Free Preschool Crafts

Valentine butterfly toilet paper tube craft

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:22:00 +0000

Butterfly TP tube craft

This pink and red butterfly is a fun Valentine’s Day craft for preschoolers. They’ll love decorating the wings. You can give them a head-start by cutting out the wings ahead of time.

What You Need: 1 toilet paper tube; red and pink construction paper or cardstock (I used cardstock); 1 white pipe cleaner; 2 googly eyes; foam hearts; scissors; glue; black marker; pencil; tape.

How to Make It: Fold red cardstock in half and draw half of a wing shape. Cut and open to reveal wings. Cut pink cardstock the length and width of a toilet paper tube and adhere around the tube using glue or tape. Adult should cut pipe cleaner in half and help child roll ends around a pencil for curly antennae. Tape inside toilet paper tube body. Glue on eyes and draw mouth. Glue or tape wings to back of body and decorate with foam hearts, markers, or any way you’d like.

Reindeer footprint and handprint crafts

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:34:34 +0000

Footprint reindeer

The kids in my son’s class made these cute reindeer for Christmas by tracing their feet and hands. They used construction paper, but you could also add a pom-pom nose, cotton ball Santa hat topper, googly eyes, and other fun elements. I think these are cute just the way they are!

What You Need: Light brown, dark brown, white, black, and red construction paper; glue; pencil; safety scissors.

How to Make It: Trace child’s foot on light brown construction paper and cut out. Trace child’s hands on dark brown construction paper and cut out. Draw nose, hat, hat fur, and eye parts on construction paper and cut out. Glue together.

Coffee filter turkey craft

admin — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:22:38 +0000

Coffee filter turkey

This Thanksgiving turkey is easy to make with a coffee filter and some construction paper. I was going to spray on the food coloring, but we couldn’t find my spray bottle and just dripped some on instead. You could also moisten the coffee filter and draw on it with water-based markers such as those by Crayola.

What You Need: 1 coffee filter; food coloring (or markers, etc.); brown, red, and orange construction paper; two googly eyes; scissors; glue.

How to Make It: Drip or spray food coloring onto wet coffee filter. Or, use markers. Set aside to dry on a paper towel. Cut turkey shape (kind of like a peanut) from brown construction paper. Cut out and add orange beak and red wattle. Glue on googly eyes. Once coffee filter feathers are dry, glue turkey body to it.

Toilet paper roll handprint turkey

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:47:12 +0000

TP roll turkey craft

Here’s a fun turkey craft that involves the whole family. I’ve seen several variations recently on Pinterest. We traced Dad’s hand, Mom’s hand, and our son’s hand to make the feathers. A perfect craft for Thanksgiving!

What You Need: 1 toilet paper roll; yellow, orange, and red construction paper; pencil (for tracing); scrap of red paper (for wattle); scrap of orange paper (for beak); 2 googly eyes; glue; scissors.

How to Make It: Trace each family member’s handprint and cut out. Glue, staggered, on top of each other as shown. Glue set to back of toilet paper roll. Cut out wattle and beak (folded or just a triangle) and glue toward top of roll. Glue on eyes.

Pot of Gold with Rainbow for St. Patrick’s Day

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 05:15:51 +0000

Pot of Gold

This easy craft — a “pot of gold” complete with rainbow handle — is perfect for preschool or daycare. And kids can bring theirs home (filled with St. Patrick’s Day treats or cards, perhaps) and hang it on a door handle. All you need is paper plates, adhesive and crayons, markers, or paint.

What You Need: 2 standard paper plates; scissors; crayons, markers or paints; tape or stapler.

How to Make It: First, an adult will need to help little kids cut out part of each plate to create a handle shape. Then, children color a rainbow pattern (great way to practice colors!) on the handle. The rest of the paper plate is colored black, serving as the leprechaun’s pot of gold. Finally, join the two plates together using Scotch tape or staples. Kids could also add shamrock stickers if they’d like.

Jack o Lantern lollipops

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:09:08 +0000

Jack-o-lantern lollypop

One of the crafty moms in my son’s class helped the kids make these cute lollipop jack-o-lanterns at the Halloween party. The kids enjoyed wrapped up the treat and creating their own “face” on the pretend pumpkin. A group of these would make a great centerpiece.

What You Need: Small lollipop (Dum-Dum size); square of orange tissue paper large enough to wrap around the candy; pinking shears or zigzig scissors; length of green pipe cleaner; black marker; pencil.

How to Make It: Pre-cut tissue paper with pinking shears for the kids. Wrap tissue paper around centered lollipop. Twist pipe cleaner around base of candy to secure tissue. Wrap ends of pipe cleaner around a pencil for curled vine effect. Add jack-o-lantern face with marker.

St. Patrick’s Day pot of gold craft

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:02:32 +0000

Pot of Gold craft

My son was at the local gymnastics place for a party last night and the kids did a pot of gold craft in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day. However, my son was excitedly anticipating running and playing, so his pot of gold is a little under-done. Plus, he ate the gold. Still, a fun craft!

What You Need: small Styrofoam bowl; black paint; black pipe cleaner; shamrock stickers; candy or gold coin chocolates; paintbrush.

How to Make It: Use end of paintbrush or other tool (safety first!) to poke two holes in sides of foam bowl and insert pipe cleaner for handle. Paint pot black. Let dry. Add shamrock stickers.

Flamingo heart Valentine

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:10:24 +0000

Flamingo Valentine

One of my son’s school friends made him this sweet heart-shaped flamingo Valentine. It’s fun to bend the legs and neck and “pose” the flamingo!

What You Need: Pink pipe cleaners; pink cardstock or construction paper; pink patterned paper (optional); heart shaped template or punch (or freehand or trace a heart); black marker; googly eye; glue.

How to Make It: Cut out two hearts that are the same size. Bend pipe cleaner as shown to make neck and legs (for a large flamingo, you may need two pipe cleaners; for a small one you’ll want to cut one apart). Glue two hearts together, securing the pipe cleaners in the process. Cut two head shapes (an adult may want to make a template for the kids). Use black marker to make bill. Glue on googly eye(s). Glue head pieces together at the end of the neck. Bend pipe cleaners to position head and legs. Child can write name or Valentine message on one side of the flamingo.

Cone-shaped Santa craft

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:38:30 +0000

Cone-shaped Santa craft

Let preschoolers suit up their own smiling Santa Claus with this easy Christmas craft made with supplies you probably already have on hand. He can even top the Christmas tree!

What You Need: 8 1/2″ square red construction paper; approx. 2 1/2″ circle from pink construction paper; 1″ strip black cardstock; 1″ wide yellow rectangle (pre-cut or let children cut with safety scissors); 2 googly eyes; pink or red crayon; cotton balls; staples or tape; glue.

How to Make It: Adult helps child twist red cardstock into a cone shape and secure with staples or tape. Then child uses crayon to draw nose and mouth on pink construction paper. Glue on eyes. Child then uses glue to adhere Santa’s belt, cotton ball beard and cap tassel.

Thankful turkey craft

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:08:37 +0000

Thankful turkey craft

Children can share what they’re thankful for with this easy craft, which is great for preschool or day care, or as a kids’ table activity on Thanksgiving Day with the family.

What You Need: Large brown construction paper circle; small purple construction paper circle; small purple construction paper rectangle; four or five colorful feather shapes. (You can precut all of these or trace them and have the kids do it.); scrap of orange construction paper; 2 googly eyes; black pipe cleaners; scissors; glue.

How to Make It: Ask child to dictate several things he or she is thankful for. Write them on the pointy oval “feathers.” Child can then assemble the turkey as shown. Bending lengths of pipe cleaner outward makes the feet.