Guest Author - Kimberly Misra

If you’re looking for a way to keep your preschooler busy while you work with older siblings, try setting them up with an easy craft project. Here are ten to choose from.

1. Paper chains. These are great any time of year, not just around holidays. To make it easier, cut long strips of paper out ahead of time and enlist the help of an older sibling with the tape dispenser (or just stick a bunch of tape on a table end for them to use). You can choose colors to go with the season (pastels for spring, red white, and blue for Independence Day, or orange and black for Halloween).

2. Sewing cards. You can buy these already made or print them on cardstock from the site listed below. Sewing cards help develop fine motor skills. Plus they keep kids quiet because they take a lot of concentration!

3. Paper towel tunnel. Next time you finish a roll of paper towels, save it for your child. Let them decorate it with stickers, markers, and glitter and send their toy cars through it again and again.

4. Paper letters. If you’re trying to teach a preschooler letters, cut letter shapes from cardstock or poster board and have them decorate with crayons or finger-paint. Hang them up along the child’s wall or on a large bulletin board to make an alphabet chart.

5. Trace their hands. Capitalize on preschoolers growing interest in their body. Trace their hands on paper and let them decorate them. They can turn them into turkeys, make gifts for grandparents, or just paint the nails with “nail polish”.

6. Make napkin rings. Cut a paper towel tube into rings, cover with foil or paper and ask your preschooler to decorate them however they like. Then use them at dinner that night.

7. Mix up some easy clay. Salt dough clay is easy to make. Just dump 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water, and 3 cups of flour into a bowl and let your child mix and knead the dough. You may need to add a little more flour or water to get the right consistency. Your preschooler can play with the clay all week or make sculptures to air-dry and paint.

8. Paper pals. Cut out paper dolls and simple clothes (or use the site below for great templates) and let your child color them. An empty tissue box makes a nice “house” to store them in and can also be decorated.

9. Paper bags. Turn bags into puppets with scraps of construction paper, fabric, pompoms, wiggly eyes, or whatever else you have lying around.

10. Big crayons. This is a great use for old crayons. Just peel off the paper, break them into small pieces and put them in an old muffin tin (or use foil muffin liners.) Many preschoolers will sit for a long time peeling paper off crayons in preparation for this activity. Put them in a 350 degree oven to melt (this only takes a few minutes so watch carefully). When they cool, they can be used for coloring or making rubbings of various objects.