Crafting with your preschooler is a wonderful way to foster creativity, enhance fine motor skills, and spend quality time together. These simple and effective crafts don’t require expensive materials or complicated steps—just a little time, imagination, and some basic supplies. Whether you’re looking for an afternoon activity or want to create seasonal decorations, these easy craft ideas will help you bond with your child while making something beautiful.
Here are a few simple craft ideas that are perfect for preschoolers. Grab your supplies and get ready for some fun, hands-on learning!
1. Paper Plate Animals
Paper plates are a versatile crafting material that can be turned into all sorts of fun creations. This craft helps your child practice cutting, gluing, and color coordination, all while creating their favorite animals!
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What you’ll need: Paper plates, colored markers, crayons, scissors, glue, construction paper, and googly eyes (optional).
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How to make it:
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Take a paper plate and have your child color it in the base color of their animal (for example, brown for a bear, yellow for a lion).
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Cut out ears, eyes, and other features from construction paper and glue them onto the paper plate.
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Use markers or crayons to add finishing touches like fur, whiskers, or a nose.
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Attach googly eyes to make the animal come to life!
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Why it’s great: This craft is not only fun, but it also allows for lots of imaginative play afterward. You can make a zoo full of animals or even act out stories with the creations!
2. Handprint Art
Handprint crafts are a personal and fun way to capture a moment in time. Your child will love using their hands as part of the project, and the result will be a treasured keepsake.
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What you’ll need: Non-toxic paint, construction paper, and markers or crayons.
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How to make it:
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Coat your child’s hand in non-toxic paint and press it firmly onto the construction paper.
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Once the handprint has dried, use markers or crayons to turn the handprint into something special. For example, it can become a flower by adding a stem and leaves, or a turkey by adding feathers and eyes.
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You can also write the date and your child’s name on the bottom for a cute memory.
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Why it’s great: This craft helps preschoolers develop their fine motor skills while creating a meaningful piece of art. It also makes for a wonderful gift for family members!
3. Toilet Paper Roll Stamps
Toilet paper rolls can be transformed into stamping tools that create fun and unique patterns. This easy craft helps children develop their creativity while experimenting with shapes and designs.
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What you’ll need: Toilet paper rolls, paint, construction paper, and scissors.
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How to make it:
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Flatten a toilet paper roll and shape it into a circle or other shape (you can even form it into a square, star, or heart).
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Dip the open end of the roll into a tray of paint, then press it onto construction paper.
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Let your child create various patterns, combining different colors and shapes.
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Why it’s great: The stamping process helps with hand-eye coordination and can be a fun way to explore colors and textures. Plus, you can easily change up the design by altering the shape of the toilet paper roll!
4. Pom-Pom Critters
Pom-poms are soft, colorful, and easy for little hands to work with. This craft involves making little animals or creatures out of pom-poms, which is a fun way to explore texture and develop fine motor skills.
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What you’ll need: Pom-poms of various sizes, glue, googly eyes, felt or foam sheets for ears, and pipe cleaners (optional).
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How to make it:
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Take a large pom-pom as the body of the creature, and a smaller one for the head.
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Glue the two pom-poms together, then add googly eyes.
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Use felt or foam to cut out ears, noses, or other features, and glue them onto your creature.
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For additional fun, pipe cleaners can be used for arms, legs, or tails.
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Why it’s great: This simple craft is great for developing creativity and fine motor skills. Your child will enjoy making a variety of creatures, from bunnies to monsters, and you can even turn them into a family of critters!
5. Nature Collage
Going on a nature walk and collecting leaves, twigs, and flowers can lead to a wonderful, creative craft session. A nature collage is a great way to teach preschoolers about the natural world while exploring different textures and colors.
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What you’ll need: Leaves, flowers, twigs, glue, construction paper, and markers.
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How to make it:
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Go on a nature walk and collect various items such as leaves, small twigs, and flowers.
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Once you’re back home, have your child arrange the items on construction paper to create a nature scene—perhaps a tree, a flower garden, or even a forest scene.
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Use glue to attach the pieces to the paper and markers to add details like a sun, clouds, or a smiling face.
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Why it’s great: This craft encourages outdoor exploration and teaches children about the world around them. It also provides an opportunity to practice sorting and classifying natural objects.
6. Paper Bag Puppets
Paper bag puppets are a great way for preschoolers to get creative and imaginative, as they can make their puppets come to life with a simple craft. This activity is perfect for storytime and imaginative play afterward.
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What you’ll need: Brown paper bags, markers, glue, construction paper, googly eyes, and any other craft supplies you have on hand.
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How to make it:
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Take a brown paper bag and have your child decorate the bottom half (the “mouth”) to create a character. This could be a monster, animal, or even a favorite character.
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Glue on googly eyes, ears, and other features using construction paper or felt.
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Once the puppet is complete, use it for imaginative play. You can put on puppet shows or tell stories with the puppet!
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Why it’s great: This craft encourages creativity, storytelling, and dramatic play. It’s a fun way to develop your child’s imagination and communication skills.
Conclusion: Crafting with Love and Fun
Crafting with your preschooler is a wonderful way to spend quality time together while developing essential skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and fine motor abilities. These simple and effective craft ideas are a great way to make learning fun while fostering a love for creativity and exploration.
At Preschool with Mommy, we believe that hands-on learning through crafts is a great way to bond with your child and make learning exciting. Whether you’re crafting at home for fun or incorporating these projects into a lesson plan, these activities will spark your child’s imagination and leave you both with precious memories to cherish.
Grab your supplies, get creative, and have fun crafting with your preschooler today!