Preschool crafts are an essential part of any preschool lesson. Without crafts, young students will lose interest, not be able to fully understand and appreciate the lesson, and will miss out on important social time to make friends. Preschool crafts must be easy to complete, safe for children, and tie into a lesson or theme.

Easy Does It

Above all, preschool crafts for kids must be easy to complete. Young students do not have the attention span for long craft projects or ones that do not show immediate results. For this reason, multiple-day craft projects should be reserved for special occasions or be used in conjunction with shorter, more concise craft activities.

Besides being short, crafts need to be easy to set up and take down. Because there is usually only one or two teachers for a preschool class, there is not enough time for a lengthy setup process. Easy craft activities are those with few materials, little preparation time (i.e. not much cutting, organizing, or arranging beforehand), and simple instructions.

Step by Step

Preschool craft projects must be able to break down into steps. When preschool teachers create their own lessons or pull from another resource, they must take into account how they are going to explain the craft to their students. Teachers must be able to tell students what to do in one or two sentences for each step.

By breaking things down into steps, students can stay more focused, and teachers ensure that all students are working on the same part of the craft at the same time, keeping everyone on track and making the craft look uniform.

If a teacher chooses a particularly difficult craft project or one with many steps, they should practice the craft before bringing it to class. This includes not only completing the craft but practicing what to say when so that students understand the task. Providing clear instructions sometimes requires outside practice, but it will save the class time and much frustration if the teacher knows how to explain what he or she wants.

Play it Safe

Above all, preschool crafts must be safe for the students involved. Some craft projects include small objects, such as sequins, feathers, or buttons. It is up to the teacher to determine the maturity level of their students and decide if the students can be trusted to use materials appropriately.

If there is a question about the safety of part of preschool crafts but it is essential to the project, teachers can separate that step and enlist an adult volunteer to oversee that portion of the activity. For instance, if anything needs to be hot-glued in place, an adult should be in charge of the gluing. Students should only receive their crafts back when the glue has cooled sufficiently to prevent burning.

If possible, teachers should choose preschool crafts that do not put students even questionably in danger. Materials should always be non-toxic and washable, as young students are often messy. Small or dangerous objects, such as scissors, should be supervised by a responsible adult to prevent accidents.

Mary Robinson has been teaching preschool for well over a decade. You can get instant access to her preschool activities, crafts, and lesson plans by visiting her website:

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com

For a limited time, all visitors to Mary's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Preschool Teachers and Parents Make". Go get your free copy today!