Crafts Ideas for Preschool

Crayons are the best drawing tool for preschool children. Markers are too messy.

Preschool is a time of transition for children ranging in ages from 2 to 4 years old. Select simple yet creative crafts that pique their interests and encourage imaginative design. Some of the younger children may need help completing certain crafts.

Family Tree

Prior to starting this craft, encourage the preschoolers to bring pictures of their parents, siblings and grandparents. Ask the children to paint a tree on thick card stock. The kids can paint any type of tree such as an oak tree, cherry tree or pine tree. Allow all the trees time to dry, and then ask the kids to cut faces from the pictures of their family members. Once the faces are cut out, ask the kids to glue them on the leaves of the tree and write the name of their family member underneath. Some children may not be able to write yet, so you may need to help them with this part.

Landscapes

Teach the children about different types of landscapes, such as desert, tropical and mountain landscapes. Show them pictures of these places and show them how the landscape blends together with the ground, plants and sky. Encourage the kids to paint their own landscapes from the pictures they viewed. Help them create the shapes of mountains, cacti and other landscape plants. When the paintings are finished, share them the rest of the class ask the kids if they recognize the types of landscapes that were painted.

Leaf Crafts

Help the children gather leaves during the fall. Each child needs five or more leaves. Select plain or patterned card stock for the kids to use as their background. Ask the children to glue their leaves on the page to make a design, such as a heart, circle or other shape. This is a great way to teach children how to make shapes on their own. Older children can trace the leaves underneath tissue paper with crayons. When the leaf art is finished, tape the pieces on the window. The sun will shine through the tissue paper creations.

References

• Preschool Education: Arts and crafts
• Making Friends: Precrafts
• First School: Theme Crafts

Resources

• Preschool Rock: Family tree
• First School: Fall Landscape