Color Mixing Ice
The project is a great visual introduction to color mixing – suitable for even younger kids.
Handprint Flower
Flowers made from the handprints of one or more children make wonderful gifts!
Paper Cup Dragon Puppet
This colorful dragon puppet by jellyfishjelly.com can be made from a few paper cups and tissue paper. A fantastic project for Chinese New Year
Paper Mache Dinosaur Egg
Paper Mache Dinosaur Eggs are fun to make and are a great tool for imaginary play for young kids. If you place a plastic dinosaur toy inside, kids can have fun "hatching" the dinosaur: a fun idea for a dinosaur themed party...
Paper Plate Dinosaur
This craft from the brilliant kidscraftweekly.com turns a paper plate into a moving Brontosaurus!
Roller Painting
Inexpensive Mini Paint Rollers can be used to create some really eye catching paintings - and even the smallest kids will have a blast doing this easy craft project.
Marbled Valentine
Shaving foam and paint can be used by even the smallest artist to create beautiful marbled paper. Put that paper to good use in these gorgeous Valentines.
Big Batch of Silly Putty (or Gak)
Stretch it, bang it, roll it, bounce it - Silly Putty will keep you amused however you play with it. Make your own batch using the recipe given here.
Sparkly Snowman
Place a battery operated candle inside these fun snowman and they will add sparkle to any winter gathering! I think I got inspiration for this project from a magazine but can't remember which!
Banana Pops
Coat bananas in chocolate and sprinkles and freeze for a fun summer activity – and treat!
Butterfly Footprint
These butterflies are a beautiful way to turn a child’s footprint into a work of art. They make beautiful gifts if you do them on high quality paper and frame them – or if you make them directly onto canvas boards. They also make wonderful gift cards! Or, just do them for fun – what child doesn’t love painting their feet and stomping on paper!
Melted Crayon Earth
Melted crayons provide particularly vibrant colors to images. In this activity melted blue and green crayons are used to create a picture of planet earth. This makes a great earth day project - as you can talk about caring for the earths resources by recycling. In this case using old crayon stubs to create art!
Crystal Flower
Add these crystal flowers to canvas or frame them to create a fabulous gift.
Crystal Snowflake
Grow your own crystal snowflake! These incredible snowflakes can be hung in your window as suncatchers or hung on your Christmas Tree as spectacular ornaments.
Paper Plate Dragon (or Dinosaur)
This activity created by dltk-holidays.com turns a paper plate and egg boxes into a cute dragon! You could easily adapt this to be a dinosaur instead.
Autumn Tree
This vibrant activity is a great one for a family or preschool group - participants of all ages can work together to create the leaves which an older child or adult can then cut out and put together to form a tree
Hand Print Fall Tree
This project is one of Broogly's favorite - a great hand print activity for fall laden with autumn colors. But what makes it extra special is that kids don't just get to paint their hand - they get to paint their entire arm, making this a super fun project for toddlers and preschoolers!
Sailing Boat Collage
I created this project as a way to experiment with various paint techniques. I love the way that they turned out! This is not an activity to do in an afternoon - rather one to spread over a week or longer - each of the underlying "paintings" can be created separately in advance.
Balloon Rockets
Super fun activity for a rainy day - send balloon rockets flying across the room. My kids had so much fun with this one - trying out different combinations to see which rockets could fly fastest - great fun and lots of learning going on too!
Chromatography Experiment
Black Ink is just black right? No! And in this experiment you can watch as the ink separates into several colors before your eyes. And not just black ink!
Bubble Wrap Corn Cobs
Printing with Bubble wrap makes patterns that look just like corn cobs - and it is so much fun.
Bubble Wrap Prints
This is such a fun activity for kids of all ages. Simply paint on bubble wrap and then press onto paper to create dotty prints....
Heart Sun Catchers
SO MUCH FUN! Grated crayons melted on wax paper make the best sun-catchers. Cut these into hearts to create gorgeous valentines decorations (or gifts)
Paint Chip Christmas Trees
Paint Chips are available in a wonderful array of colors. This Christmas Tree is created by cutting up a variety of green shades into tiny pieces and then making a christmas tree collage. Requires a bit of patience and dexterity, so probably not the best project for the youngest kids.
Color Changing Flowers
Watch as flowers change colors before your eyes!! A great science project that gives a really visual demonstration of the way that plants use water.
Exploding Volcano
What could be more exciting than creating and exploding your own volcano? A craft and a science project combined!
Potato Prints
Potato prints are a classic kids project. The materials are cheap, the results are fantastic - what's not to love! At it's most simple you can just cut potatoes in half and use them as circular stamps. You can increase the fun by creating fun shapes as described below. The potatoes in the paint are wonderfully slippery making this a great sensory project too!
Watercolor Resist - Rubber Cement
When painted on watercolor paper, rubber cement will resist watercolor paints - keeping the paper underneath white. Simply rub off the cement when the paint is dry.
Watercolor Resist Christmas Trees
Very simple, very effective - create Christmas tree snow scene pictures by painting rubber cement onto watercolor paper in the shape of a Christmas Tree and painting.
Rubber Cement Valentines
Make these beautiful Valentine cards by painting hearts onto watercolor paper using rubber cement and then painting.
Elmo Faces
This is a super easy project that younger kids can do and enjoy. My son was so proud of his elmo, he wanted to keep it beside his bed
Sharpie Coffee Filters
We discovered this project by accident whilst doing a different activity. Simple scribbles of markers can be turned into the most beautiful abstract art.
Easter Cotton Ball Bunnies
Who could resist these cotton ball bunnies? An adorable project for preschoolers.
Nuts n Bolts Car
Ever since my son was able to walk he has picked up every shiny thing he has passed on the sidewalk. This project puts that collection to good use (helped by a raid of the trash and Dad's toolbox!). This would be a great project to do for Fathers Day
Egg Cup Flower Canvas
I saw this incredible project on the Rakers Family Blog and thought it would be a great project for the kids to do for Grandma's Birthday. She LOVED it.
Scratch Art
I was so excited to try this project with my kids, I remember seeing it demonstrated on the TV when I was a kid wishing I could try it.
Chocolate Easter Nests
These chocolate nests are a breeze to make, are super cute and very yummy. The instructions will make one nest, simply multiply the ingredients by the number of nests you want to make more.
Paper Plate Snakes
This is one of those classic paper plate projects. Cut a spiral in a paper plate and there you have it - a coiling snake.
Tie Die Sharpie Eggs
Come Easter we are always looking for new and interesting ways to decorate our Easter eggs. This last Easter I came across this clever technique by "Housing a Forest" for dying eggs using sharpies and rubbing alcohol. They have some beautiful examples on their website.
Shiny Art: Embossed Foil Pics
Using Sharpies to color on foil makes shiny art. You can also create embossed edges to your pictures by using glue to trace an outline underneath the foil. This is an especially cool effect for pictures of fish as they glimmer as if they were rushing through the water!
Sun Prints
Sun Prints are fantastic fun. All you need is a pack of light sensitive paper and your imagination! This is a great project for young and old alike. Younger kids will be fascinated by the magic of this project. Older kids will be able to use their imaginations to create pictures from objects - and a great opportunity to talk about the science of light and photography too!
Glowing Glow Bugs
These super cute glow bugs had my children captivated. They were flying them round the yard for ages - and then they lined up on their shelf as night lights when they went to bed!
Summer Strawberry
Preschoolers will love this Summer Strawberry Project
Paper Plate Ladybug
Paper Plate projects are my favorite - here's a simple one that will really engage preschoolers.
Glow Lanterns
This project releases the magic of a glow stick into a lantern! Definitely one for older kids and requires adult supervision - but with caution this is a fascinating science project or which can simply just be done for fun! Ideal for camping trips or late summer nights in the yard!
Popped Bubble Art
I've done this activity with my kids a few times now and it never fails to fascinate them - and me! Simply color bubble mix with food coloring and blow bubbles onto paper - as the bubbles land and pop, they create beautiful works of art. It goes without saying that this project is best done outdoors. A great one for those lazy summer afternoons.
Handprint Sun
Summery art for those tiny hands! This cheerful sun project will bring smiles to any home or classroom as children transform their hand prints into bright rays of summer light.
Dream Catchers
Dream Catchers were made by native american indians. They would hang these over their beds as they believed bad dreams could not pass through the woven net. Good dreams could pass through and would slide down the feathers to the sleeping person below. These simple versions use pipe cleaners, embroidery thread and craft feathers.
Sand Hand Prints
This is a really cute project to do: a sand covered hand print! It's simple to do on the beach and makes a wonderful memory of your vacation. Older kids will be able to do this themselves.
Watermelon Slices
Preschoolers will have great fun making these "watermelon slices" from paper plates. This is a great project to do with kids for a Letter W theme, or on National Watermelon Day.
Foam Name Tags
Perfect to help your child keep track of his/her school bag, lunch bag or even suitcase, these foam tags are easy and fun to make. They would make a great back to school project or camp activity.
Monster Pencil Holders
These cute little monsters will keep your pencils in reach. Let your imaginations run wild to create weird and wonderful monsters of any shape and color out of air dry clay. A great project for boys to have on hand for a rainy day, as a back to school project or just as fun.
Flower Pencil Holders
These flower pencil holders made of air dry clay will brighten up the desk of any little girl. They also make great gifts for mothers day, for teacher appreciation or for Grandma's Birthday.
"Pencil" Cases!
These pencils are pencil cases! Great fun to make and very useful for storing all those pencils, crayons and pens. A fantastic project to do to celebrate going Back to School - or just because! This project is inspired by the brilliant Mister Maker.
Popsicle Stick Desk Organiser
Fed up of having pens, crayons, paintbrushes and pencils all over the place? Want to get organized before the kids go back to school? Why not have them make this popsicle stick desk organizer. This is a great engineering project that is fun to do - and so very useful! Customize the hight to suit your need - a few inches high to hold erasers or clips, 3 or 4 inches to hold crayons, or taller for pencils and pens. You can leave it unpainted, paint the popsicle sticks before you assemble, or paint the finish project. The choice is yours! This would also make a great gift for a teacher, or even for Dad for his Birthday or on Fathers Day.
Upcycled Pencil Pot
A great upcycling project to tidy your office / school supplies. Take an old Oatmeal container, cut to size, cover in wrapping paper and decorate and there you have it, the perfect container to organize your pens, pencils and paintbrushes. You could make one of these for your teacher on Teacher Appreciation Day.
Milk Art Science!
This project is incredible. The results are not only dramatic but are beautiful too - you'll be making art whilst learning about science. Your kids (whatever their age) will want to do this over and over so make sure that you have plenty of milk!
Dinosaur Fossils
Little dinosaur lovers and wannabe geologists will just LOVE creating these dinosaur fossils. The project is so easy that even older preschoolers can do it with a little help. A great project for a dinosaur theme in the classroom, to do with a small group at a dinosaur party, or just because!
Hatching Dinosaur Eggs
The ultimate little dinosaur lovers activity - dinosaur egg hunts - with "real" hatching dinosaurs. Little plastic dinosaurs can be inexpensively purchased from party supply stores or online, making this not only an easy project - but a frugal one as well. Hide your eggs in a sand box, in a dinosaur nest made from shredded paper in a kiddie pool, or around the house or garden for the ultimate prehistoric egg hunt
Dino (or Monster) Feet
These Dino / Monster feet are sure to provide plenty of amusement. They are such a simple idea - foam sheets cut into dinosaur feet shapes that can be slipped over the child's foot. Decorate using sharpies, adhesive foam shapes, glue, glitter, buttons, feathers.... A fantastic project for a preschool class, a dinosaur party or for pretend play on a rainy day.
Apple Prints
Little Kids will get a real kick out of this project - using a halved apple to make apple prints - along with leaf print leaves. It is a great craft project to welcome fall, to fill a letter A theme or for Back to School Activities. Just make sure you have extra apples so that you have some to munch on as well!
Styrofoam Apple Trees
It's always fun doing apple projects, but particularly so in the fall. Kids can create their own apple laden trees in this project.
Paper Apple Trees
These standing Apple Trees made from a paper bowl and a toilet roll are a bright and cheerful fall project. Apples are a great preschool theme - they compliment units about Letter A, Apples, and Back to School!
Blown Bubble Prints
What child with a drink and a straw doesn't love blowing bubbles? Not exactly behavior that we're generally encouraging (it doesn't exactly go down well at the dinner table). Which is why toddlers and preschoolers will love this activity: using straws to blow LOTS of bubbles in soapy water colored with food coloring - and then making art by placing paper on top of the bubbles.
Frankenstein Monster Mask
These fun and not so scary Frankenstein Monster masks will provide much fun at Halloween, as a craft, a homemade costume or as a centerpiece on a Halloween table. Elementary age children should be able to complete most of this project on their own without much assistance.
Moon Paintings
One of our favorite activities is using salt to create texture on watercolor paintings. In this activity Salt and Glue are used to turn a simple watercolor painting into the surface of the moon! Leave as is for a great Space themed project or add some black card silhouettes and you have a spooky Halloween picture.
Pumpkin Bowl Picture
These pumpkins have handprint leaves - a fantastic Halloween or Thanksgiving project to do at home with your preschooler or in a preschool classroom. It incorporates both sensory and fine motor elements: making hand prints, scrunching up paper bags, and cutting and gluing yarn.
Handprint Spiders
A perfect Halloween project for the Preschooler or Toddler: easy, quick and oh so cute.
Lemon!
Once finished these lemons feel (to touch) remarkably like real lemons, which is cool! And also makes this a great sensory project for preschoolers: touch (texture), sight (vibrant yellow colors) and taste - because it is just wrong not to accompany this activity with either a wedge of lemon to explore or a small glass of lemonade!
Mosaic Lizard
These bright lizard pictures look great pinned on the kitchen fridge. And they are so straightforward to produce that with a little preparation toddlers and preschoolers will have no trouble with this activity. A great project for a "Letter L" theme in the classroom - or a quick and easy activity to entertain your little artist.
Tissue Paper Painted Fall Leaves
Toddlers and Preschoolers will love this autumn project. Simply pile small pieces of torn tissue paper onto a sheet of paper and spray with water. The colors from the tissue paper will bleed onto the paper and will merge, mingle and blend to make beautiful subtle patterns. Using fall colored tissue paper (reds oranges and yellows) and cutting out the finished art work into leaf shapes makes beautiful fall leaves. Mount the leaves onto a paper branch for a beautiful fall picture.
Halloween Monster Egg Heads
Let your imagination go wild creating these fun crazy hair monsters. Have your kids start them a couple of weeks before Halloween and they will be ready to sit alongside your jack-o-lanterns on your doorstep, or take pride of place on your Halloween Party Table.
Egg Heads
This is a fantastic project that will provide much entertainment for the kids. It is very exciting to watch as the hair begins to grow, and grow and grow. Use wheat grass seeds (available in most hardware or garden stores) for truly spectacular hairy growth.
Acorn Cinnamon Sun Catchers
These Suncatchers bring the best of fall to your room - they look pretty and the cinnamon used in the project makes your house smell great too! A perfect project to do with toddlers or preschoolers who will enjoy sprinkling the cinnamon.
Mummy Pots
Your kids will love making these little mummy pots for storing Halloween Candy. They are so simple and yet so effective. Preschoolers and Kindergartners should manage these without too much trouble and a little assistance, and by First Grade the kids should be able to do this project all by themselves without any trouble.
Splatter Paintings - Pollock Style
Jackson Pollock was made famous for producing art from splatter's of paint. It's not uncommon to hear people viewing his art say - "my kids could do that". In this project, you let your kids try to do just that - and you will be amazed by the results. The finished artwork will be probably be worthy of a space on your living room wall. But, the best part of this project is the process - it is truly a means for self expression. There is something incredibly therapeutic about watching the art emerge as you splash the paint onto the canvas. Just be sure to do it outside with where the mess is ok, and wear clothes you don't mind being covered in paint!
Egg Carton Owl
These owls made from egg cartons have tremendous character and can be put together very easily. Children will love painting the egg cartons and adding the feathers. A great project for fall to make a change from leaves - or do anytime to support a letter "O" theme - or just because! Using white feathers and dabbing on brown paint makes a wonderfully realistic mottled feather effect. But you could also use colored feathers for a brighter an owl.
Glittery Leaves
If it's damp and wet outside, don't fear, you can make your own amazing autumn leaves by painting brown paper bags. We sponge painted with several colors of metallic tempura paint and added veins made out of glitter for a beautiful shining look. Older children will enjoy creating their own color designs, and leaf shapes but don't overlook this project for the preschoolers. Younger kids will have great success sponge painting - and once 4/5 can even attempt to cut out the leaves themselves. They'll just need some help creating the veins.
Cheerful Fall Tree
Creating your own fall tree can be super fun - and although this one looks time consuming it's really easy to put together. What's more, all the members of your family can take part making the leaves. This would be a great group project in a preschool or kindergarten classroom as you could create a class tree with leaves from each child. The leaves can be as small or large as you like - and so can the tree!
Canvas wall picture 3D bufferflies and flowers
This makes a lovely picture for the wall. I wanted a project that my daughter and I could do together and keep. Would also make a great project to do for Mothers Day, or as a gift for Grandma.
Egg Cup Christmas Trees
The is a fantastic Christmas project to do with toddlers and preschoolers. Egg cups are painted and stacked to make Christmas Trees which are then decorated with spangles and gems. The finished trees will take pride of place on any mantlepiece.
Reindeer Foot / Hand Print
ADORABLE Foot and Hand Print project that makes a great Christmas Keepsake - or cute Christmas Cards for Family members. You could do this with baby hand and foot prints. And toddlers and preschoolers will have a blast watching the reindeer faces emerge from their prints.
Christmas Stockings Collage
If you have a child who loves to cut, then this is the perfect Christmas project. My son had a great time finding the "red bits" in old magazines, cutting them up and gluing them on his stocking. You could turn these into cute Christmas cards, or punch a hole in the corner and hang from the Christmas Tree. Either way, they are a great preschool project!
Sparkly Christmas Tree
I was so excited by the results of this festive holiday project. It's simple to do, but engaging for kids of any age - and the results are so pretty. You can make the finished trees into pictures - or turn them into special, one of a kind greetings cards.
Hanukkah Menorah
Younger children will be able to make and "light" this menorah all by themselves this Hanukkah! A fantastic project for preschool age children.
Painting in the Rain
This project is the perfect way to brighten up a grey and gloomy rainy day by using the rain itself to create beautiful artwork. What better excuse to don those raincoats and rainboots and combine making art with some puddle stomping! No rain? Just use a watering can with a fine nozzle, or a spray water bottle to create the same effect.
Mondrian by Kids
These incredibly simple paintings in the style of Dutch Painter Piet Mondrian are a great way to get kids involved in learning about abstract art and the beauty of simple geometric images. The creation of the series of squares and rectangles is surprisingly satisfying and the creative process very rewarding. This project is ideal for elementary age kids and even older preschoolers can easily have a go. Older children may prefer to create their black outlines using rulers and black pen. That way the width of the lines can be varied.
Watercolor Flowers
These are SO SIMPLE to make and yet they look fantastic. It's worth doing a few and keeping them on hand as they are really useful to make gift tags and birthday cards. Or combine several to make a collage or a spring wreath. Preschoolers will have fun doing this project and older kids (and adults) will enjoy creating more complex designs.
Gelatin Printing Adventure
This project is seriously addictive! The process is extremely fun and interactive. And the results are amazing. In other words this is a great introduction to print making for kids - and one that even smaller kids can do and enjoy. First, you make a gelatin plate. This is quite straightforward and basically involves creating a slab of firm gelatin: a process that is fun for older kids to help with. then you have fun applying paint to the plate, and using everyday objects as brushes and stencils to ensure that when you place the paper over the top of the plate to make print, you get fantastic results. Note: don't be put off by the wordy instructions - the procedure is actually very quick and easy once you get the hang of it!