Paint Crafts

• Preschoolers love all kinds of painting projects. Include a paint area in any preschool classroom and allow preschoolers the opportunity to paint with different colors and on different backgrounds each day. While many preschoolers will enjoy finger painting, a variety of painting instruments can help them explore. Easy-to-grasp, wide-handled paint brushes work for preschoolers, but other objects such as cut-up sponges, cut apples or potatoes or even toy cars can be used in place of paint brushes. Allow preschoolers the chance to choose their own style of paint and to explore different color combinations.
  
  

Collage Crafts

• Preschoolers should begin learning how to use scissors and making collages allows them a chance to practice their cutting skills while engaging in a self-directed art project. Keep old magazines and catalogs handy and allow preschoolers to cut and paste pictures to create their own collages. Include colored construction paper, tissue paper and other printed paper along with the magazines to give the children the chance to cut their own shapes and pictures.
  
  

Mixed Media Crafts

• Dried pasta, beans and beads are all inexpensive art materials for preschool arts and crafts. Allow preschoolers to paint, add glitter or color these materials with marker before gluing them to a piece of paper, picture frame or box. Dried pasta and beads can also be strung on pipe cleaners or yarn to make jewelry or sculptures, or stacked in a glass jar with colored sand. Keep jars and bins of these materials and other found objects such as pine cones or leaves for free-form craft projects.
  
  

Box Crafts

• Read the award-winning children's book "Not A Box" to show the children that a cardboard box can be anything they imagine. Then, let them color and decorate their own shoe box, moving box or other box to make their own play house, race car or rocket ship. Let them use other art materials to turn their box into whatever they imagine. Milk jugs, cereal boxes and soup or coffee cans can all be used for open-ended "container" crafts.