Summer Crafts for Teens

Every summer outfit needs a fashionable accessory like this dip-dye necklace. This is one of many DIY projects for teens that is based on a more expensive original item. In this case, the project seeks to replicate a dip-dye necklace from Anthropologie that costs a pretty penny. But you can make your own and all you need is some thin rope, a chain, a lobster clip, some jump rings and — of course — dye in the color of your choice. The result is an adorable, summery piece of jewelry to go with any sundress your teen might have in their wardrobe.

As you know, iPods and iPhones go with teens (and with all of us, let’s be honest) no matter where they go. And in the summer, one of those places will likely be the beach. To keep your iPod, iPhone, or even Kindle safe from the sand and the surf, check out this adorable iPod cozy! As you can see, the cozy is designed to look like a toaster pastry, which is a really cute idea. You’ll need two colors of felt, some beads for the faux sprinkles on top, thread and a sewing needle. This cozy can be made to fit any device because the first step is to trace around your phone or e-reader. Feel free to customize it to your needs!

For the teen who has a green thumb, try out this plantable seed paper. This eco-friendly craft would make a great gift for a summer birthday or graduation. To create your seed paper, you’ll need some paper scraps in your desired color, a blender, a cookie cutter and seeds. Soak your paper in water and then blend the scraps together. Add your seeds to the mix and give the blender a quick pulse. Then, push your mixture into a flat sheet and begin cutting out shapes with your cookie cutter. Let them dry on a mesh sheet and add a string to hang from a gift bag. Give these plantable paper shapes to a teen in your life and let them watch their sprouts grow!

As summer rolls around and trips to the beach become more prevalent, your teen might want a new tote bag to carry their stuff with them. And they might also have some old T-shirts from last summer that they’re no longer interested in wearing. Why not merge these two things and try making T-shirt totes? It’s an easy to make DIY craft for teens that creates a great, casual tote bag to carry around during the hotter weather. First cut the sleeves off your old T-shirt. Then, cut a square or rounded shape in the neck of the shirt. At the bottom, create a drawstring hole and you’re done! 

This is, in my opinion, one of the best DIY crafts for teens and it’s also an exercise in recycling! Rather than throwing away your candy wrappers, your teens can use them to create fun, quirky bags or wallets. You’ll need a plain, cheap canvas wallet or small, lined bag for the base. Then just take your candy wrappers and start creating a pattern! The tutorial here suggests using Mod Podge to affix the wrappers to your bag and wallet. It also suggests using candy wrapper images rather than the wrappers themselves, but if the wrappers are clean, I think this would be a great way to recycle them!