Free Preschool Crafts

Preschoolers will need some help with these dinosaur bracelets, which make great holiday gifts, if you can get the kids to part with theirs. Better make extras!

What You Need: dinosaur shaped pasta; liquid food coloring; zip-close plastic bags; plastic lace (such as Rexlace); metal jump rings (found in jewelry aisle of craft stores).
How to Make It: Separate dinosaurs equally into zip-close plastic bags. Add food coloring and a bit of water and shake to coat pasta (kids love sorting the dino shapes and shaking the bags). Let pasta dry on newspapers, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick. Once dry (adult job), carefully pry open jump rings (in a sideways motion; don’t spread them apart), thread through dinosaur and carefully close back together. String as many dinos as you’d like on plastic lace and tie to secure. (An easier alternative: Don’t use jump rings; just string dinos on lace.)

There are plenty of possibilities for this zipper bracelet craft. Preschoolers can use fabric paint to create design and add jewels, sequins or whatever else you have on hand to set out for them. We used two small safety pins to connect the ends of the bracelet in Alec’s size. You may want to use safer Velcro or snaps.

What You Need: 7″ zipper (depending on size of child’s wrist), “jewels,” fabric paint, small safety pins, Velcro or snaps to secure.

How You Make It: Child decorates zipper in fun, creative ways. Allow fabric paint to dry. Place zipper around child’s wrist to measure and secure ends.