Guest author Jeanette Norman

I have had a lot of mom’s tell me they can’t be creative with things found commonly in their home or art and craft supplies are too expensive for their budget. Here are some art to do’s with your preschooler.

Macaroni _________(insert creation name here *smile)

When I was little I remember my mom introduced my brother and I to the art of macaroni. We started out gluing macaroni noodles to paper plates. This develops small muscle skills. Then we would use construction paper, tissue paper, etc. My brother made something out of macaroni and aluminum foil one day. Macaroni can be strung for necklaces. There are 2 methods for dyeing pasta. The first one involves taking about a ½ cup of rubbing alcohol and food coloring mixing it together. Another teacher I know uses water and 10 drops of food coloring. The larger the pasta the longer it has to sit to take in the dye. When it is the desired color, lay out on paper towels on top of newspaper to dry.

Muffin Paper Daffodils

This would be a great project for springtime. Take a muffin pan liner, cut 3 triangles into it, and glue it flat onto some paper. Then take another liner, push it open slightly and glue it on top of the first. You can add another liner or a small ball of tissue paper to the inside. Have the child draw the stem of the flower onto the paper under the flower.

Messy Painting

My preschoolers always loved getting their hands in a mess. Every two weeks or so I would lay a large drop cloth on the floor under a table and put art smocks on them. Then we would finger paint with various liquids. Their favorite always seemed to be shaving cream. Just put some directly on tables and let them have at it. Clean up is easy especially if you use food products. Some other ideas are pudding and whipped cream.

Paper Plate Masks

This is pretty much self-explanatory. Let the children decorate with whatever you can supply. Feathers, pipe cleaners, paint, markers, glitter, etc. The list can go on and on. Use a hole punch to make 2 holes opposite of each other and tie some yarn for them to put on their faces. Don’t forget eyeholes too! You can use this idea in a theme such as zoo animals, farm animals, flowers, etc.