Monster Crafts for Preschoolers

I teach weekly craft classes with a group of Preschoolers, and each week we have a new theme. One of my favourite themes is "Monsters". My 3-5 year old kids love making monsters out of paper and playdough, so today I am sharing some of my favourite Monster crafts for Preschoolers.

How cute are these playdough monsters? My preschoolers made them from playdough, googly eyes, and bits of pipe cleaner.

And don't you love these monster bookmarks? I drew monsters on strips of cardstock, and I added some curling ribbon to the top. Then, the kids coloured the monster and glued on googly eyes.

Making a monster from a paper plate is also easy. The kids coloured the plate, and glued on googly eyes. Then, we added strips of paper folded "accordion" style.

And finally, check out this monster puppet. I drew a simple monster shape on a piece of card stock and cut it out. The kids coloured it, added a giant eye, and decorated it with polk-a-dot stickers. We finished the puppet by taping a craft stick to the back.

I think these monster crafts for Preschoolers are adorable, don't you? There is nothing scary about these fun crafts for kids!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Preschool Theme: Shapes

I teach a craft class for Preschoolers once a week, and I also have a simple theme to make the class cohesive. One of the themes I start with is "shapes". It's a simple theme, but it's a great one for the Preschoolers. Below, I am sharing some "shape" crafts and activities that kids will love.

Books for Shape Theme:

The Maid, the Mouse, and the Odd-shaped House by Paul O. Zelinsky

Circle Dogs by Kevin Henkes

Circles, Stars, and Squares by Jane Brocket

Round is a Pancake by Joan Sullivan Baranski

Press Here by Herve Tullet - my favourite!

Activities for Shape Theme:

Sort foam shapes into containers.

Bean bag toss onto pieces of paper with shapes on them.

Sort cars into parking spots… by shape.

Each child gets a card with a shape, they name things that are that shape, and the other children try to guess the shape.

Stick skewers into playdough and place “round” Cheerios onto the skewers.

Fish for shapes (using paper clips on the fish and magnets on the rods).

Play a matching game with shapes on the cards.

Crafts for Shape Theme:

Make a shape book.

Make a door hanger covered in foam “shape” stickers.

Make a “shape” name puzzle.

Make shape monsters.

Cover a shape with stickers.
Make a pig using shapes

Don't you just love these fantastic "shape" crafts and activities. I absolutely LOVE the shape pig with a curly tail made from a pipe cleaner!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Teddy Bear Clinic Crafts and Activities

There is nothing more fun than crafting and pretending with Preschoolers, and hosting a "teddy bear clinic" is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Recently, I had a "teddy bear clinic" theme for my weekly Preschool class, and today I am sharing the details of our Teddy Bear Clinic crafts and activities.

As the kids arrived with their stuffed animals / patients, we filled out a patient info form together. You can download the patient info worksheet here.

Then, the kids spent some time "examining" all of their stuffed animals/ patients.

You can even make the kids pretend lab coats from old white t-shirts. No sewing required!

After we were finished playing, the kids got started on some fun doctor crafts. Check out this adorable paper doctor's bag. I cut out the bags from black construction paper, and the kids coloured the crosses, and glued all the medical supplies to the inside of the bag.

We also made a little doctor coat craft. The kids had fun gluing all the items to the white coat.

Do you know a little one that would enjoy an afternoon playing "teddy bear clinic"? Or perhaps you have a preschool class that would have fun with this theme?

These teddy bear clinic crafts and activities are easy to plan and do with Preschoolers. I love the doctor bag, but it's all super-cute, don't you think?

♥ Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

"All About Me" Preschool Crafts

I teach a weekly preschool craft class, and each week we make crafts related to a different theme. Today, I am sharing some wonderful crafts related to the theme: "All About Me". Everyone wants to feel like they are the centre of attention sometimes, right? That's why this is such a great theme for Preschoolers.

Isn't this name rocket cute? The child can glue on all the pieces and add star stickers to create a starry night. It would look great on a black piece of paper too.

And this self portrait with a popsicle stick frame is adorable! A grown up can help the child put the frame together, and then the child can draw a picture and decorate the frame with jewel stickers.

This mirror craft is also great. Have the child colour the mirror, glue on a tin foil centre, and glue on his/her picture. Cute, right?

And, when you are done crafting, "show and tell" is the perfect activity to do with the kids. Getting kids to share info about themselves is wonderful for their self esteem, and because of this, "All About Me" is a great preschool theme.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Insect and Bug Crafts Preschoolers will LOVE

Crafting around themes is always fun for preschoolers, and I love making crafts that become things to play with too. Today, I am sharing some of my favourite insect and bug crafts for Preschoolers.

Check out these three cute crafts. You could make a paper lady bug with heart shaped dots. You could also string a button and a bunch of Cheerios onto a pipe cleaner to make a little worm. Or you could make a colourful butterfly puppet with some paper taped to a craft stick and covered with scrunched up squares of tissue paper.

I like this butterfly too. The craft stick glued to the top allows the wings of the butterfly to be bent so it looks like it is flying. Cute, right?

And finally, how adorable is this little snake made from paper straw beads? Kids can practice scissors skills cutting up beads, and then they can practice their fine motor skills stringing the beads onto a piece of pipe cleaner. A button head at the end of the pipe cleaner will allow the kids to string the beads without having them fall off.

Don't you just love these insect and bug themed crafts for Preschoolers? I especially love the little paper straw bead snake.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Penny Spinners... a simple paper craft for kids

Sometimes a simple paper craft is the perfect way to entertain kids, so a few weeks ago I made these adorable penny spinners with my boys. They were fun to create, and even more fun to play with when they were finished. Today, I am sharing the simple instructions for this lovely little art project for kids... including an easy to follow video.

First, you'll need two circles. I used a cereal box for one circle and a piece of white card stock for the other. I wanted the strength of the cereal box and the bright white colour of the card stock (to highlight the bright colours of the markers).

Then, have the kids colour a pattern onto the white circle, cut a slit in the centre of the circles, and insert a penny.

My boys had a great time creating many different patterns, and watching the colours when they spun them.

Check out the video my boys made here:

Cute, right? I love that this craft works for kids of all ages. (Just make sure that an adult cuts the slit for the penny!) I highly recommend making penny spinners with your kids. It's easy, inexpensive, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon together.

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Easy REINDEER Crafts (that kids will love)

The Christmas season is always super-busy for parents and caregivers, so it can be very helpful to have a few SIMPLE holiday crafts to keep the kids entertained. Today, I am sharing FOUR easy REINDEER crafts that are perfect for Preschoolers and older kids too. These crafts are simple to make, the supplies are easy to find, and the children will be delighted with the finished products.

Personalized ornaments are always special, and this simple reindeer photo ornament is absolutely adorable! Cut a circle from a piece of card stock, glue on a photo of a child, draw reindeer antlers, and add a red sticker nose. Attach a string, and give it as a gift or hang it on the tree. Cute, right?

This simple reindeer painting is also easy to make, and it is a sweet piece of holiday artwork. Draw a reindeer head, antlers, and nose on a piece of white paper. Colour the reindeer parts, cut them out, and glue them onto a piece of heavy coloured paper. Add a googly eye (with white glue), and cover the paper with snowflakes made from dipping a Q-tip in white paint.

Wrapping yarn is a fun way for little ones to practice using their fine motor skills, and this yarn wrapped reindeer ornament is sure to delight little ones. Start with a piece of heavy cardboard, cover it with white glue, and wrap the cardboard with yarn. Add googly eyes, a red pom pom nose, clothespin antlers, and a yarn hanger.

Making magic reindeer food is simple and fun, and the finished product can be sprinkled on the lawn on Christmas Eve to ensure that the Santa's reindeer are well fed during their annual trip around the world. You can find the recipe for magic reindeer food and the FREE printable tags here.

Christmas crafting is a fantastic way to spend time with kids, and the simple reindeer crafts are guaranteed to be a lot of fun for little ones. You can use the finished crafts for gifts, you can use them to decorate, or you can simply take them out each year as treasured keepsakes. I hope you take the time to make a simple reindeer craft with your children this holiday season. If you try one of mine, leave a comment below, and let me know which one was a favourite in your house. Happy Crafting!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Santa Crafts (that kids will love)

The Christmas season is always super-busy for parents and caregivers, so it can be very helpful to have a few SIMPLE holiday crafts to keep the kids entertained. Today, I am sharing FOUR Santa crafts that are perfect for Preschoolers and older kids too. These crafts are simple to make, the supplies are easy to find, and the children will be delighted with the finished products.

This simple Santa beard craft is one of my favorite holiday crafts. Download the beard template here, attach a craft stick to the back with white duct tape, and cover the surface of the beard with glue and cotton balls. Easy peasy!

This "Santa going down the chimney" craft is nothing short of adorable. I started by drawing a chimney on a piece of card stock. Then, I drew a pair of Santa pants on cardstock, cut them out, and taped them to a craft stick.

The secret is a slit (made with an X-acto knife) across the top of the chimney. The kids will delight in watching Santa disappear inside the chimney.

This simple paper Santa with a cupcake liner beard is another fun and easy craft for kids. Start with a red triangular piece of construction paper. Then flatten a white cupcake liner, cut it in half, and glue it to the triangle with white glue. Cut a circle from card stock for the face, and attach it with white glue. Cut a belt and gloves from black paper, and attach with glue. Finish by adding googly eyes, a paper moustache, buttons, and cotton.

This popsicle Santa hat ornament is simple to make, and the kids will be proud to craft it and hang it on the tree. Paint popsicle sticks red, and allow them to dry completely. Then, glue the sticks into a triangle shape, and attach a yarn hanger. Finish by gluing cotton balls to the top and bottom of Santa's hat. Cute, right?

Making Christmas crafts with kids is a fabulous tradition, and these simple Santa crafts are guaranteed to be a lot of fun for little ones. You can use the finished crafts for gifts, you can use them to decorate, or you can simply take them out each year as treasured keepsakes. I hope you take the time to make a simple Santa craft with your children this holiday season. If you try one of mine, leave a comment below, and let me know which one was a favourite in your house. Happy Crafting!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Christmas Tree Crafts (that kids will love)

The holiday season is always busy, so it's always nice to have some SIMPLE Christmas crafts to keep the kids entertained. The six Christmas tree crafts I am sharing today are perfect for Preschoolers, but older kids will love them too.

Making ornaments is a fun activity for children, and this popsicle stick tree ornament is glittery and cute. To craft this sweet little tree: paint popsicle sticks green and allow them to dry completely. Then, glue the sticks together, glue on a stump, and allow the glue to dry. Finish the ornament by adding a string hanger and decorating the tree with gem stickers.

This geometric tree is a fun way to explore shapes and colours with little ones. Create a tree by gluing colourful shapes onto a piece of cardstock. Cute, right?

This sticker tree is simple to make, and it is a great way to work on fine motor skills with kids. Draw a tree shape on a piece of paper, have the child colour the tree, and decorate the tree with stickers.

This Cheerios tree is another simple way to craft and work on fine motor skills with kids. Draw a tree, have the kids colour the tree, and decorate the tree with glue and Cheerios.

This toilet roll tree is fun because it can stand on its own. Draw a tree on card stock, cut it out, colour it, and decorate it with stickers. Then, cut slits in a piece of a toilet roll, and insert the tree.

The counting tree is a simple way to practice cutting and gluing. Cut the strips, glue them on, and decorate with stickers.

I love all six of these Christmas Tree crafts for the holidays, don't you? Do you have a favourite? The good news is that you don't have to choose. All these crafts are easy and require basic supplies, so it is totally doable to make them all with your kids this year. Happy crafting!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Bonus: Here's a fun Christmas tree craft for older kids. You can find the instructions for this felt Christmas tree ornament here.

"Couldn't be cuter" BUG crafts

Today I am sharing three BUG themed crafts that are easy to make, totally adorable and perfect for Preschoolers (and older kids too). I love that they use a variety of simple supplies and a plethora of cheerful colors. Below, you will find all the instructions you need to make: a colorful caterpillar, a beautiful bee, and a bookworm.

To make a BEE-utiful bumblebee: 

1) Cut an oval shape from a piece of yellow paper, and glue it to another piece of paper.
2) Cut stripes and a stinger from black paper, and glue to the body of the bee.
3) Add a googly eye and wax paper wings.
4) Use a crayon to add antennae and a mouth.

To make a popsicle stick bookworm:

1) Use a glue gun to attach a pom pom to the end of a craft stick.
2) Glue on googly eyes and a small pom pom.
3) Use markers and crayons to decorate the craft stick.

To make a colorful caterpillar:

1) Cut circles for every letter of the child's name and one for the head.
2) Write the letters of the child's name on the circle.
3) Glue all the pieces in place (including a picture of the child).
4) Embellish with markers or crayons.

Cute, right? Do you have a favorite?

I think all three of these bug crafts are absolutely adorable, and they give children the chance to play with glue, scissors, and crayons. Which of these "bug" crafts will you make first?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)