Letting your creativity roam freely in the summertime should be easy enough—with the sunny skies, warm breezes, and ice cream trunks singing through the neighborhood—but sometimes the hot weather can make even the most creative of brains feel sluggish. Because of that, we’ve compiled this handy little list o’ ideas for kick-starting your summer childrens themed graphics creativity.

 

1) Picnics: Cute teddy bears or children eating out of a woven basket on a checkered table cloth with freshly cut watermelon? You really can’t get much more “summery themed” than this.

2) Kite Flying: Think of windy days, clouds in the air, and children with their parents guiding them in the art of cloud flying on a picturesque little hill in the country side. Toss in a few bunnies hopping on the hillside behind them, and you’re set for the day.

3) Tree Houses: We all wanted one when we were kids, so why not incorporate this theme into your next kid-friendly summer graphic design project? Be sure to include the much-desired tire swing, and go ahead and make it a multi-leveled fort…simply because you know that’s what you would have wanted if you were still a little one frolicking through the trees.

4) Ice Cream Trucks: If running down the street to chase a truck for an over-priced piece of heaven is a favorite memory of yours, then consider making your next project an ode to those days. After all, ice cream trucks are rather commonly known as the neighborhood Pied Pipers of America…

5) Berry Picking: Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries…the list goes on and on. If your current design project is looking for a family-themed event, then berry picking may be just the perfect idea for you.

6) Beach Days: Let your designs be filled with sand dollars, starfish, surfers and sunny skies for an easy, relaxed summertime theme.

7) Bicycling: Whether peddling through the neighborhood or bicycling through a 10 mile route in the countryside, family bike rides are great summertime memories for many people. Have fun with these illustrations; let a bicycle-built-for-two roll through your project.

8) Swimming: Every lake, river, pool, and ocean side beach tends to be packed during the hot days of summer, so this is just one completely logical (and easily relatable) theme for a summer design project.

9) Lemonade Stands: Charming and quintessentially American, lemonade stands have been a staple for classic summertime/child-friendly/vintage artwork for years.

10) County Fair: From the Ferris wheel to the cotton candy to the turkey legs, county fairs are a fun-for-all country “theme park.” Use fun fair concepts for a graphic design project that needs lots of brightly colored images.