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![]() Holiday Art and Craft Activities |
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Preschool children have fun, learn and create practical items with these holiday art and craft activities. Here are ideas for gifts, stenciled greeting cards, wrapping papers etc. that can be adapted for many different special occasions.
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Holiday Arts and Crafts
For the above holiday themes go to the Rainbow Resource Room or Scroll for other holiday activities.
Materials: Black construction paper, colored chalk and small containers of water. Description: Children will make colorful fireworks using the chalk. Encouragethe children to dip the chalk into the water before drawing. The water helps the chalk adhere to the paper better. There is no powdery mess and the colors are more vibrant. This is an open-ended activity so they all look very different and colorful! Comments: Try taping the paper to the table for the little ones so it doesn't keep slipping away. Also, only put a little water into each container. Not much is needed and this helps prevent lots of clean up due to spills. You'll find lots of ideas for
Flag Day & Memorial
Day along with patriotic activities for Independence
Day in the 4th of July Theme
located in the Rainbow
Resource Room. Fourth
of July Wind Sock Materials: Red, white or blue construction paper, star stickers, colored streamers that are different from the paper, stapler and string. Description: Ask young children
to put stickers on the paper. Roll the paper and then staple to create
a cylinder shape. Next, staple streamers to the bottom of the
paper and staple string to top of the wind sock. Hang your decorations
and celebrate Independence Day!
Materials: Butterfly pattern, strips of construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons, basket, fresh flowers. Description: On May Day (May 1st), explain to children exactly what May Day is. Then, have them color the butterfly pattern, (ny special pattern is fine). Make sure there are 2 to 3 butterflies for each child. Then have them cut and glue them on strips of construction paper. Staple the paper so it becomes a headband for the child to wear. Have a basket of fresh flowers (I called my local florist about an hour before the project and they donated some flowers on the spot, I just had to pick them up on my lunch hour.) The children go to each class (with their headbands on) and give each teacher a flower, or two if available. Make sure you tell the kids to say "Happy May Day!" Comments: Make sure you know fully what May Day is and what it celebrates. Most people don't know and other teachers and parents picking up their children are curious too!Earth
Day Materials: Milk jug, bird seed, a hole punch, a piece of rope, pencil or twigs. Description: Use a clean milk jug with a lid cut out of a side section of the milk jug. Using a hole punch, make a hole out below the cut section of the milk jug and insert a twig or pencil into it. Insert a hole at the top of the milk jug and place the piece of rope through it. Fill it with bird seed and hang it in a tree. Comments:
Have the children keep a journal of the animals that come to visit their
milk jug bird feeders.
Reduce,
Recycle, Reuse Reduce,
recycle, reuse. Now's the
time to choose. It's
up to each one of us to do Arbor
Day Bulletin Board Materials: Large bulletin board tree and cut out green leaves. Description: We talk about growing a good deed tree. Leaves are sent home and each parent is asked to write down the good deeds each child does. The leaves are sent into school and put on the tree. We watch the tree "bloom". Note: National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates according to their best tree planting times. Hanukkah
Menorah Materials: 9x12" piece of felt
(royal blue works best), Description: Paint 9 wooden tongue depressors then use white glue to attach sticks to the felt. Place the stick all the way on the left a little apart from the rest (this is the helper candle that stays lit all through the week). If additional felt is available, make a base for the sticks with the far left side a little higher. Glue a small piece of velcro to the back of each flame. Place above each stick for each night of Hanukkah. Wrap the ribbon around the end of the 2 remaining sticks & heavily glue these to the top back of the felt with ribbon coming off the top of the stick, this serves as a way to hang the felt. Comments: The older the group the more they can do themselves. Make sure these are ready to go home for the first night of Hanukkah. This holiday activity can be used in conjunction with Christmas & Kwanzaa. Hanukkah
Menorah Candle Holders Materials: Modeling clay, we make ours using the following recipe : Mix dry ingredients. Slowly add the water until you get a desirable consistency, knead until clay like, a Hanukkah candle and tempera paint.1 cup flour Description: Have children make a long narrow base for the menorah. Then shape a center "hill" on the base for the Shamash candle. Make four holes on both sides of the base using a Hanukkah candle. Then make one hole in the center "hill" for the Shamash candle. Allow to dry for a few days. Then have children paint their Menorahs. Dreidel
Snack for Hanukkah Materials: Pretzel sticks, marshmallows, candy kisses (at least two for each child) and peanut butter or icing. Description: Unwrap candy kiss, place a dab of icing or peanut butter on the flat side and stick it to a marshmallow. Press a pretzel stick into the marshmallow. Have a real dreidel on hand to show the children and explain how it is used. Have a plate or napkin, with each child's name at the center, and they can make this during activity time to have ready for snack. Comments: Children enjoy making, playing with and eating this snack. My five year olds would eat several if we made them available. Menorah
For Hanukkah Materials: Small birthday
candles, pencil, clay (self hardening), Description: Young children
will work with a partner (or teacher) Easy
Piñata Materials: Balloon, newspaper, liquid starch, washable paint or tissue paper . Description: Using liquid starch for making a Piñata works very well for little hands. Only 2 layers are needed and will dry with 24 to 48 hours. If you use tissue paper as a third layer you will not need to paint. Fill with light weight candy and token gifts. I have classes of 12 children and this Piñata has always been strong enough for each child to have a turn without the Piñata totally breaking. Groundhog
Mask Materials: Paper plates, brown
crayons, string, Description: Comments: You can act out that you see your shadows. There is more about Groundhog's in the Hibernation Theme of the Rainbow Resource Room.
Chinese New Year Celebration with Paper Lanterns President's
Week Materials: Coins, paper, outline / drawing of a log cabin, glue and colored pencils. Description:
For Presidents Week I take different coins and let the kids do pencil
rubbings. They can see the different Presidents and we discuss
each President. Note: In the block area add Lincoln Logs and encourage youngsters to build their own log cabin. President's
Day Activity Materials: Large sheet of white construction paper, black marker, crayons, pencils (plain and colored), scissors (optional) and glue (optional). Description: On the large piece
of paper, write as the title Lastly, have them draw what they would like to become when they grow older in the other oval and have them write a simple sentence about what it is they're doing in the picture. Mardi
Gras Ideas Materials: Beads, sequins, buttons, straws, paper plates, glue, tape (optional), construction paper 1. purple 2. green 3. yellow. Description: I just wanted to share an idea on how to make a mardi gras mask using paper plates. I know you guys really don't celebrate this holiday like the southerners, but this is my first year teaching and I love it! First make a mask pattern from the paper plate, just to cover the eye area. Then the children can cut or tear construction paper, sequins, beads, buttons and feathers etc. You can use a straw to hold the mask to the eye area. They really come out cute! Rosh
Hashanah Materials: Apples and honey. Description: For a "sweet New Year" a Jewish friend of mine does this with her family and friends. I decided to use it in the classroom. Take an apple and slice a thin piece from the bottom so that it stands up without support. Cut the top off and core the center out. Fill with honey. Slice a few more apples giving each child a slice. Dip the slices in honey for a sweet New Year (Rosh Hashanah). Comments: I am not Jewish and do not know a lot about this holiday, but I hope that by introducing children to the names of holiday's that are not necessarily practiced by me personally, I can improve the chances of their having tolerance to new ideas and customs in their future. Share
a preschool holiday activity or holiday art and craft idea.
For
more curriculum ideas and preschool activities
Search the Preschool Rainbow Preschool learning
activities, themes and ideas that enrich year round early childhood
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