Easy and Affordable Spring Art for Preschoolers

Today’s high temperatures are expected to reach the mid-50s… a virtual heat wave by midwestern standards this time of year. The mild temps are reason to cheer and serve as a great impetus for spring crafts. The following simple and affordable projects are ideal for preschoolers itching to celebrate the arrival of spring with cute crafts: FUZZY CATERPILLAR Materials: Pom-poms (in a variety of colors and sizes) Popsicle sticks Googly eyes Glue Red construction paper Scissors Black pipe cleaners Scotch tape Directions: Use scissors to cut two, 2-inch long pieces of pipe cleaner. Glue and tape the pipe cleaners onto … Continue reading →

Cheap “Cheep” Crafts for Kids

Birds don’t chirp or peep in our house, they “cheep.” Just ask my 4-year-old, who recently came home from a friend’s house with birds she made from plastic Easter eggs. Her BFF’s crafty mom helped the girls create the cutest “cheep-cheeps” for cheap. The instructions for the Plastic Baby Birds follow, as well as a recipe for Chocolate Bird’s Nests: PLASTIC BABY BIRDS Materials: Plastic Easter egg (one half for each bird) Construction paper (orange and brown) Paper plate Brown paint Paintbrush Scissors Glue Black Sharpie Directions: Paint the paper plate brown, making sure you cover the entire plate thoroughly … Continue reading →

Fun Handprint Art Projects for Kids

How many of you still have the very first handprint art project your child ever made? My preschooler’s handprint turkey is still attached to my bulletin board, despite the fact that she made it nearly two years ago. The nice part of saving handprint art projects is that you can compare the new masterpieces with the old ones to see how much your child has grown. The following handprint art projects are ideal for preschoolers, although they could be tailored to toddlers and older children as well. HANDPRINT WREATH Materials: Construction paper (yellow, orange, and red, or you could use … Continue reading →

Fun Fall Crafts for Preschoolers: Homemade Trees

On a scale from one to ten this craft is a solid three in terms of difficulty. Meaning if you have a preschooler like I do, he or she will have very little difficulty making these homemade trees. If you have a crafty toddler he or she might need a bit more help from you, and if you have a school-age child she could probably complete this project on her own. Regardless of your child’s age this project yields a wonderfully festive piece of seasonal art that is sure to be warmly embraced by a grandparent. CONSTRUCTION PAPER LEAVES In … Continue reading →

Spring Projects for Preschoolers

Even here in Colorado, we are finally seeing some spring colors! Here’s a few classic preschool and kindergarten art projects to welcome those spring blooms. For a blooming 3-d tree branch either paint or draw a large tree branch on some paper. Glue on a few green paper leaves. And then glue on popped popcorn to make blossoms. The popcorn really does look a little like blossoms, especially from a distance. Handprint projects are so cute. On a large piece of blue or white paper have the children paint green flower stems. Help them press their hands into bright colors … Continue reading →

Cereal Necklaces

I saw a little girl today wearing a Cheerios cereal necklace. Every once in a while she took a bite and I could tell she was very happy with herself. I smiled at her pride in her “jewelry”. My kids made cereal necklaces in preschool, too. It’s a very quick and easy project. You can even throw math or pattern repetition into the project too – if you use multi-colored cereal like Fruit Loops. Take a piece of yarn that is big enough to go around the child’s head plus a few inches. Tie a large knot on one end. … Continue reading →

Easy Paint Projects for Preschoolers

Take three boys, add a great preschool art program – and what you get is a big stack of art projects. I don’t know what to do with all the papers. My boys are all well beyond preschool age, and I doubt that they will ever want 100 or so decaying tempera paint and construction paper projects. But it’s hard on my mama-heart to throw any of the papers out. They were so proud, and they learned so much. The pictures make me remember their chubby little paint-stained fingers. They really did have a great preschool. Art teaches confidence, problem … Continue reading →

Birdseed Pinecones – Wintertime craft project

Wintertime can be rough on our fine-feathered friends. The ground is often cold and hard and those tasty worms are not as readily available for aviary consumption. Your family can help the birds out and have a heck of a lot of fun in the process. Make a BIRDSEED PINECONE. A Birdseed Pinecone will provide much needed wintertime food for the birds in your neighborhood (the birds will also appreciate your efforts during the other three seasons as well). They can be made easily and without much expense at all. This activity is loads of fun for kids of all … Continue reading →