Popsicle Stick Tent Camping Craft for Kids

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Finding simple crafts for kids to make that include something fun your kids enjoy is a great way to get creative with your little ones. So, if your kids love camping, this adorable preschool craft is for you! Put together this cute popsicle stick tent using just two simple supplies and a few minutes of your time. It’s the perfect kid-friendly DIY for a hot summer day.

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These cute popsicle stick tents are the perfect craft for your kids while they’re on summer break! On top of being easy to make, your kids will have a blast making their own mini tents at home.

Looking for more preschool craft ideas? Check out these popsicle stick crafts to find more fun projects to make with your kids.

Popsicle Stick Tent

You won’t believe how easy it is to make a cute little tent out of craft sticks! But before you can get started putting this easy DIY together, you’ll need to gather up your supplies.

Luckily, you only need a couple simple items to make this cute tent craft for kids! And you can get everything you need at Dollar Tree!

To make a popsicle stick tent, you’ll need:

• Popsicle sticks: You can use any size sticks to make your tents. We used small colorful popsicle sticks from Dollar Tree to make our own tents. But large sticks will also work for this craft.
• Paper: To top your tent, you’ll need some paper. I love the look of scrapbook paper because it allows you to add a fun pattern to your tents. But if you don’t have any on hand, you can also use construction paper, cardstock, or plain white paper.
• Glue: You can use plain school glue to secure your tent pieces together, but it may take a while for the glue to dry. For quicker crafting, you can also use your hot glue gun to attach the pieces and speed up the process.

Now that you know what you’ll need, gather up your supplies and get started on your own tent out of popsicle sticks right now!

How to Make a Tent Out of Popsicle Sticks

Turning your popsicle sticks into a cute little tent is so easy! Just follow these quick steps to make some adorable camping crafts with your kids this summer.

The first step to putting this easy craft together is to prepare your popsicle sticks. You’ll need a total of 7 sticks to make a tent. Set four of the sticks aside. Then, trim the rounded ends off each of the remaining sticks.

We used colored popsicle sticks that I found in the craft section of Dollar Tree. You can also find these at Wal-Mart.

In addition to pre-colored popsicle sticks to construct your tents, you could also use plain wooden sticks or decorate your popsicle sticks with these craft supplies before you start building:

• Paint
• Markers
• Stickers
• Glitter or glitter glue

Once your sticks are ready to go, it’s time to start building. First, we’ll construct the front and back of the tent.

Place one end of a stick on top of the end of another stick and form a large V shape, overlapping the ends slightly. Glue the two ends together and hold the sticks in place until the glue dries.

Next, grab one of the sticks with the ends trimmed off. Place a large drop of glue to each end of the stick. Set the V shaped sticks upright so that the wide end is on the table. Then, press your stick into place at the top of each of the V shapes. Hold the pieces in place until the glue dries.

Finish constructing the frame of your tent by adding some structural pieces at the bottom. Place a large drop of glue on the end of another one of the sticks with the flat ends and press it into the bottom of each of the V shapes. These bottom pieces will hold the two V pieces together and make the tent sturdier.

Once you have the bottom pieces in place, hold the tent together until the glue dries to make sure it’s fully intact.

The final step for this easy craft is to add the top to your tent. First, cut a piece of paper to fit over the top of your tent structure. You can use a ruler to measure the size. Or eyeball the length and width and trim it as needed.

Fold the paper strip over the top of tent and glue it to the bottom support pieces. If your paper is too long, you can trim it before you glue it.

Then, pinch the top of the paper slightly to form a seam long the top of the tent. After that, all that’s left to do is allow the glue to dry!

Popsicle Stick Tent Preschool Craft

This adorable camping craft is perfect for any preschool lesson! Whether you’re learning about spring, summer, or simply practicing their fine motor skills.

And there are so many fun ways your kids can get creative with their popsicle stick tents as they’re putting them together! Try these other ideas for decorating the tents as you’re making this craft with your kids.

• Decorate the popsicle sticks. Your kids can easily put their own spin on this craft by using paint or makers to decorate the popsicle sticks before you construct your tent.
• Add some stickers. If you don’t have any scrapbook paper on hand, your kids can have some fun adding a cute design to their tents with the help of some stickers. Use a plain piece of paper, then place the stickers on top before you glue the paper on top of the tent.
• Decorate the tent. Your kids can also use paint, crayons, or markers to decorate the tent topper. Trim the paper to fit the tent, then let your kids have some fun drawing pictures or designs on the paper before you attach it to the frame.

More Fun Kids Craft Ideas:

Butterfly Snack Bags

Tin Can Telephones

Popsicle Stick Dragonfly

Paper Campfire Craft