Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Kid Art Time: Five Activities Preschoolers Love

By Kate Halfey


Preschoolers are always on the go, and filling up the hours can be tough for a parent or caregiver. One way to not only pass the time but do something educational is to consider some great art activities. Here are some art projects specifically geared toward the preschool set.

When it comes to art, it is wise to allow children to explore a variety of mediums. One fun option is collage. Take your child on a nature walk and have them collect twigs, leaves, rocks and pebbles. Then glue the items down on a piece of construction paper. Talk about the different textures of each of the items, such as the smoothness of a pebble or the fuzzy feeling you get when you touch some of the leaves.

Tear paper art is another great project that is an especially good fine motor activity. You can do a variety of holiday or seasonal activities with tear art. Draw a large heart on a piece of white paper and have them tear off bits of white, pink and red paper and paste them inside the heart. For Halloween, draw a pumpkin shape and provide several shades of orange tissue or construction paper. Paste some triangles on top for the eyes and nose and you have a great Jack O'Lantern.

Murals can be a fun project, but small children typically have a difficult time making use of all of a huge long piece of mural paper. A pre-printed mural might be a better option, and you can purchase these inexpensively from a site such as ArtProjectsForKids.org. This site offers dozens of choices suitable for children from about age 4 and up.

There is a wide variety of subject choices to consider, including the works of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Klee, Gauguin, Kandinsky and even Andy Warhol. Other choices include holiday-themed murals or perhaps large murals of different animals ranging from giraffes to dinosaurs to butterflies. After the children have colored in each page of the mural, you just put it together in the correct order and you have an instant piece of artwork.

Children tend to learn more if there is art involved. So if you wish to teach your children about a particular subject, be sure to have some cool art projects that relate to the theme. For example, an ocean theme would include having children create pictures of a jellyfish, creating a turtle out of a paper plate or perhaps designing a crab using their handprints. Don't forget to include a trip to a local aquarium if possible. A weather theme would include making a daily weather calendar, as well as having the children create pictures of the sun, clouds and rain or snow to put onto the calendar.




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