preschool craft
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Making Leprechaun Traps
Designing and building leprechaun traps has become one of our favorite traditions. I think the planning and creating is just as much fun as the anticipation of seeing if they’ll actually catch anything! This is one of those projects that really evokes my favorite memories of the kinds of activities that I loved as a child – the opportunity to use any and all materials to create something that I can see in my mind. That’s definitely a major reason that this stays on my plans year after year. Here are some of the supplies that I make sure to have available when it’s time to build our leprechaun traps:…
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EASY Preschool Valentine Boxes
Over the years I’ve tried ALL of the different ways to make valentine boxes in the classroom – from the brown paper bag to over the top crafty cut-outs. There are pros and cons to all of these, so let’s talk through those as we work towards the absolute easiest option if you’re making preschool valentine boxes in the classroom. First, I like to use this as a class activity because families are busy! They don’t always have the time or supplies that they might need, and if I put out supplies for all of the children then they start with a level playing field. Making Valentine boxes also meets…
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Goodbye Summer!
I’m definitely looking forward to the structure of the school year (and I might be ready for pumpkin spice season…), but it’s always hard to say goodbye to summer! I put together a really easy craftivity that you can use in the classroom to help children focus on the very best parts of their summer as you all move into fall together. It would be the perfect activity for a last day of summer party, just like the one I shared on Wednesday. Click HERE to download the Goodbye Summer Sunshine Freebie!
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Easter Art Projects
Here’s a collection of the art projects that we’ve been working on for Easter. The classics are classics for a reason, and the woven placemats were especially a hit! We used a mixture of shaving cream and white glue to paint these soft bunnies. For the bows we added a little food coloring. We also mixed some shaving cream and food coloring, then dipped paper egg cutouts to create swirled patterns on the eggs. Finally, we used the leftover strips from our placemats to make a paper chain. The colors are all super happy and the finished products remind me of my favorite projects from my own childhood. That’s what…
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Valentine Crafting for Kids
We had a snow day this week! As a teacher, that’s always welcome – as a parent it’s a bit of a scramble to find things to keep my girl busy all day. I had a good feeling that this particular snow day was coming, so I tried to plan ahead. Art projects are always a good option! After working on some of my own projects on Tuesday, I put my leftover supplies (along with some others from our craft stash) together so that they’d be all ready for some Valentine’s Day crafting. I started with this tray. It’s been one of my all-time-favorite purchases – it’s a heavy melamine,…
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The Year of the Homemade Gift
I shared my word for the year at the beginning of the month, but I haven’t let you in on another intention that I set for 2023. I’ve decided that this will be “the year of the homemade gift.” I’m challenging myself to make things for every gifting occasion this year and I’ve had just as much fun planning what I want to make and give as I know I will putting it all together. January is a big birthday month for our friends and family, so here are a couple of the gifts that I’ve already created and given: A bright, sunshiny quilt for a happy little girl A…
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Easy Preschool Valentine Gift
I love to make a nice gift for families on Valentine’s Day – but after the chaos of trying to finish Christmas gifts quick and inexpensive are my main requirements! Here’s an idea that meets those characteristics and is super fun too. Try this easy preschool Valentine gift with your class this year. I started with a thin wooden heart from the Dollar Tree – they come natural and you could definitely leave them that way, but I used a couple of coats of old house paint to paint mine white. I also removed the twine hanger. When these were dry I took some washable Crayola paint (affiliate link) and…
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Patriotic Ribbon Wands
For Memorial Day I shared a tutorial for paper pinwheels that would be perfect for a parade or party decorations, so today I wanted to share another fun party toy that is easy for kids to make: Ribbon Wands. I know that this is not a new or novel idea in the slightest, but young children often love he simplest things and there are so many different variations and materials that you can use to create a basic ribbon wand. It is easy for children to personalize their own, and you can select materials that meet your budget constraints as well as the theme or tone of your party. For…
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Great gifts for preschoolers to make
You still have time to figure out those family gifts – I know, not my favorite thing either – here are some ideas that preschoolers can actually make, and they won’t break your budget! I’m a huge fan of ornaments, they are a great keepsake, they’re useful, and they don’t take up a ton of space. Here are 5 easy ornament ideas: from Happier Homemaker from Ginger Snap Crafts from Martha Stewart from Fireflies and mudpies from One Perfect Day If ornaments aren’t your thing, or you have a large number of families that don’t celebrate Christmas, here are some other ideas; from Easy Peasy Fun from Mama.Papa.Bubba from the…
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Spice Air Freshener Craft
This activity is a great way to explore spices and a cute keepsake for families to use throughout the holiday season (plus, it’s REALLY easy to make). You’ll need canning jar lids (not the rings, just the lids), some ribbon, white glue, and spices (Invest in a bulk jar, any pie-related scent will work – cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin or apple pie spice), paintbrushes, and something to catch the spices as the children sprinkle them on their lids (I used paper towels, but you could use waxed paper, printer paper, or activity trays). The first step is one that you’ll want to do outside of the classroom – attach a small…
