Color Mixing Ice
The project is a great visual introduction to color mixing – suitable for even younger kids.
Stars and Stripes
Painters Tape and a sponge are used to create this very cool looking version of the US flag. Great for 4th July Celebrations
Pom Pom Caterpillars
These cute caterpillars will certainly capture the imagination of your kids!
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!
Salt Ice Sculptures
These incredible salt-ice sculptures combine science, art and a big dose of fun! Simply take a large block of ice, salt and watered down paint – and combine! The salt and paint make the ice melt with interesting caves and crevasses which act as tunnels and lakes for the paint. The effect is stunning.
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!
Glitter Candy Cane
Using masking tape to resist paint creates wonderful stripes, making this an ideal technique for making candy cane pictures with small children
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.
Exploding Volcano
What could be more exciting than creating and exploding your own volcano? A craft and a science project combined!
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
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.
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.
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!
Stars n Stripes Pinwheels
Celebrate 4th July with these celebratory homemade pinwheels.
Uncle Sam's Hat
These cheerful hats are easier to make than they look, and are a great accessory for Independence Day on July 4th, for celebrating Uncle Sam's Birthday in September or to complement an American History Unit in preschool or elementary school. They would also make great centerpieces for a celebratory table.
Apple Gift
Wrap a small jar of honey in red tissue paper, secure with twine, and add green leaves as gift tags and you have a wonderful gift. This is especially super for Teacher Appreciation and for the holiday of Rosh HaShanah. During this Jewish New Year holiday it is traditional to eat apple slices dipped in honey as a symbol of the desire for a sweet new year. It is traditional to give apples to teachers as gifts (a tradition dating back to the time when the community was often responsible for housing and feeding the teacher). You could replace the Honey with preserves.
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.
Froggy Puppets
These frog's don't just look good, they "ribbit"! My 3 and 6 year olds both loved these frog puppets. The wonderful thing about them is although adult help will be required to build the puppets, smaller children will enjoy painting the plates and creating the egg cup eyes and will be so proud of their finished froggies.
Sparkling Bonfire / Campfire Picture
There's nothing like gathering round a nice roaring fire, whether that be at the end of a day's camping or as part of Bonfire Night Celebrations (in the UK) on the 5th November. This cute fire picture allows you to safely bring some of the fun inside.
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.
Festive Bell
A pretty Christmas bell that can be used to decorate the house or as a Christmas card or just for fun
Simple Christmas wreath
A very simple Christmas decoration that younger kids can do quickly and easily. There are lots of options for decorating these - sequins and spangles, painted pasta shapes, glitter glue, buttons to name a few.
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!
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.
Cork Reindeer
These reindeer can not fail to bring a smile to your face. My kids were so excited to make them for our Christmas Mantlepiece. Both 6 and 4 year olds were able to complete the activity with a little help.
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.