Activities bring kids into the vacation fun
Whether it’s getting the kids excited about an upcoming trip, looking for ways to capture vacation memories or to turn a staycation into something bigger, these travel arts and craft ideas for kids and families will have you dreaming about family travel time, or even taking a solo trip or spending some time in nature this summer.
Creating art is a great way of preserving vacation memories and there are endless art activities your family can do while traveling. Here are some wonderful activities that are bound to keep your kids busy and engaged. These are all great bonding activities as well. They are relaxing, mindful self-care activities, so beneficial and fun for both children and parents.
My favorite summer traveling activity is creating and keeping a travel journal to use daily.
The journal can be decorated on the outside as well as on the inside pages. For example, you can collect stickers or postcards, pictures, etc., from your trip and create a scrapbook-type journal of your daily adventures, along with written entries of memorable or interesting things from your trip, colorful drawings of things you see along the way or memories you’d like to depict and cherish always. This can be used as a personal diary for the summer.
Creating your own travel tote, beach bag or art bag is a great activity, as well as a useful item for summer and beyond. The materials for this are a fabric tote bag, which can be obtained at most craft stores, and fabric markers and fabric paint (optional); Sharpie pens can work, as well. These totes can hold your art journal and art supplies, as well as your vacation stuff.
Nature art is always a great thing to do while traveling and the possibilities are endless. Nature is the original paintbox and all the colors we use can be found in the natural world and all paint pigments and inks were initially made from natural materials, such as flowers, plants and stones. Nature also provides the light that informs how we see the world. And it is the primary source of artistic inspiration.
Landscape and nature art combines playing and creating art in a natural environment using leaves, rocks, sticks and other nature items as well as light and water. Make a nature mandala with elements you gather from nature, such as flowers, sticks, seashells, etc. Seashells or other elements you find can also be incorporated later in a painting of possibly an ocean scene or a seashell mosaic (see images for examples). Flowers and leaves can be pressed in your art journal to make bookmarks or to be used in other art activities after the trip as keepsakes. The seashells may be painted while on the trip, or afterward with no-mess watercolors or washable markers and incorporated into a craft. The tote you make can also be used to gather these nature items.
Rock painting is great as you can possibly paint a rock from each place you visit and keep it in your own garden at home. All of these art activities and creations can serve as a reminder and keepsake of the memories you make this summer and to cherish always.
DIANA SHABTAI “MISSDEE, PSY.D., ATR-BC IS A BOARD CERTIFIED ART THERAPIST WHO OBTAINED A MASTERS DEGREE IN CLINICAL ART THERAPY, MA IN MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPY & A DOCTORATE DEGREE IN MFT. SHE IS PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF ART. EXPERIENCE STUDYING, WORKING, & EDUCATING IN THE FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY & THE THERAPEUTIC ARTS FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS, SHE IS A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO kiddish MAGAZINE.
