Preschoolers are bursting with creativity and curiosity. Arts and crafts provide a fantastic outlet for their energy, allowing them to explore their imagination, develop fine motor skills, and learn through play.
But with busy schedules, it can be tough to find engaging and simple crafts.
Here, we’ve compiled 25 easy preschool crafts that use everyday materials and minimal prep time, perfect for a quick afternoon activity or a rainy day project.
Getting Started: Essentials for Fun Crafting
Before diving into the craft ideas, let’s gather some essentials to make the experience smooth sailing:
- Safe and Washable Supplies: Opt for blunt scissors, washable paints, non-toxic markers, and child-safe glue.
- Clean Workspace: Cover the table with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth for easy cleanup.
- Smock or Apron: Protect clothes from enthusiastic splashes and spills.
- Variety of Materials: Cardboard tubes, paper plates, construction paper, buttons, googly eyes, pipe cleaners – the possibilities are endless!
Let’s Get Crafty!
Paper Plate Puppets:
Transform paper plates into friendly faces or silly animals. Let your child draw features with markers, add yarn hair, and glue on wiggle eyes or cut out their own from construction paper. Attach a popsicle stick to the back for a puppet show extravaganza!
Button Art:
Glue a variety of colorful buttons onto construction paper or cardstock. This simple activity helps develop fine motor skills and allows for creative expression. Encourage your child to make patterns, shapes, or even a picture with the buttons.
Pom-Pom Monsters:
Craft fluffy friends using pre-made pom-poms or yarn. Glue googly eyes and felt shapes onto the pom-pom for a monster face. Pipe cleaners can be attached for arms, legs, or even fun antennae.
Fingerprint Flowers:
This adorable craft is a great keepsake. Dip your child’s finger in paint and let them make colorful “petals” on a piece of paper. Add a green pipe cleaner stem and construction paper leaves for a blooming masterpiece.
Paper Bag Masks:
Brown paper bags become the perfect base for personalized masks. Cut out eyeholes and let your child decorate with markers, paint, glitter, or any embellishments they fancy. Feathers, sequins, and yarn can add extra flair!
Nature Crowns:
Take a stroll outdoors and collect leaves, flowers, and twigs. Back home, help your child weave these treasures into a beautiful crown fit for a nature king or queen. Tape or glue the ends together for a secure fit.
Sock Puppets:
Give old, clean socks a new life by turning them into adorable hand puppets! Decorate with buttons, felt pieces, or fabric scraps to create silly faces or animal features.
Confetti Eggs:
Blow out some eggs (adult supervision required!) and decorate the empty shells with paint or markers. Fill with colorful confetti or tissue paper squares for a festive shaker surprise.
Paper Plate Suncatchers:
Transform paper plates into dazzling suncatchers. Cover the bottom with clear contact paper (adult assistance recommended). Let your child decorate with colorful tissue paper pieces or paint designs. Hang them in a sunny window and watch the rainbows dance!
Paper Bag Owls:
Brown paper bags become wise old owls with a little creativity. Cut out large circles for eyes and a triangle for a beak from construction paper. Glue them onto the bag, and add felt wings and details. You can even stuff the bag with tissue paper for a plump owl body.
Paper Bag Lanterns:
Create a warm, glowing atmosphere with paper bag lanterns. Decorate brown paper bags with paint or markers. Poke small holes with a safety pin (adult supervision required) and string yarn or ribbon through them. Place a small votive candle (adult supervision required when lit) inside for a magical effect.
Pipe Cleaner Animals:
Bend and twist colorful pipe cleaners into playful animals. Use a pipe cleaner bender for extra intricate shapes (adult supervision recommended). Pipe cleaners can become playful snakes, wiggly worms, or even majestic giraffes!
Salt Dough Creations:
Mix flour and salt with water to create a safe and moldable playdough alternative. Let your child knead the dough and sculpt various shapes like animals, food items, or even simple ornaments. Bake the creations at low heat (adult supervision required) for lasting keepsakes.
Marble Painting:
Put a twist on traditional painting! Drop marbles dipped in paint onto a shallow tray or lid. Place a sheet of paper on top and gently press down. Lift the paper to reveal a stunning marbled artwork.
Paper Plate Animals:
Paper plates become the base for a whole farmyard or zoo crew. Cut out ears, snouts, and tails from construction paper and glue them onto the plate. Paint or decorate with markers to create playful animals like pigs, cows, or elephants.
Yarn Weaving:
This activity helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Cut notches around the rim of a paper plate. Let your child weave colorful yarn through the notches, creating a beautiful web-like design.
Tissue Paper Stained Glass:
Transform a window into a stained-glass masterpiece (adult supervision required). Cut out shapes from construction paper for the frame. Let your child stick small pieces of colorful tissue paper onto the frame to create a vibrant design. Tape the finished piece onto a window and enjoy the glowing effect!
DIY Playdough:
Whip up a batch of homemade playdough for endless sensory fun. Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and water to create a smooth dough. Divide the dough and add a few drops of food coloring to each portion for vibrant colors. Let your child explore their creativity by molding the dough into different shapes and figures.
Paper Bag Trees:
Brown paper bags morph into sturdy trees. Cut out a large, leafy canopy from green construction paper and glue it onto the top of the bag. Decorate the “trunk” with paint or markers. You can even add construction paper flowers or leaves glued around the base of the tree.
Foil Art:
Aluminum foil transforms into shiny masterpieces. Spread a thin layer of glue on a piece of cardboard. Let your child crumple aluminum foil into small pieces and press them onto the glued cardboard. Once dry, paint over the foil for a dazzling metallic effect.
Shaving Cream Art:
This activity is perfect for a sensory adventure! Cover a baking sheet with shaving cream. Add drops of food coloring for a vibrant swirl. Let your child use a spoon or their fingers to “paint” on the shaving cream, creating colorful masterpieces. Remember, this activity is messy fun, so prepare for a good clean-up afterwards!
Pipe Cleaner Flowers:
Create a blooming garden with pipe cleaners. Twist green pipe cleaners into stems. Bend other colored pipe cleaners into petal shapes and arrange them around the stem. Secure the petals with twist ties or tape for a beautiful and colorful flower.
Forky Fish:
Turn plastic forks into playful fish. Paint the forks in bright colors. Cut out construction paper fins and glue them onto the back of the fork. Add wiggle eyes and a felt mouth for a complete fishy friend.
Puff Paint Pictures:
Let your child explore puffy paint for a unique sensory experience. Mix equal parts white glue and shaving cream with a few drops of food coloring. Fill small ziplock bags with the mixture and snip a tiny hole in the corner for easy squeezing. Let your child create designs and pictures directly on construction paper or cardboard. The paint will puff up as it dries, adding a fun 3D effect.
These 25 crafts provide a starting point for hours of creative fun with your preschooler. Remember, the most important thing is to embrace the mess and enjoy the process of creating together! Let your child’s imagination run wild and explore different materials and techniques. Happy crafting!
