We love encouraging the kids outside, and today we are sharing these fabulous homemade DIY cork boats with you. A super-simple and incredibly fun outdoor activity that’s perfect for children—cork boat races! This delightful craft is not only easy to make but also offers numerous benefits for your child’s development. Let’s dive into how to create these charming cork boats and explore three reasons why this craft is excellent for kids too.
This is actually a craft from a fabulous new book as well – so before we dive in, do check out the Playful Wonders book from Katie Still too. There are loads more craft ideas within this book, including the story stones ideas craft we shared with you last week.
Materials
- Corks
- Elastic bands
- Triangular pieces of paper
- Washi tape (or coloring pens)
- Cocktail sticks
- Bathtub, tray of water, or puddle
- Straw (optional)
Instructions
1. To start, arrange three corks in a row and secure them with elastic bands on both ends.
2. Create a sail by decorating a triangular piece of paper with washi tape stripes or colourful patterns using colouring pens. Attach the sail to a cocktail stick to form the mast.
3. Gently insert the mast into the middle cork, and your cork boat is ready to set sail!
4. Place the boats in a bathtub, tray of water, or even a puddle outside. Encourage kids to blow wind into the sails using a straw to propel their boats.
Remember, adult supervision is essential when handling sharp objects like cocktail sticks and playing with water.
Why cork boat races are great for kids
- Enhances creativity: Designing and decorating the sails allows children to express their creativity and personalise their boats,
- Develops fine motor skills: Assembling the boats and manoeuvring them during races helps improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, and
- Encourages problem-solving: Experimenting with different sail designs and boat weights challenges kids to think critically and adapt their strategies to make their boats sail faster.
Cork boats and races are an enjoyable and educational outdoor activity that children will love. Not only is this craft easy and entertaining, but it also contributes to your child’s overall development. So gather your materials, head outdoors, and let the fun-filled cork boat races begin!
We hope you like this activity; don’t forget to check the others out within the Playful Wonders book. And sign up to our newsletter as well:
Why not check out some of the other crafts on the site?
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We’d love you to come back again soon. Take care,
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine! Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!