Summer is fast approaching, and we can’t wait to try out these 15 fun boat crafts for kids at my house. There are few things my kids enjoy doing more than playing in water, and boats just take the fun up a notch. Whether it’s building a floating vessel from scratch for the backyard kiddie pool or choosing a twig to send down the creek on our hikes, boats are a glorious part of our summer play.

There are so many crazy things you can make boats out of, and I love the engineering challenge of encouraging the kids to design and race their creations. It’s a fantastic STEM project, combining the science of water displacement, the engineering of keeping a boat upright, and the art of making it look awesome! The best part is, this is one educational project you won’t have to push on them. Just give them a pile of junk and let them create.

Two of these boat crafts are from our kitchen table, and I’ll show you how we did it. The rest are fabulous creations from other bloggers. Take a minute and check them out.

Our Boat Crafts For Kids

1. Soda Can Boat Craft

This is a great way to re-purpose an old can. The supplies you need for this boat is an empty pop can, duck tape, a wooden skewer or straw, and a paper sail. You will also need tin snips (or a pair of heavy-duty scissors) and a hot glue gun.

Use the tin snips or scissors to cut the can in half. You may want to use gloves so you don’t get cut on sharp edges while you work. Then wrap the entire can in duck tape. This will cover the sharp edges and decorate your boat.

Once the can is wrapped, glue the paper sail onto your skewer or straw. Then using the hot glue gun, drop a pile of glue in the center of the can. Insert the bottom of your skewer, and hold it until firm. That’s it. It’s sea-worthy. Head out and have some sailing fun.

2. Easy Bottle Lid Boats

The next time you go to throw a sauce or jam jar, keep the lids. You’ll need them to make these adorable, little boats. You will also need wooden skewers or drinking straws and small paper rectangles for the sails.

To make these boats, start by giving the lids a good rinse and dry. Then cut your straws or skewers to the desired mast length. Next, use the skewer to poke through the top and bottom of the sail and thread it through. If you are using a drinking straw you can punch the holes with a hole punch. Using a hot glue gun, leave a small puddle of glue in the center of the lid. Then place the bottom of the mast in the glue, and hold it till firm.

These were so much fun to sail. My daughter loved blowing on the sails to see how fast she could make them go.

More Great Boat Crafts For Kids

That’s what we’ve been working on at our house, and now here are some fantastic ideas from other bloggers for boat crafts for kids.

3. How clever are these adorable Easter Egg Boats with a bit of playdough inside!

4. Man your vessel with these colorful Peg Doll Boats made with popsicle sticks.

5. I can’t get over how fun these Pirate Cork Boats are. How great would these be as a party favor and craft!

6. These Pop Bottle Boats almost look like little sea creatures. Too fun!

7. Amp up bath time with these darling Soap Bar Boats.

8. These Balloon Propelled Boats would make a fantastic STEM activity experimenting with air pressure and speed.

9. Get back to nature with a simple Stick Bundle Raft.

10. These Pool Noodle Boats are so simple but worth hours of active playtime.

11. You can practice your letter names and sounds with these Ice Cube Alphabet Boats.

12. Keep those empty juice boxes to make these amazing Juice Box Ships.

And the good ideas just keep on coming.

13. Turn those old Shampoo Bottles into cool sea craft.

14. I absolutely love these clever Water Bottle Pontoon Boats.

15. This Milk Carton makes the cutest little boat, don’t you think?

Thanks for checking them out, and have a fantastic, boat-filled summer! 🙂