Pinterest-inspired crafts