What are good crafts for preschooler kids?

[Sarkispoll]

I babysit two kids, ages 3 and 5. They like crafts but I'm running out of ideas!! I have made tambourines and music shakers, printed off colouring pages, traced & coloured leaves with crayons, let them illustrate small stories, ironed leaves in wax paper (I did the ironing; don't worry), finger painted and cut out potato stamps to use with paint. What are good crafts to do with them? Halloween crafts would be great but any craft will do. Thanks!

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Crafts In India

[Dusty]

Here are a few websites with some great paper and craft ideas that I have used with my children - enjoy!

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/artscraftsideaskids/

http://www.kidprintables.com/

http://www.bigactivities.com/

http://en.origami-club.com//

:rolleyes2

[Sharon in KY]

JoAnn's fabric has cute $1.00 crafts for kids. Paint on little wooden shapes, monkey, fans with a pirate and different themes, they even have marker with some. Bead kits for kids and several other things. If you have one close to you check them out.

[SaraScribbles]

I just wanted to say that I'm so glad you asked about this...I have a soon to be 2 year old who I want to start crafts with (coloring is getting a little dull...lol). Will be sure to check out the links for some cool stuff to do with him!

[Jen0305]

I have a boy and a girl and they both LOVE to do crafts. oriential trading has some different supplies to make crafts with and pretty cheap (we order from them alot) Also, if you go onto www.sproutonline.com they have different crafts to make and its all for smaller children. Not sure where you live but they also have a sprout tv channel here in PA that they show different crafts (my kids love it)

[LuminousBoutique]

My kids are 3 and 5 so I am in the same boat! We make play dough... make modeling beeswax (even better, because it lasts for a LONG time),... you can make chunk crayons too!

Chunk crayons:

You need:

broken crayons, pull the wrappers off, and a silicone mold.

Melt the wax and pour it into the mold, simple! You can mix colors if you want.. its super easy and the kids love playing with the big crayons.

Playdough recipe:

http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdoughrecipes/traditional.html

Modeling Beeswax :

a little trickier for ingredients..

1 cup beeswax

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lanolin

melt over double boiler, add in color (I use TBK pop Mica's) and pour into molds. It is solid, like a crayon, until you put it in your hands and warm it.. then its stretchy and so fun to play with!

Edited April 14, 2010 by LuminousBoutique

[DeAnna_EC]

pipe cleaners -

they can make different shapes, animals or whatever they feel like bending them into

foam stickers-

usually can find big buckets at the dollar tree or other dollar stores, they can decorate shoe boxes, coffee cans, really anything with these- shoe boxes make great treasure boxes

egg cartons-

cut them apart, paint them, they can make bugs (add pipecleaner legs and antennae) construction paper wings, poke a hole in the top and add a string to hang them

toilet paper/paper towel tubes-

decorate, make circles for the top and bottom with cardboard, cut a nice slit in the top circle and they made their own coin tube (piggy bank) this works great with frosting tubs or any plastic that has a lid, decorate with the foam stickers for a really cute piggy bank

[candles4ever]

Kaboose.com has crafts for every holiday and I'm pretty sure they have an option you can put what type of supplies you have on hand and it will come up with a list of crafts that you could do.

[chiptooth]

The foam crafts are great for little ones. The foam pieces come with a sticky back now so now gluing necessary.