Fun Preschool Crafts for Kids Nurturing Creativity & Skills

Enhances Fine Motor Skills

Crafts for kids that involve cutting, sticking, moulding, or manipulating materials help develop the small muscles in the hands and fingers, essential for tasks like writing and dressing. A study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (2017) found that participation in arts and crafts activities can improve fine motor skills in preschool children.

Cognitive Development

Planning, problem-solving, and following instructions are all part of the crafting process, contributing to a child’s cognitive development. Following a craft pattern or recipe encourages them to think logically and sequentially.

Boosts Creativity and Imagination

Arts and crafts allow preschoolers to express themselves freely and explore their creativity through colours, shapes, and textures. This creative freedom can spark new ideas and help them develop their sense of self.

Language Development

Engaging in preschool activities like crafts provides opportunities to introduce and reinforce new vocabulary related to colours, shapes, textures, and actions. Talking about the project as you go along further strengthens these language skills.

Social and Emotional Development

Crafting with others encourages collaboration, communication, and turn-taking. It also provides a sense of accomplishment and pride, boosting self-esteem.

8 Fun and Easy Crafts for Kids

Here are a few engaging and simple craft ideas to get you started:

1. Paper Plate Animals

This classic and easy craft is perfect for even the youngest preschoolers.

• Materials:Paper plates, markers, crayons, yarn scraps, scissors, glue sticks.
• Instructions:
  1. Let your child decorate the paper plate to create their animal’s face. It can involve drawing eyes, a nose, a mouth, and fur. Please encourage them to use their imagination!
  2. Cut out small holes for the fingers on the bottom edge of the plate.
  3. Cut yarn scraps for a tail, mane, or other animal features and glue them onto the paper plate.
  4. Put on a puppet show!

2. Button Art

This craft is a fantastic way to recycle old buttons and create adorable pictures.

• Materials: Cardboard or thick construction paper, buttons in various shapes and sizes, glue sticks.
• Instructions:
  1. Choose an image suitable for young children (e.g., a flower, house, or tree). You can find simple templates online or draw one yourself on the cardboard.
  2. Lay out the buttons on the cardboard to form the features of the image – large buttons for the flower’s body, smaller buttons for the house’s windows, etc.
  3. Once satisfied with the layout, glue the buttons onto the cardboard.

Tip: For younger children, pre-glue larger buttons onto the cardboard to provide a starting point.

3. Sensory Play with Nature

Get outdoors and collect natural materials to create a sensory collage or mobile.

• Materials: Leaves, flowers, twigs, pebbles, colourful construction paper (optional), glue sticks, string or yarn (optional).
• Instructions:
  1. Take a walk in your neighbourhood park or backyard and collect attractive leaves, flowers, and twigs.
  2. Let your child arrange the collected materials on a piece of construction paper (optional) to create a picture or design.
  3. Glue the natural materials onto the paper.
  4. Alternatively, you can punch holes in the leaves or twigs and thread them onto yarn to create a beautiful mobile.

Safety Note: Adult supervision is recommended when using scissors.

4. Playdough Fun

Playdough provides endless opportunities for creative exploration. You can make your playdough at home with simple ingredients or purchase pre-made playdough.

• Materials: Playdough, cookie cutters, rolling pin (optional), various craft materials (buttons, googly eyes, beads, etc.) (optional).
• Instructions:
  1. Please provide your child with play dough and let them freely explore its texture and form.
  2. Introduce cookie cutters or other shaping tools to create different shapes.
  3. Get creative! Add buttons, googly eyes, or other craft materials to personalise their creations.

5. Painting with a Twist

Painting is a fundamental arts and crafts form for kids that allows for open-ended exploration. Here are a few ways to add a twist to traditional painting:

• Bubble Wrap Painting

Squirt some paint onto a tray and lay a sheet of bubble wrap on top. Press the bubble wrap onto a piece of paper to create a unique textured pattern.

• Nature Painting

Instead of using paintbrushes, let your child use leaves, flowers, or even vegetables dipped in paint to create artistic impressions on paper.

• Finger Painting

This classic activity is a fun and sensory way for young children to explore colour mixing and textures.
Safety Note: Use washable paints specifically designed for young children.

6. Egg Carton Creations

Egg cartons are a versatile and inexpensive material for crafting.

• Materials: Empty egg carton, paint, markers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes (optional), craft scraps (optional).
• Instructions:
  1. Paint the egg carton sections in different colours.
  2. Once dry, decorate them with markers or add features like googly eyes and pipe cleaner whiskers to transform them into adorable animals or silly monsters.

7. Sock Puppets

This craft repurposes old socks into playful and silly puppets.

• Materials: Old socks, buttons, googly eyes (optional), markers, yarn scraps, needle and thread (optional), rubber bands (optional).
• Instructions:
  1. Decorate the sock to create your puppet’s face. You can use markers to draw eyes, a nose, and a mouth or sew on buttons or googly eyes.
  2. Get creative! Add yarn for hair or other features.
  3. For extra control, you can add a rubber band around the sock’s ankle opening, allowing your child to slip their fingers in and manipulate the puppet’s mouth.

8. Paper Bag Masks

Brown paper lunch bags can be transformed into fun and colourful masks.

• Materials: Brown paper lunch bags, markers, crayons, scissors, hole punch (optional), string or yarn (optional), and craft materials (feathers, buttons, etc.) (optional).
• Instructions:
  1. Let your child decorate the paper lunch bag to create their mask design. Please encourage them to draw eyes, a nose, a mouth, and other features.
  2. Cut out eye holes for your child to see through.
  3. Use a hole punch to create holes on either side of the bag and tie string or yarn to make straps to hold the mask in place.
  4. Get creative! Add feathers, buttons, or other embellishments to personalise the mask.

Spark Creativity Further: Little Ginnie Book Recommendations

Looking for more crafts inspiration that is engaging for young minds? Here are a few children’s books filled with fun and creative crafts for kids ideas:

• “Art Starts with a Line” by Lucy Micklethwaite This book introduces young children to the essential elements of art through simple and engaging activities.
• “Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb” by Andrea Paulsen This delightful book uses finger painting to create adorable animals and objects, perfect for introducing preschoolers to this messy but rewarding art form.
• “The Paper Bag Book” by Robert Morrow This classic book showcases the endless creative possibilities of a simple brown paper bag.

We hope these fun and easy arts and crafts for kids ideas inspire you to express your child’s creativity! Remember, the crucial aspect is for your child to have fun and express themselves freely.

Looking for ways to keep your little ones engaged and entertained? Look no further! At Little Ginnie, we provide a variety of high-engaging and fun preschool activities that will encourage your child’s creativity and imagination. Check out our website or visit our preschool to discover everything you need to get crafting today!

We’d love to see your child’s creations! Share pictures of your child’s arts and crafts projects on social media, and remember to tag us!