10 Art Activities for Preschoolers
If you are looking to change up your usual preschool arts and craft ideas – The Confident Classroom has you covered. From DIY instruments that make beautiful music to a few new creative ways to paint, these ten preschool art activities are perfect for inspiring creativity in your classroom. Plus, your pint-sized Picassos will love these fun and easy projects.
Making the Band
From a guitar made from an old cereal box to a drum made from empty coffee cans, your little musicians can make sweet music during circle time with these creative DIY musical crafts. Making these instruments will keep their little hands busy but when you gather the whole band together—pure entertainment.
Painting With Bubbles
Bubbles are already magical to preschoolers, but when you use them to bubble paint, a whole new level of creativity unlocks. This project can get messy, but your preschoolers will love watching the colored bubbles float in the air and popping on the paper. When your class is finished with this project, encourage them to admire their unique creations.
Preschool With a Purpose has hundreds of unique and fun crafts for your budding artists. Download a free art activity inspired by the work of Yayoi Kusama!
Colorful Butterfly
If your students love hearing you read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar, help them create their very own beautiful butterfly. Whether they get to fly these lovely creatures around your classroom or you hang them up for display, they will surely brighten your classroom and quickly become a favorite of your preschoolers.
Spinning Paint Art
Put down the paintbrush and get ready to make something that twirls and whirls. A finished piece of spinning paint art is always a surprise–the colors, the patterns, and the textures. As your students are spinning the box, talk about how colors mix and form new colors. Toss in a few marbles to create even more interesting colors and patterns.
Paper Mache Bowls
Create paper bowls using newspaper and a “glue” that you and your students make together. This project can get messy but it’s worth the extra handwashing and donning art smocks for the final project. Bonus: this fun craft is a great gift for Mother’s Day or Grandparent’s Day.
Pompom Ice Pops
Perfect for pretend play, these pompom ice pops look good enough to eat. This quick craft is bright and colorful and won’t leave you with a classroom full of kids with sticky fingers.
Clay Creatures
Using clay in a preschool classroom is a must! It’s a fantastic way to spark creativity and help students work on those fine motor skills. Create a clay creature station by separating out small amounts of clay and various tools like cookie cutters and mini rolling pins. Encourage your preschoolers to use their imaginations to create their own creatures with wiggle eyes, feathers, and fuzzy sticks. Whether they make animals, monsters, or imaginary beings, be sure to display their finished creatures to celebrate their creativity. Need a DIY clay recipe that gives you the perfect texture every time? Try this one!
DIY Telescope
With these DIY telescopes, your students can do a little bird watching or look for planes flying overhead on the playground. Or they can gaze at the stars before bedtime. Teacher tip: Start collecting empty paper towel rolls for this project a few weeks ahead of time..
Ice Painting
This activity is great on a hot day, but we think your preschoolers will love it no matter what the temperature is outside. Fill an ice cube tray with water and a few drops of paint. Before putting the tray into the freezer, pop in a craft stick. When the paint pops freeze–kids can use the craft stick to guide the paint pops across the paper–leaving behind a colorful pattern. If you don’t have enough room in the freezer for the ice paint pops—try this homemade finger paint recipe instead.
Sock and Glove Monsters
If the lost-and-found box is full of random socks and gloves that have lost their mate, –use them to make silly sock and glove monster puppets. Once your preschoolers have added the finishing touches on their monster puppets, it’s time to perform. If you don’t have a puppet theater in the classroom, use a desk or table as a stage.
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About the Author:
Amanda Mushro is a writer and content creator whose creative tips, tricks, and life hacks have reached millions of people through TV segments, videos, and her writing. However, her favorite job is being a mom of three.