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Nothing beats seeing the joy on a small child’s face as they discover something new and exciting. Participating in art projects is a simple yet effective way to engage with your children that also offers many benefits. Not only are you spending quality time together, but engaging in arts and crafts provides learning opportunities, promotes relaxation, improves fine motor skills, boosts confidence, and expands creativity. And for a bonus, it can do all that for you, too!
Take some time this week to forget about busy schedules and that next item on your to-do list. Make plans to sit down with your preschooler for some hands-on fun with one of these great DIY preschool art projects
Blow your child’s mind by letting them use a straw for something other than drinking for once! Grab a piece of paper, paint, a straw, googly eyes, glue, and a black marker. Cover your space with newspaper or an old tablecloth just in case things get messy. Instruct your kiddo to add drops of their favorite color paint to the paper. Then, hold the straw approximately an inch away from the paint and blow. Encourage them to experiment with different angles or breath strengths to observe the different results. Use your imagination to pick out shapes and create characters, like these fun blow-paint monsters! Once the paint has dried, glue on googly eyes and add details with the marker.
Pic courtesy: Google
It can be fun to see how your child sees themselves! Start with a blank piece of paper or poster board. Find items around the house – inside or outside – that can be glued to the paper to create a self-portrait. Watch how creative your child gets in finding random everyday items to combine into a reflection of themselves. If they need help getting started, some ideas to consider might include gathering leaves or flowers, tissue paper, coins, bottle caps, fabric scraps, buttons, and so on. Suggest to your child that they begin by laying out their self-portrait to make sure it’s how they want it before gluing the pieces down.
Create a colorful masterpiece using just two items you likely already have around the house. All you need is a coffee filter and your favorite washable markers. Your child will begin by coloring one side of the coffee filter any way they’d like, making sure to leave some white space throughout. Next, fold the coffee filter in half once, and then again, ending with a small triangle. At that point, carefully place just the pointed tip of the coffee filter triangle under a stream of running water from the faucet. Let your child squeeze the filter with their fingers to allow the water to absorb, showing them how it spreads through the ends on its own. Unfold the filter and lay it flat to dry. Now you have a groovy, colorful tie-dyed piece of art! Tie on a string to hang in the window or turn it into a funky turkey for the upcoming holidays.
Gather old magazines, a glue stick, kid-friendly scissors, and a piece of poster board. Let your little one browse through the magazines and cut or tear out anything that suits their fancy. Maybe it’s their favorite animal, a toy they want for their birthday, a delicious-looking snack, the sky’s the limit! After gathering several images, they can glue them onto the posterboard any which way, creating a fun collage that showcases their unique interests. This is a great way to repurpose items that would otherwise go to the trash, give some insight into your kid’s amazing mind, and give them a one-of-a-kind, personalized piece of art to hang on their bedroom wall.
Try this unique technique for a fun twist on painting! For supplies, you’ll need a black piece of paper or cardstock, salt, a bottle of glue, watercolor paint, and a small paintbrush. Use the bottle of glue much like one would use a marker to “draw” on the black paper. This is a good time for your child to practice writing their name, but there’s no limit to what can be created. The glue shouldn’t be too thin or too thick, just a nice medium-sized line. Once the outline has been created, it’s time to carefully dust salt over the glue, tipping the paper to remove the excess often. Lay the paper flat to dry – it shouldn’t take too long! Next, it’s time to paint! Small amounts of watercolor paint is all it takes to bring the scenes to life! This is a good time to blend colors, pointing out how mixing certain hues will create an entirely new one! After painting, allow it to dry again before finding the perfect place to display the final product.
H2: Bring Out The Best In Your Child With Creative Learning
The Blue Elephant Learning Center is based on the principle that every child should be nurtured, supported, and celebrated. Our learning center in Frisco embodies that mission throughout all of our programs, from infancy through school-aged. We believe it’s important to create hands-on learning opportunities like preschool art projects and educational activities for preschoolers found above. Fostering an environment of engagement, creativity, and involvement both within their place of education and their home life will help children develop fine motor skills, boost cognitive abilities, and build emotional confidence while encouraging family bonding. We hope you and your family have a chance to enjoy each other’s company while creating and learning together!