Fun and Easy Craft Projects

Crafting with preschoolers is a wonderful way to spark their creativity and enhance fine motor skills. We have compiled a list of fun and easy craft ideas that will keep little hands busy and imaginations soaring. Gather your supplies, and let’s get started on some fun and easy projects with your little ones! (Feel free to swap out any materials as you see fit)

1. Paper Plate Animals

Paper plate animals are a delightful craft that combines creativity with learning about different animals. This activity not only enhances fine motor skills but also encourages imagination and fosters a love for animals. Here’s how you and your child can embark on this exciting crafting adventure:

What you need:

• Paper plates: Choose sturdy paper plates as the base for your animals.

• Markers, crayons or paint: For coloring and adding details.

• Scissors: To cut out additional features.

• Glue: To attach parts securely.

• Construction paper: For creating ears, noses, and other animal features.

• Googly eyes (optional): Adds a fun, realistic touch to the animals.

General Steps:

1. Choose your animal: Start by discussing with your child which animal they would like to create.

2. Colour and decorate: Use markers or crayons to colour the paper plate in the base colour of the chosen animal. Encourage your child to be creative with patterns and details.

3. Add features: Cut out ears, noses, tails, and other features from construction paper. These can be glued onto the paper plate to give the animal its distinctive characteristics. If you have googly eyes available, these can be a fun addition to make the animals look more lifelike.

4. Display and play: Once completed, display the paper plate animals around the house or use them for storytelling and imaginative play. Encourage your child to create scenes or act out stories involving their new animal friends.

Tips

As you create paper plate animals with your child, discussing their characteristics and habitats can be a wonderful learning opportunity. This interactive process helps children gain insights into animal behavior and habitats.

Encourage your child to unleash their creativity by developing their own unique designs and ideas for their creations. But if you're ever in need of inspiration, explore this fantastic resource by iHeartCraftyThings. It's packed with ideas to kickstart your creativity and get you and your little ones crafting in no time!

2. Nature Collage

This activity combines outdoor exploration with artistic expression, making it a perfect blend of learning and fun. Let’s dive into the delightful world of nature collages and discover how it can captivate your child’s imaginations!

What you need:

To embark on the nature collage project, you’ll need a few basic supplies:

• A sturdy piece of cardboard or construction paper as the base

• Glue sticks or white glue

• A basket or bag for collecting natural items

• Optional: Markers, crayons, and stickers for added embellishments

General Steps:

1. Nature walk and collection: Start by taking your child on a nature walk. Encourage them to collect a variety of natural items such as leaves, flowers, twigs, pebbles, and seeds. This step promotes curiosity and observation skills.

2. Designing the collage: Once back indoors, lay out all the collected items on a table. Give your child a piece of cardboard or construction paper to use as their collage base. Let them arrange their collected items on the base before gluing them down. Encourage them to think creatively about the design and how the different elements can be combined.

3. Gluing the items: Once they are happy with their arrangement, it’s time to glue the items onto the base. Younger children might find glue sticks easier to use, while older children can use white glue with a brush for more precision.

4. Adding details: After the natural items are glued in place, markers, crayons, or stickers can be used to add finishing touches to their collage. This step allows for further creativity and personalisation.

Other tips/considerations:

• Always supervise your child during the activity to ensure safety, especially when using small items.

• Offer plenty of positive reinforcement and praise their efforts to boost confidence and enthusiasm.

• Allow your child the freedom to experiment and create without rigid guidelines. The goal of this activity is to foster creativity and enjoyment.

3. Building with Playdough and Toothpicks

Building structures with playdough and toothpicks not only offers endless fun but also introduces shapes and basic engineering concepts in an approachable and playful manner. Let’s get started on the building fun!

What you need:

• Playdough or foam balls

• Toothpicks

• A flat surface for building

General Steps:

1. Basic building techniques: Start by laying out all the supplies on a large, flat surface. Demonstrate how to connect playdough and toothpicks. Insert the toothpick into a small piece of playdough and then attach another piece at the other end of the toothpick. Show how to create basic shapes like squares, triangles, and rectangles.

2. Designing the structures: Encourage your child to experiment with different shapes and designs. They can start with simple 2D shapes and progress to 3D structures like cubes, pyramids, and more complex forms.

3. Building and connecting: Guide your child in building larger structures by connecting smaller shapes. You can take this chance to concepts of stability and balance, and encourage them to think about how their creations can stand upright without collapsing.

4. Adding details: Once the basic structures are complete, children can add creative details such as towers, bridges, and decorations using additional pieces of playdough and toothpicks.

Other tips/considerations:

• Close supervision is needed to ensure safety, especially when using the toothpicks

• Once your child is more comfortable with the activity, you can also experiment with challenges to make it more exciting! Some examples include adding a height requirement, limiting the amount of playdough available, or setting a time limit

4. DIY Maracas

One delightful and rhythmic project is creating DIY maracas. These simple musical instruments are fun to make and provide lots of opportunities for musical exploration and play. Here’s how you can create your own maracas.

What you need:

• Plastic eggs or small containers with lids

• Uncooked rice or beans

• Plastic/wooden spoons

• Washi tape or ribbons

• Acrylic or poster paints

• Glue (as needed)

General Steps:

1. Painting the spoons: Gather all your supplies and set up a workspace. Ensure that the plastic eggs are clean and dry. Begin by painting the spoons with acrylic or poster paints. Allow them to dry completely. This step adds a colourful and personal touch to the maracas.

2. Filling the eggs: Place a couple of spoonfuls of rice or beans into each plastic egg. Close the eggs securely to keep the contents inside.

3. Assembling the maracas: Glue the spoons to either side of the plastic egg. Make sure the handles of the spoons meet at the end. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly to ensure the spoons stay attached to the egg.

5. Adding decorative tape: Stick a strip of colorful washi tape or ribbon over the join of the egg. Wrap more tape or ribbon around the handles to hold them together securely. This step not only reinforces the structure but also adds a decorative element.

6. Make music with maracas: Once the maracas are decorated and the glue is dry, they are ready to be played! Shake the maracas to create different rhythms and sounds. Encourage your child to experiment with shaking fast, slow, and in different patterns.

5. Handprint Art

Handprint art not only allows children to explore different colours and textures but also provides a lasting memory of their early years. Let us explore how this simple yet impactful craft can inspire your child!

What you need:

• Non-toxic, washable paint (various colours)

• Large sheets of paper or canvas

• Paintbrushes

• Paper plates or trays for paint

General Steps:

1. Choosing colours: Lay out the paper or canvas on a flat surface. Pour different colours of paint onto paper plates or trays. Let your child choose their favourite colours or mix colours to create new shades.

2. Painting the hands: Use a paintbrush to apply a thin layer of paint to your child’s hand. Ensure the paint is evenly distributed and covers their entire hand.

3. Making the print: Press your child’s painted hand gently onto the paper or canvas. Press down firmly but carefully to ensure a clear handprint. Lift their hand off slowly to avoid smudging.

4. Adding details: Once the handprint is dry, you can add details and embellishments. Use markers or additional paint to turn the handprints into fun shapes like animals, flowers, or holiday-themed designs. Glitter and stickers can add extra flair.

Crafting with preschoolers is more than just a fun activity; it’s an opportunity to bond, learn, and grow closer together. Enjoy the time spent together and the wonderful creations you'll make along the way. Happy crafting!