Make an easy sponge boat craft DIY toy for kids! These cute kitchen scourer boats with duct tape sails are perfect for hot Summer days or even just for bath time play. My girls loved playing with these outdoors, even though the day we made them was cold and grey.
This craft was originally published in 2013 and has been updated and republished for todays audience.
You might also like our Summer Fun Bucket List – over 80 crafts and activities for kids to enjoy over Summer!
This sponge boat craft was something we made when my girls were preschoolers. I designed them as a DIY toy for bath time, but the minute they laid eyes on the finished craft bath time seemed way too far away. The sponge boats had to be played with immediately!
We set up a large tub of water outside in the back yard and they girls had a lot of fun floating their boats on the water. Soon some plastic ponies came out to drive the boats, and the girls had fun experimenting with just how well they could stay afloat with a toy on them (it can be tricky with balance and weight).
The good thing about our sponge boats are the sails are waterproof. When the boats inevitably overturn, simply squeeze the water out and pop the sail back on and set sail once again.
Older kids could make these sponge boats themselves as a STEM craft, and then experiment with floating them on the water by creating wind with straws and having races. We have also made a balloon-powered sponge boat which is great fun for older kids too.
The sails on our sponge boats are made from duct tape. There are so many bright colours and patterns you can get with duct tape that you could really go crazy with them. Using what I had in the cupboard at the time ours are plain red, white and green stripes.
How to make an easy sponge boat craft
You will need:
- Kitchen scourer sponges (or an ordinary thick sponge would also work)
- Craft sticks
- Duct tape in different colours
- Ruler
- Craft knife and cutting mat – note only an adult should use the craft knife
- Scissors
How to:
- Cut the tip of your kitchen scourer into a pointy end using scissors. It might help to rule lines on the sponge with a lead pencil first first so that it’s even.
- Using your craft knife, cut a small horizontal slit in the sponge for the mast (the craft stick) to be placed.
- Make the sail. Lay down a piece of duct tape, then stick a second piece of duct tape along side it also upside down but overlapping. The width should be approximately the same as the width of the sponge. Stick a second layer of tape down over the first, so that the sticky side faces down and the sail is smooth on both sides. Decorate with stripes of a different colour if desired, but this is optional.
- Use your craft knife or scissors to trim the edges of the sail. Make it a roughly square shape.
- Place two small pieces of duct tape around the craft stick mast at the top and close to the bottom where the base of the sail will sit. This helps to keep sail in place.
- Use your craft knife again to cut a small horizontal slit at the top and bottom of the sail.
- Thread the duct tape sail through the slits to make a curved mast.
And now… time to play!
sponge boat craft DIY toy for kids
Materials
- Kitchen scourer sponges (or an ordinary thick sponge would also work)
- Craft sticks
- Duct tape in different colours
Tools
- Ruler
- Craft knife - only an adult should use the craft knife
- Cutting mat
- Scissors
Instructions
- Cut the tip of your kitchen scourer into a pointy end using scissors. It might help to rule lines on the sponge with a lead pencil first first so that it’s even.
- Using your craft knife, cut a small horizontal slit in the sponge for the mast (the craft stick) to be placed.
- Make the sail. Lay down a piece of duct tape, then stick a second piece of duct tape along side it also upside down but overlapping. The width should be approximately the same as the width of the sponge. Stick a second layer of tape down over the first, so that the sticky side faces down and the sail is smooth on both sides. Decorate with stripes of a different colour if desired, but this is optional.
- Use your craft knife or scissors to trim the edges of the sail. Make it a roughly square shape.
- Place two small pieces of duct tape around the craft stick mast at the top and close to the bottom where the base of the sail will sit. This helps to keep sail in place.
- Use your craft knife again to cut a small horizontal slit at the top and bottom of the sail.
- Thread the duct tape sail through the slits to make a curved mast.
More DIY toys for kids
- Make a straw swing set for imaginative play
- This giant dice made from cardboard is so much fun!
- Turn kitchen sponges into sponge cakes for pretend play
- A coat hanger makes an awesome pom pom catapult
- Here are 50 DIY toys you can make from cardboard
Hi Kate
Would love to make these with my grandies next week when they come over
What is the red duct tape stuck too….its a piece of white something (shown in the photo 4) which is used in conjunction with the duct tape to make the sail. Looks like it could be a paper towel although i’m not sure that would be sturdy enough to use but maybe it is
Look forward to hearing back from you – Jan
Hi Jan, that’s the sticky back of duct tape you see. So it’s duct tape stuck back to back.
But sponges don’t float–they absorb water and sink, don’t they? I would love to make these for my preschool class, but not if they are just going to sink.
Even soaked full of water, they still float, just not as high in the water. But they don’t get soaked unless you push them under the surface. Best way to tell if you’re happy with this activity is to put a scourer sponge on the water’s surface and see for yourself how well it floats before you make the boats.
You’re right–they do float!