Creative activities for young children - Materials

 


Creative activities with clay with young children

1. Clay Modeling: Give kids a lump of clay and let them explore the material, getting to know its texture, weight, and malleability. They can make sculptures, create shapes, and mold it into whatever their imagination can come up with.

2. Clay Forts: Have young children build forts out of clay! This can be done outside with large lumps of clay, or inside with smaller pieces. Kids can make towers, and walls, and create their own fortscape.

3. Clay Chess: Create a chessboard out of clay, and use clay pieces for the game. Kids will have fun playing with the pieces and learning how to play the game.

4. Clay Painting: Give kids small amounts of clay and let them use it as a painting medium. They can use it to make shapes and designs on a flat surface, and add color with paint or markers.

5. Clay Animals: Let the kids create their own clay animals! They can sculpt the body, add details, and paint the creature however they like.

Link to more ideas HERE


Creative activities with paper with young children

1. Paper Plate Puppets: Give children paper plates, crayons, markers, construction paper, glue, and other craft materials. Let them create their own colorful puppets.

2. Paper Plate Masks: Provide paper plates, construction paper, scissors, glue, and other craft supplies. Let children create their own masks.

3. Paper Plate Animals: Provide paper plates, construction paper, scissors, glue, and other craft supplies. Let children create their own animal masks.

4. Paper Chains: Give children strips of construction paper and have them glue them together to create paper chains.

5. Paper Plate Suncatchers: Cut out shapes from colorful construction paper and glue them onto paper plates. Hang them in a window and enjoy the light.

6. Paper Plate Collage: Provide paper plates, construction paper, scissors, glue, and other craft supplies. Let children create their own collage.

7. Paper Plate Fans: Cut a piece of construction paper into a fan shape. Glue it onto a paper plate. Let children decorate their fan with markers and other craft supplies.

8. Paper Plate Dream Catchers: Provide paper plates, construction paper, yarn, feathers, beads, and other craft supplies. Let children create their own dream catchers.

9. Paper Plate Snowflakes: Provide construction paper, scissors, glue, and other craft supplies. Let children create their own snowflakes.

10. Paper Plate Wreaths: Cut out a circle from construction paper and glue it onto a paper plate. Let children decorate their wreaths with markers, crayons, and other craft supplies.

More ideas HERE

Creative activities with crayons with young children

1. Crayon Rubbing – Place a textured object such as a coin or leaf under a piece of paper. Have the child use a crayon to rub over the paper and create an image.  

2. Crayon Resist – Have the child draw a picture on a piece of paper with a white crayon. Paint over the picture with watercolor and the crayon lines will resist the paint.  

3. Stained Glass – Cut out shapes from cardstock such as circles, squares, and triangles. Have the child color the shapes with crayons. Tape the shapes onto a window and the sun will create a stained glass effect.  

4. Crayon Art – Have the child draw a picture with crayons on a piece of paper. Cut the picture into pieces and arrange them like a jigsaw puzzle.  

5. Melting Crayons – Place crayons into a muffin tin and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. When cooled, pop the melted crayons out and let the child paint with them.

Creative activities with paint with young children

1. Finger Painting: Provide a shallow dish filled with washable paint and paper plates for each child. Have the children dip their fingers in the paint and explore the texture and color by creating patterns or abstract designs on the paper.

2. Paint-by-Number: Cut out shapes from cardstock or other heavy-weight paper and have the children paint the shapes in the colors you’ve provided.

3. Painting with Nature: Take a walk around your neighborhood or park and collect natural items such as pinecones, leaves, and twigs. Have the children use these items to create nature-inspired paintings.

4. Color Mixing: Provide a few containers of different colored paints and let the children explore mixing them together to create new colors.

5. Splatter Paint: Hang a large piece of paper on a wall or fence and give each child a paintbrush. Have them dip the brushes in the paint and splatter it onto the paper.

6. Bubble Paint: Mix up a batch of bubble painting solution by combining equal parts of liquid dish soap, water, and tempera paint. Have the children dip craft sticks or bubble wands into the solution and blow bubbles onto the paper.

7. Spin Art: Cut out a large circle from a piece of cardboard and poke holes in it. Place the cardboard on top of a paper plate and have the children pour paint onto the cardboard. Have them spin the cardboard around to create a fun, swirly design on the paper plate.

Creative activities with mod roc with young children

1. Mod Roc Sculptures: Have children create 3D sculptures by building a base with a piece of cardboard or wood, then covering it with strips of Mod Roc.

2. Mod Roc Masks: Allow the children to create a variety of masks by covering a face-shaped mask base with Mod Roc.

3. Mod Roc Mosaics: Have the children create mosaics by cutting Mod Roc into small pieces and gluing them onto another surface.

4. Mod Roc Vases: Let the children decorate a vase with strips of Mod Roc.

5. Mod Roc Jewellery: Help the children to make jewellery by using Mod Roc to create beads and charms.

6. Mod Roc Wind Chimes: Make a wind chime by using Mod Roc to shape a frame, then attach bells and other decorations.

7. Mod Roc Animals: Create all kinds of animals by using Mod Roc to shape the body and limbs.

Creative activities with junk materials with young children

1. Robot Creation: Gather spare cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, plastic containers, and other recycled materials, and let the children explore their creative side by designing and building their own robots.

2. Marble Maze: Create a maze with cardboard, tape, and other junk materials, then let the children roll marbles through it.

3. Cardboard Box Car: Have the children decorate a large cardboard box with paint, markers, googly eyes, and other materials to create a car that they can sit in and pretend they’re driving.

4. Junk Art: Provide the children with a variety of junk materials and let them create their own unique art pieces.

5. Musical Instruments: Gather empty containers, spoons, cans, and other materials to make homemade instruments. Then, let the children create their own songs.

6. Recycled Treasure Box: Have the children decorate a recycled shoe box with paint, fabric, buttons, ribbon, and other materials to create a unique treasure box.

7. Paper Mache: Let the children cut up strips of newspaper and apply paper mache to a balloon or other object. They can then paint the paper mache and create a sculpture.

8. Junk Book: Have the children create their own story and illustrate it with items they find in the junk pile.

9. Junk City: Provide the children with a variety of junk materials and let them create their own miniature city.

Creative activities with tin foil with young children

1. Foil Scribble Art: Let your child use their imagination to create a unique piece of art using crumpled tin foil and a marker.

2. Tin Foil Boats: Give your child a piece of foil and let them create a boat that can sail across the water.

3. Foil Sculptures: Provide your child with some foil and let them create a sculpture of their favorite animal or object.

4. Foil Masks: Help your child create a mask out of foil and then let them put on a pretend play show.

5. Foil Painting: Give your child some paint and let them paint on the foil for a unique and fun art experience.

6. Foil Puzzles: Cut up a piece of foil into different shapes and have your child put it back together like a puzzle.

7. Foil Play Dough: Mix equal parts of flour, salt, and vegetable oil to create a play dough-like substance and then let your child add pieces of foil to it.

8. Foil Glider: Use a piece of foil and some straws to make a glider that your child can fly across the room.

9. Foil Fishing: Punch some holes in a piece of foil and let your child use a magnet to “catch” some fish.

10. Foil Mosaics: Cut out different shapes from foil and then let your child create a colorful mosaic.

Creative activities with plastic sheets with young children

1. Create Colorful Suncatchers: Cut shapes out of the plastic sheets and attach them to a window with tape or magnets. Let the kids decorate the shapes with markers and paint to create a bright and cheerful suncatcher.

2. Build a Castle: Cut the plastic sheets into various shapes and sizes. Then, let the kids use their imagination to build a castle using the pieces.

3. Make a Fun House: Cut out doorways and windows in plastic sheets. Then, let the kids use the sheets to create a fun house.

4. Create a Mobile: Cut out shapes from the plastic sheets and attach them to a hoop. Then, hang the hoop from the ceiling and let the kids decorate the shapes to create a colorful mobile.

5. Make a Puppet Theater: Cut out a large rectangle in the plastic sheet. Then, attach it to a frame and let the kids use it as a puppet theater.

6. Create a Plastic Bag Collage: Cut out shapes from the plastic sheets and let the kids glue them to a paper or board to create a unique collage.

7. Create a Mosaic: Cut the plastic sheets into small pieces and let the kids use the pieces to create a mosaic.

8. Make a Wind Sock: Cut out a large rectangle in the plastic sheet. Then, attach it to a frame and let the kids decorate the plastic sheet to create a wind sock.

Creative activities with tissue paper with young children

1. Tissue Paper Collage: Give children a variety of colors of tissue paper and have them tear it into small pieces and glue it to a piece of paper or cardstock.

2. Tissue Paper Butterflies: Cut out butterfly shapes from cardstock, then have children glue pieces of tissue paper onto them. Add pipe cleaner antennae and a paper or googly eyes for a fun touch.

3. Tissue Paper Flowers: Cut out flower shapes from cardstock, then have children glue pieces of tissue paper onto them. Add yarn or ribbon stems and leaves to complete the look.

4. Tissue Paper Suncatchers: Trace a simple shape (like a heart or star) onto wax paper, then have children glue pieces of tissue paper onto the shape. When the glue is dry, cut out the shape and hang it up in a sunny window for a pretty suncatcher.

5. Tissue Paper Masks: Cut out simple mask shapes from cardstock, then have children glue pieces of tissue paper onto them. Add yarn, ribbon, or pipe cleaner for straps and decorations.

Creative activities with pasta with young children

1. Pasta Collage: Gather a variety of different shapes of cooked pasta, as well as a range of craft materials such as paint, glue, glitter, magazines, and construction paper. Let the children create art by gluing the pasta onto their paper to create a unique and fun masterpiece.

2. Pasta Necklaces: String uncooked pasta shapes onto yarn or string to create fun and colorful necklaces. Have the children decorate their necklaces with paint, markers, glitter, and more.

3. Pasta Sorting: Give the children a pile of cooked pasta shapes and have them sort them into different categories, such as color, size, shape, etc. This is a great way to practice sorting and categorization skills.

4. Pasta Art: Gather some paint, brushes, and a variety of uncooked pasta shapes. Let the children dip the pasta into the paint and use it like a stamp to create their own unique works of art.

5. Pasta Fishing: Fill a kiddie pool or large container with cooked pasta shapes and add a few toy fish. Let the children use a net or their hands to “fish” for the pasta. This is a great activity to practice fine motor skills.

Creative activities with wool with young children

1. Wool Felt Mosaic: Cut wool felt into small and medium-sized shapes. Let your kids use them to make a picture or pattern on a sheet of card stock. 

2. Wool Weaving: Take a few pieces of thin dowelling and loop some wool through it. Thread a needle with some more wool and let your kids weave it in and out of the dowelling. 

3. Wool Paintbrush: Take a stick and tie some wool around the end. Use it like a paintbrush to create a unique painting. 

4. Wool Wrap Game: Wrap a small toy with wool and let the kids try to guess what it is. 

5. Pipe Cleaner Creations: Let the kids twist and bend colourful pipe cleaners into all sorts of shapes. 

6. Pom Pom Creatures: Help your kids make pom-pom creatures using wool. They can make all sorts of animals or even people. 

7. Wool Ball Toss: Make small wool balls and let the kids toss them back and forth. 

8. Wool Dolls: Let the kids make dolls out of wool by wrapping them around cardboard tubes or wooden spoons. 

9. Wool Art: Have the kids create abstract art using different colours of wool. 

10. Wool Jewellery: Make necklaces and bracelets using wool and beads.

Creative activities with fabric with young children

1. Scrap Fabric Collage: Gather old fabric scraps, like from an old t-shirt, and have your child create a collage on poster board. 

2. Make a Puppet: Have your child choose a fabric and make a simple puppet with buttons, thread, and glue. 

3. Felt Board: Cut out shapes from felt fabric and let your child make up stories to go along with the shape. 

4. Design a Pillow: Provide fabric paints and markers, and have your child design a pillow. 

5. Create a Memory Quilt: Help your child pick out fabric to create a quilt that celebrates special memories. 

6. Fabric Weaving: Cut strips of fabric and have your child weave them together to create a unique fabric piece. 

7. Fabric Flowers: Cut out fabric circles and have your child glue them together to make fabric flowers. 

8. Fabric Printing: Let your child use fabric paint and foam stamps to create fun prints on fabric. 

9. Sew a Soft Toy: Sew a simple stuffed animal or toy with fabric and batting. 

10. Recycle Clothes: Help your child to cut up old clothes and sew them into something new.

Creative activities with patterned wallpaper with young children

1. Create a Wallpaper Mural: Provide a large piece of blank wallpaper and tempera paints. Let the children paint a scene or landscape on the wallpaper. Once the paint is dry, hang the mural on a wall in the classroom. 

2. Paper Plate Wallpaper: Provide wallpaper scraps, paper plates, and glue. Let the children cut the wallpaper scraps into different shapes and sizes, then glue them onto the paper plates. Hang the paper plate wallpaper around the room. 

3. Wallpaper Collage: Give the children different pieces of wallpaper and scissors. Have them cut up the wallpaper into different shapes and sizes. Place the shapes onto a large piece of paper to create a wallpaper collage. Hang the wallpaper collage in a prominent location. 

4. Wallpaper Shadowbox: Provide wallpaper scraps, a box, glue, and other decorative items. Let the children glue the wallpaper scraps onto the box. They can also add other decorative items such as buttons, ribbons, and beads. Hang the shadowbox on the wall for decoration. 

5. Wallpaper Matching Game: Give the children several pieces of wallpaper in different colors and patterns. Have them match up the wallpaper pieces based on color or pattern. This will help them learn to recognize patterns and colors. 

Creative activities with socks with young children

1. Make a Sock Puppet: Let children pick out a sock and design a unique puppet. They can use markers, buttons, and other small decorations to personalize their puppet.

2. Sock Race: Have children pair off and put a sock on one foot. Line them up and have them race to the finish line.

3. Sock Toss: Mark a line on the ground and have children take turns tossing their socks from that line. See who can get closest to a designated target.

4. Sock Matching Game: Have children lay out all their socks in the center of a room. Then have them take turns picking out pairs and matching them up.

5. Sock Bowling: Create mini bowling setup with some rolled-up socks as pins and a sock ball. See who can get the most pins down!

Creative activities with plastic bottles with young children

1. Bottle Bowling: Cut the bottoms off of plastic bottles to make them into bowling pins. Use a plastic ball or make a ball out of a sock and fill it with rice or beans.

2. Bottle Rockets: Cut the bottom off of a bottle and then make a rocket shape with a piece of cardstock. Attach the cardstock to the bottle with tape and then blow through the mouth of the bottle to make it fly.

3. Bottle Boats: Cut the bottom off of a bottle and then make a boat shape with a piece of cardstock. Attach the cardstock to the bottle with tape and then add a little bit of water to the bottom of the bottle to make it float.

4. Bottle Painting: Fill a bottle with paint and then let your child shake it around on paper to make art.

5. Bottle Bowling: Cut the bottoms off of plastic bottles to make them into bowling pins. Use a plastic ball or make a ball out of a sock and fill it with rice or beans.

6. Bottle Ring Toss: Cut the bottoms off of plastic bottles to make them into rings. Set up a target and have your child toss the bottle rings onto the target.

Creative activities with egg cartons with young children

1. Egg Carton Painting: Give each child a few egg cartons and a variety of paint colors. Have them use the egg cartons as a stamp and create a pattern on paper.

2. Egg Carton Flower Garden: Cut the lids of the egg cartons off and have the children paint the cartons in different colors. Once the paint is dry, attach the lids with a glue gun and have the children add some pipe cleaners for the stems and felt for the leaves.

3. Egg Carton Matching Game: Cut the egg carton into halves, and then cut shapes out of the halves. Have the children match the shapes to create a matching game.

4. Egg Carton Parachute: Cut the lids off the egg cartons and cut a hole in the middle of each lid. Have the children attach some string to the center of the lids and tie the other end of the string to a small toy or object. Have the children drop the parachutes off a balcony or the top of a slide to watch them float down!

5. Egg Carton Bugs: Cut the lids off the egg cartons and have the children paint them in different colors. Then cut out pipe cleaners for the legs and antennae, and googly eyes and felt for the wings. Glue these pieces onto the egg cartons to create the bugs.

Creative activities with straws with young children

1. Straw Painting: Give children a few straws of different sizes and colors and a few pieces of paper. Ask them to blow through the straws onto the paper and see what kind of designs they can make.

2. Straw Towers: Give children a few straws and have them build towers or other structures with them.

3. Straw Blow Art: Cut out shapes from construction paper or cardstock and have children use straws to blow the pieces around the table or floor to make patterns and designs.

4. Straw Structures: Give children a few straws and have them create structures like bridges or airplanes.

5. Straw Sensory Bottles: Fill a bottle with straws and a few other small objects like beads or buttons. Ask children to shake the bottle and observe the movement of the items inside.

6. Straw Jenga: Cut straws into different lengths and use them to create a version of the classic Jenga game.

7. Straw and Marshmallow Towers: Give children a few marshmallows and straws and have them build towers as tall as they can.

8. Straw Puzzles: Cut straws into different shapes and have children match the pieces to build a puzzle.

9. Straw Musical Instruments: Cut straws into different lengths and have children use them to create their own musical instruments.

10. Straw Rockets: Cut straws into different lengths and use them to create rockets that can be launched with a puff of air.

Creative activities using photographs of themselves with young children

1. Create a Memory Book: Have the child and adult in the photograph make a scrapbook with the photo as the centerpiece. Add other photos, drawings, and mementos to tell a story about the day the photo was taken and the special relationship between the adult and child.

2. Create a Photo Story: Use the photograph as the starting point for a story. Have the adult and child write a story together about the photo.

3. Create a Photo Collage: Print out multiple copies of the photograph and have the adult and child cut them out and arrange them into an artistic collage.

4. Create a Photo Puzzle: Print out the photograph and have the adult and child cut it into a puzzle. Challenge each other to put the puzzle back together.

5. Create a Photo Mosaic: Cut out multiple copies of the photo and arrange them into a mosaic design. The adult and child can use different colors and textures to create unique artwork.

6. Create a Photo Frame: Print the photo out and have the adult and child decorate a frame for the photo. The frame can be decorated with paint, glitter, or other craft supplies.

7. Create a Photo Album: Print out multiple copies of the photograph and have the adult and child arrange them into an album. Include other photos, drawings, and mementos to tell a story about the special relationship between the adult and child.

Creative activities using magnets with young children

1. Magnetic Building Blocks: Provide children with a set of magnetic building blocks and challenge them to create different shapes, animals, and structures.

2. Magnetic Fishing: Create a “pond” with paper and place small magnetic items in it. Provide children with a fishing rod made from a stick with a magnet taped to the end. Have the children try to “catch” the items from the pond.

3. Magnetic Maze: Place a magnetic maze board on the table. Place a small magnet under the board and challenge children to guide it through the maze using a larger magnet.

4. Magnetic Art: Give children a large sheet of paper and provide them with colored magnetic shapes. Challenge them to create a piece of art by arranging the shapes on the paper.

5. Magnetic Letter Match: Cut out several magnetic letters and place them on a sheet of paper. Challenge the children to match the letters to form words or simple sentences.