Preschool Art Activity

One of my children's favorite things to do is a preschool art activity. They love making crafts to display or give to friends. Art projects also help reinforce concepts they are learning.

My children sometimes have ideas of their own they want to implement. At other times, a project I initiate will prompt them to have ideas of their own.

I have ruined many an art project by talking too much. I have to stop myself from saying things like, "Don't use too much glue!" or "There's glitter on the floor!" Sometimes that means stepping out of the room.

Let your child enjoy the creative process without worrying about what the final product is supposed to look like. Be wise about knowing when to step back and when to give direction.

Coloring

Coloring is an easy, inexpensive preschool art activity. I know coloring books are sometimes frowned upon, but my children like coloring pages that relate to subjects we're studying. We also enjoy using those new jumbo coloring books.

I sometimes tape a large sheet of butcher paper to the floor for my children to draw on throughout the day. You can make drawing books available your child enjoys them, or teach him how to make scribble art. All he has to do is scribble!

Texture rubbings are another fun crayon activity. Place leaves, coins, keys, lace, fabric, bricks, paper clips and other textured items under paper. Color over them to make an imprint of the item's shape or texture.

Painting

Painting can be a calming preschool art activity, as long as the paint stays on the paint tarp. To reduce mess, and stress, we sometimes paint outside.

Tape a large sheet of paper to the fence to make an easel. Draw letters or shapes on the paper and let your child paint a sign or mural. This is also a great way to experiment with splatter paint.

Another fun activity is blot art. Fold a sheet of paper in half, crease it, and then unfold it. Drop small blobs of different colored paint on one side of the paper. Fold the paper again, and gently press down on the areas where there is paint. Open the paper and let the paint dry. Cut the final product into the shape of butterflies, bugs or flowers.

Experiment with different types of paint and brushes. Try painting with sticks, feathers, sponges, paint rollers and fingers. Finger painting is a great preschool writing activity, as well as a way to preserve handprints.

The Big Book of Playtime Activities contains ideas for fun and easy craft, painting, drawing and math activities you can do using inexpensive supplies that are readily available in your home.

Follow this link to find out why I recommend Usborne preschool books and learn about additional resources your preschooler will enjoy.

Here are some other Preschool Art Activities:

• Collages - Collages are not only a great preschool art activity, they are a good way to practice cutting and pasting. Use fabric, tissue paper, wrapping paper, leaves or old magazines. Have your child cut out pictures of certain shapes and colors, or even just things that she likes. It is fun seeing how my children's minds work. My daughter once cut out pictures of vitamins, cough syrup and a baby who had RSV.


• Self-portrait - Place a large sheet of roll paper on the floor. Trace around your child's body, and let him decorate the drawing with paint, markers, crayon, fabric, yarn, buttons or other materials.


• Homemade books - Staple blank pages together to make a book. Let your child draw pictures and tell you what to write on each page. You can also write down your favorite stories or poems for your child to illustrate. Or make a scrapbook using family photos and let your child dictate the captions.


• Decorations - Make signs, sun catchers and paper chains to decorate your home. Once you have a nice collection of homemade decorations, you'll have fun pulling them out year after year. Here are some ideas for celebrating homeschool holidays.


• Mosaics - Make small squares out of different colored sheets of construction paper. Glue the squares on a plain sheet of paper or coloring book page to make a mosaic picture. Here's a rainbow my children made during our unit study on light:

Now that you found a preschool art activity, take a look at some tips for teaching preschool art, or look for a:

• preschool math activity,
• preschool writing activity,
• preschool science activity, or
• preschool alphabet activity.