Arts and Crafts for Your Preschooler

Aside from free time, arts and crafts play is the most exciting time for the preschool student.  The creative bug takes over and the imagination climbs to new heights!  As an educator for these young students we must find new ways (or maybe old ones rejuvenated) to incorporate targeted goals while having fun.  Some of the most incredible times evolve from the simplest activities created using home made mixtures. 

Bubbles and more bubbles, whether blown through a straw or wire hoop, happen to be one of the most appealing summer time thrills in the preschool setting.  A very easy but beautiful work of art comes from placing a narrow cup in the middle of a large piece of craft paper.  Fill the cup with safe, colorful bubble making ingredients and give the budding artist a straw.  Have the student blow an overflowing amount of bubbles up and over the top edge of the cup.  Watch out for the giggling that this activity could bring about or more than just bubbles will be on the craft paper.  Variations to this activity include using several different colors of bubbles - allow the paper to dry between blowing sessions.  Once the art has dried, decorate the walls with cut outs that reinforce your lesson plans. 

Pudding paint is also a popular 'condiment' in the preschool or home school class.  Using vanilla flavored pudding, add a couple of drops of food coloring to tint for a rainbow palette that will excite even the ficklest of artists.  Again using craft paper, cut out shapes that will supplement your chosen lesson theme.  Paint the shapes and decorate with sugar 'glitter'.  This has always brought about rave reviews.

Preschoolers love to create clay style bowls to give as gifts.  These items are among the most economical pieces a student can create that are three dimensional.  Once you have chosen a favorite clay recipe and tinted it (unless the artist will paint the bowl when dried), assign a shape for the base.  Example:  If working on the square, have the student create a square base to build up the sides upon.  The variations to this activity can include sensory items.  Add small rough items to the clay prior to the building of the bowl or add peppermint oil to the clay for a sensory excitement explosion.  This is an arty item that no one will every become tired of creating because of the endless variations.

Although these are truly fun and exciting activities, the possibilities are endless.  Using the many home spun concoctions we can instill a love of creating while reinforcing the educational / developmental goals of the preschool aged student.  Never forget that FUN is always a wonderful foundation to build upon! 

 For additional articles, activities, worksheets and so much more visit www.freeabcschool.com  Your preschool curriculum resource ..... Everything is Free or Almost Free! 
                                                        Located on the Miscellaneous page is a great set of FREE Arts and Crafts Recipe cards.