It’s that time of year when life moves indoors a bit more. Now that Christmas has passed, I am looking towards the next couple of months and debating what sorts of activities we can do to keep ourselves entertained.
One of our favorite things to do in the winter months is to snuggle up on the couch with a book. One of our other favorite things is to create crafts at our crafting area that we have set up in our basement. This winter, I’ll be doing a preschool series that focuses on connecting two favorite winter activities: preschool books and preschool crafts. I love picture books and I love inventing crafts that connect with them.
What will be part of this series? I hope to highlight imaginative, process-based crafts that you can create with items that are around your house or are very easy to find. I’ve worked with preschool-aged children for many years, and one of the shifts I have made is from prescriptive crafts to open-ended crafts. Why? Well, first of all, crafts that I spend a lot of time preparing take too much time. Secondly, when an adult prepares the crafts, that takes a lot of the process out of the craft, and the process is the majority of the fun!
Instead of creating crafts that look spectacular, I focus on the process. Of course, what preschoolers like to do totally depends on the preschooler. Mine tends to be the free-form crafting variety. Give her some tape and some straws and some sequins, and she is happy. The end result does not need to look like anything in particular. Some children are the opposite – they are very particular, put a lot of time and effort into a craft, and expect a product that looks the way they want it to look. In my crafts, I try to provide options for children who love the process and those who are more detail-oriented and want a product that looks like something.
What’s coming up? Look for crafts that feature preschool favorites like glue, tape, and glitter. There will be lots of easy cutting practice for older preschoolers. I’ll also have beading crafts for older preschoolers who are practicing their fine motor skills.
Do you have any particular preschool picture books that you love? Are there any crafts that you have made to accompany them?