Craft Ideas?

[TickleMonster]

Today we used construction paper, markers, and stickers to make pretty pictures and work on hand/eye coordination. Also have a 3 year old who is learning to trace and match letters using a foam letter puzzle. Tomorrow we are making bunnies out of paper bags, construction paper, and fuzzy balls. We have had this daycare for 3 years and have made A LOT of neat crafts but I am just running out of new ideas and would like some input on what other things we might be able to do?? Keep in mind that this will be for a 2-3 year old group. Thanks!

[Josiegirl]

We're painting sticks. Yes, sticks. I took the bark off and sanded any really rough spots. We put a first coat on, then let the littles use their fingers or Q-tips, and add spots, dots, stripes. Then we're going to seal them, put a tiny eye hook in one end and hang them all in the tree outside. Hopefully, they'll be kinda like wind chimes.

[Unregistered]

outside

Outside craft - all you need is paper and glue. Let kids squiggle glue on the paper any way they want to. Put sand on top and dump off, like glitter. Or glue on tiny sticks, stones, clovers, pine cones, grasses, leaves, whatever you have in your yard.
Write letters in sand with a stick or finger. Or make letters out of little stones. Or pictures.
Paint rocks using a q-tip. Glue rocks together to make a creature, or just a stack of rocks.
Wash stones in water to see them get "sparkly". Paint the fence using buckets of water and cheap brushes.

[Laurel]

We're painting sticks. Yes, sticks. I took the bark off and sanded any really rough spots. We put a first coat on, then let the littles use their fingers or Q-tips, and add spots, dots, stripes. Then we're going to seal them, put a tiny eye hook in one end and hang them all in the tree outside. Hopefully, they'll be kinda like wind chimes.

Such a cute idea!

Laurel

[Laurel]

Another outside (or inside) one is to cut a square of contact paper and let them make a collage. Can do it as a group or individually. For a group cut a large piece and lay it outside on a little picnic table sticky side up. Then have them fill it up with leaves, grass, small twigs, flower petals, etc. When finished, cover it with another piece and hang it up so parents can see it at pick up (if desired). Or you can do individual ones and make them as big as a piece of construction paper. I usually back it with a piece of construction paper by stapling it to the construction paper. Then with sticky side up continue as above.

Another fun thing is to cut random shapes out of fun foam. Then give them a dish of water and chunky paint brush. They paint water on the shape and it sticks to the window, sliding glass door or a mirror. I couldn't believe they mostly stayed up even overnight.

Laurel

[Tdhmom]

Painting with q tips is always fun here, water color paints, painting pine cones. We go on nature walks and whatever they can fit their baggie they can take back to the house and when we get back they can use what they find and construction paper and glue to make a picture. Puffy paint is great!! There's one I found on google made out of flour and baking powder (can't remember what else or if that was even it) and food coloring and after they paint with it you stick it in the microwave for like 15 seconds and it hardens but it's puffy. SUPER COOL! Paint little flower pots and then the next day plant your flowers in it to take home. We paint a lot ::

We colored the earth today for earth day and then on the way to school we picked up all the trash on the side of the road and sidewalk.

Cut out a bunch of shapes out of construction paper and write a pattern for them to copy by gluing their shapes on their paper. And on the back side of that paper I let them make their own pattern out of the left over shapes.

Rip up a bunch paper into little pieces (kids can help with this) and have them make a picture by gluing the ripped up pieces together.

Let everyone draw their own picture (usually get out markers for this one) and when they're done they get to tell me about their picture and name out all of the objects and I'll write everything they tell me. These are usually the ones my 3 year olds are the most proud of.

Make books is always a fav. Take computer paper, cut it in half and fold both pieces in half and staple in the middle of the fold and let them draw out their own stories and then when they are done they get to read you the story.

I'm sure I'll think of some more, I'll have to come back to this one

[Josiegirl]

Collages are always great! You could do a certain color collage from searching around your house for items of one color. We've done texture collages, using everything from feathers so small squares of sandpaper, cotton balls, noodles, yarn, varigated(is that the word I'm looking for where it's all bumpy) cardboard, poppy paper, all kinds of fun stuff. Shape collages.