Handprint Fish: Art Activity

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Are your kids going crazy for fish and the ocean theme this season since Finding Dory just came out?! This is an easy craft that will spark interest and the imagination once you put them on popsicle sticks so the kids can free play!

What you’ll need:

  • Construction paper (or white paper and coloring tools)
  • Googly eyes, jewels, ribbon etc.
  • Popsicle sticks
  • A tiny bit of school glue

Start by having your children trace their own handprint. Next, have them cut their handprint out the best they can. You will need to also cut out and glue lips for the fish. A simple way to do this is to have the kids draw hearts on the construction paper and cut them out. You can have them decorate their fish with jewels, eyes or drawings before they glue it onto their popsicle stick. You can use “Finding Nemo” and the new “Finding Dory” to spark interest in cooperative play among your students. They can pretend that their fish is Dory, Nemo, or one of their other favorite fish characters!

End of Year Wearable Art

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This is an adorable idea to end the school year! All you need is a white shirt, dress, skirt, etc., fabric markers, color protectant, and some kids who are ready to illustrate! You will literally be wearing your heart on your sleeves!

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Memorial Day Craft: Pom Pom American Flag

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Looking for a craft for this Memorial Day? This will keep the younger kids entertained for a bit this weekend (or Monday afternoon)! Work on fine motor skills by having the children grasp clothes pins and stamp paint with pompoms in the shape of the American Flag!

ead4d4c63ae45ecf1121b0b8a6fd24c2Things you will need:

  • White Construction Paper/ Cardstock
  • Red, White, and Blue Paint
  • Cotton Balls or Pom Poms
  • Clothes Pins/ Chip Clips (to keep fingers from getting paint on them)

Start by clipping each of the cotton balls or pom poms onto a clothes pin. Dip into whatever color you will start with. Stamp paint from ball to paper in a stripe (or square shape–if you’re starting with the star corner). Keep dipping and transferring paint until you’ve got an American Flag!

This is such a cool homemade craft that can be given to a relative/friend in the military or to someone who may have lost a loved one in the military.

Art Activity: Glowing Campfire

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campfire-square

Materials for Glowing Campfire Craft

Directions for Glowing Campfire Craft

1. Work on fine motor skills by cutting your tissue paper up into little squares.

2. Scrunch up a piece of tissue paper and glue it to the outside of a clear, plastic cup.

3. Continue until the entire cup is covered.

4. As your tissue paper is drying, make a marshmallow roasting stick by gluing a cotton ball onto the end of a twig or thin craft stick.

5. Add some logs to your campfire by cutting strips of brown construction paper. Use a brown marker or crayon to add some details to your logs.

Now it’s time to set up your campfire! Start by setting up your logs. Place your LED tea light on top the logs and then put your tissue paper cup over the light.

Go somewhere dark and watch it glow. It looks just like a real campfire!

This is a great activity to talk about summer activities like camping, the importance of fire safety, and could even be used as a nightlight!

 

Coloring Sand Paper: Fine Motor Skills

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Does your child hold their crayons and pencils with their whole fist (palmar grasp)? Using sandpaper as a canvas instead of regular white paper could teach your child to hold their coloring utensils the proper way (tripod grasp). Because sandpaper has a rugged surface, children will need to push harder on the crayon to make a mark and no one wants to rub the side of their hand all over rough sandpaper!  As the pre-school years become more imminent, you will want to encourage the tripod grasp when drawing and coloring- as this will create a smoother transition into writing! If nothing else, the sandpaper will provide a new sensory experience for your little ones!