Art projects or activities for 3 year olds?

Question

I have a 3 year old son.

We live in an apartment and we have no backyard so it gets pretty boring sometimes.

I was thinking that maybe we can do some kind of activity or art project.

Rite Aid and Walgreens are nearby so I can by supplies there.

I need some ideas please and thank you.

Answer 1

Well there are plenty of ideas out there.. here are a few of my fav sites for ideas:

http://www.123child.com (mine)

http://www.childfun.com

http://www.dltk-kids.com/

http://stepbystepcc.com/

http://www.theholidayzone.com/

http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valle...

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/

http://www.hubbardscupboard.com/

http://www.hummingbirded.com/

http://www.janbrett.com/

http://www.kizclub.com/

http://www.littlegiraffes.com/

http://www.mrsalphabet.com/

http://www.theideabox.com/

http://www.theeducationcenter.com/

Answer 2

I am in the same situation. I have a 3 1/2 years old girl stuck with me in an apartment. She loves free drawing more than anything (if possible on the walls). I had her enrolled in a toddler art class for some time, and she loved it. But if I try to do at home with her what she did in class, she doesn't like that much.

I have normal printing paper and a pen/pencil at her reach, and its amazing the things she draws. She has several colouring books and crayons, but hardly ever gets them out.

What she loves the most (and its can get really messy) is water paint. According to my experience they are still too young to be constantly told how to colour and what to draw, and enjoy more free colouring/drawing. You'll be amazed what they can create in their imagination.

If he likes play dough, here's a simple home recepe.

1/2 cup of solt

1 cup flour

mix together and add just enough water to make it nice dough. If you add too much water it will get sticky.

Add different food colouring and have fun.

Answer 3

Keep the art activities simple and let your son decide how long he wants to work. Plenty of plain paper to draw on and things to draw with like chalk, crayons, markers .  You can buy glue or paste and give him things like torn paper, magazine pictures, pieces of yarn or fabric to paste. At the age of three most children are not into making representational picutres and this is fine.

Vary the type of paper, the size of the paper and the colors you give him and although he is using the same materials the results will be different. My grandsons (2 & 4) love to paint with water, paint, or shaving cream. I give them thin brushes and fat brushes and foam brushes and they are amazed at the effects they get. They also like play dough and make their own  if we run out of the commercial. One of their favorite activities is connecting pieces of styrofoam with pipe cleaners or toothpicks (Be watchful if your child still puts things in his mouth) The important thing to remember is that if you set up an area that is easy to clean up, we use an old plastic shower curtain as a drop cloth, and you keep your hands off what he is doing, he will really enjoy himself and stick with it. If you try to make him do something realistic or use dittoes or coloring books, he will become bored.

Answer 4

I teach preschool.  And as simple as this may be, its one of my kids' favorite activities. They love mixing water colors into cups of water. I have little trays of watercolors (that you can buy at the drug store for a couple bucks). Each child gets their tray, a small paint brush, a cup of water and some paper. In between colors, I remind them to dip their brush in the water to clean it off. And as fun as the painting is, I think they have even more fun watching the water change color!! Simple, but so much fun!

I find that the projects I spend hours preparing (cutting out shapes, etc.) the kids are done with in a second. Its these no brainer projects (like water colors!) that keep the kids busy forever!

Another project I just did with my art class was salt dough "sculptures". Making the dough was half the fun. I used

2 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1 cup of water (possibly a little more if you need it)

We mixed it all together in a big bowl and then kneeded it until it was smooth. (This took quite a few minutes.)

After the dough was done, we used rolling pins to roll it out and cookie cutters to make shapes. Whatever dough was left, we made into 3D sculptures. Then we baked our creations at 325 degrees for a little over an hour. (Until they were hard.) This week, we're using tempera paint to decorate them. (One of my girls rolled out her dough and then made a handprint in it. I thought that was a great idea for a grandparent / parent present!)

Last, I think simple collages are easy and always fun for kids your son's age. Rip up paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, etc. Or buy little foam shapes at the craft store. I put white elmers glue in  cup and let the kids use paint brushes to put the glue on their paper.

Have fun!

Answer 5

Chalk

bubbles(put food coloring)

Collage(kids love this)

Make home made play doh

Instant pudding is easy/make popsicles/cookies

Freeze ice cubes w/ food coloring and paint

books on tape at the library

Bingo dot (you can buy at a toy store)

Have a backwards day/ do everything backwards

Have a treasure hunt/make a map and search for a treasure

Water colors

Answer 6

Always grab the giant sheets of blank paper/crayons and paint are my favorites.

Answer 7

You have quite a few ideas.  Grandma Dorthy knows what she's talking about.  :-)  Having a variety of writing materials available is a wonderful educational opportunity as well as being fun.  One in particular that the children I care for like is washable markers on the sliding glass door.  A damp sponge washes it right off.  They also like it when I put up large paper on the wall or on the floor.  I found large rolls at our dollar store.  Add a variety to your tools...chunky crayons, regular crayons, homemade crayon circles, rubberband crayons together, chubby pencils, regular colored pencils, chubby markers, smelly markers, regular washable markers.  Chalk on dark paper, chalk on white paper, chalk on damp paper....explore!  Washable markers on damp coffee filters.  :-)

Sensory is a big hit at this age...especially if they can't get outside to play very much.  I purchased a plastic wading pool and plastic dishtubs.  The plastic wading pool keeps the material contained.  

*a dry bean mixture is their favorite;

*sand;

*water (water with color, water with bubbles, water in water bottles or spray bottles (use 1 primary color in one bottle another primary color in another bottle), water with sponges, warm water, cold water, water with icecubes...the list is never ending);

*cornmeal,

*flour,

*cornstarch/water,

*lentils,

*squirrel corn...let him take the corn off the cob before playing with it...they loved this!;

*oatmeal

*moonsand (messy but fun)

*pom poms

anything really...just use your imagination.  :-)  You can go the simple route with spoons, cups, bowls...or you can add play sets...tweezers, measuring spoons, cups, etc.

Scissors:  this age loves scissors and we want to encourage this.  I use the wading pool for free scissor time.  They love cutting straws and foam the most.  They enjoy cutting pictures out of magazines.  Today we had an alphabet train (www.childcareland.com has many free printables) and they cut out pictures to go with each letter.  They love simple things like that.  Scrap paper, paper of different weights, craft scissors, regular scissors, hole punches, etc.  You can add to it by providing glue sticks and a paper or posterboard for a background and they can make a collage.

Playdough is always a hit and there are SO many recipes out there!

Answer 8

I babysit a lot and the kids enjoy making edible play dough then being able to play with it, in the end they can eat it.

Answer 9

Well, U can show your son how to cook something, something easy and its rewarding because after you make it you gte to eat it. Something simple such as,a muffin or a cupcake....Let him design it too.

Or you can do finger painting...Cover a carpet with two layes of newspaper (Not a whole carpet) An then put a layer of white paper and give him paint and show him how to do it.....Its always a fun thing to do....

Video tap him, call it a movie.........like do themes of tv shows he likes or something like that.

This next part i got from :

http://www.ehow.com/how_2377487_do-craft...

Things You’ll Need:

Basic starter kit. (You can always add to your supplies as your ideas, projects grow)

Scissors

Glue

Markers

Crayons

Paper

Contrustion Paper (optional)

Anything else according to whatever your project is.

Step1Looking for something fun, creative to do with your children try doing crafts. There are thousands of simple craft ideas to do you don't have to be wizard at doing crafts. When I started this with my kids I could barely glue something together let alone anything else.

Step2To get started try looking for a theme. What I do with my kids is we find something new each week. For example one week it might be play dough so if we decide were going to do play dough we might do animals, people, etc. the ideas are endless.

Step3When you have more than one child like in my family of 4 children two boys two girls you kind of have to find something for everyone. I will admit this can be a chandelle but it can be done. All my children love the bead art bead art is simply beads and a thin piece of string you can usually find this in the arts and crafts sections like wal-mart and alot of times you can find kits that have the beads and strings and even instructions with alot ideas to get you started.

Tips & Warnings

Another good way to find ideas is reading to your children sometimes ideas will spark while you are reading. For example if there is a certain character the kids seem to like or if there is a meaning inside the story.



Another good one is the old die hard macaroni art it's always popular with the kids. (This must be supervised with small children in ensuring they don't try to eat the uncooked macaroni which can cause them to choke.)



This next part i got from:

http://family.go.com/entertainment/pkg-c...

Bunny ears for kids:

What you'll need:

White poster board

Pink construction paper

Scissors

Pencil

Tacky glue or school glue

Tape or stapler

Easter stickers, optional

Markes, crayons, or colored pencils; optional

How to make it:

Cut a strip of poster board about 2" wide by about 24" long.

Cut out 2 ears out of poster board each about 8 1/2" long x 3 1/2" wide.

Cut out 2 smaller ears out of pink construction paper.

Glue the pink ears inside the white ears.

Glue the ears inside the band, positioning to fit behind the child's head.

Let the child decorate the head band with stickers, markers, crayons, or colored pencils if they wish.

Tape or staple the band to fit the child. Cut off any excess

Who knew the empty box that holds your sandwich bags could make such a cute little monster? Instead of throwing those boxes away, make this (and several other monsters) for your room. Try different colors and make an assortment!

For more great crafts and activities for kids, check out our Camp Crafts, Summer Crafts, and Classic Kids' Crafts.

What you'll need:

2 sheets of light blue construction paper

1 sheet of white paper

2 cups from a cardboard egg carton

¼ sheet black constriction paper

White and black acrylic paint

Glue stick

Scissors

Empty sandwich bag box

Glitter glue or sparkly fabric paint

Black marker

Pencil



How to make it:

Because there are various brands and types of sandwich bags there is no pattern for this craft. Use the box as your guide to cut the construction paper around the “mouth” area.

Cover the box completely with light blue construction paper, leaving the hole for the mouth.

Paint the egg cups white and set aside to dry.

Using the box opening as a guide, cut out two curved shapes from white paper, similar to a banana shape, for the teeth. Use black marker to draw lines on teeth.

Glue the teeth to the inside of the box opening.

Cut two feet from light blue construction paper, a simple shape of three rounded toes works great, just be sure to leave enough room to glue them to the bottom of the box.

Cut 6 small triangles from white paper for the claws and glue to the back side of the feet, one on each toe.

Glue the feet to the bottom of the box.

Check to see if the egg cups are dry and paint a black dot in the center of each one. Let dry.

Cut out a long curved tail from light blue construction paper and glue to the bottom of the box near the back. The curve in your shape will make it look like the tail is wrapping around the monster.

Cut out two 1” squares from the black construction paper.

Cut eyelashes from one side of each square using a cut pattern similar to making grass blades. Glue eyelashes to the back of the egg cups.

When egg cups are dry, trim one side off (see finished craft photo) so that you can glue the eye to the box. The egg cup should now have one side that is “flat” and can be glued to the top of the box, above the mouth.

Finish this project by adding spots with either glittery fabric paint in a tube (so you can “write” with it) or with glitter glue.

Tips:

Remember to paint your egg cups early in this craft so that your child can work on the rest of the project while they dry.

Try different colors of construction paper for different monsters. Match them up with your child’s bedroom décor or simply make a colorful family of monsters.

To create the opening for the mouth, lay the box, open end down, onto the construction paper. Use a pencil to trace the opening, and then tip the box the other way to trace the other side. Be sure that the opening you cut is smaller than the opening of the box, this way none of the box will show through.

With a few craft sticks, some paint, and a lot of imagination, your child can have a personalized door hanger to call their own. This project is simple and it’s fun to make.

Be sure to visit all of our classic crafts for more fun ideas!

What you'll need:

5 jumbo craft sticks

2 regular-sized craft sticks

Ribbon or twine

Scissors

Pink acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Acrylic sealer spray

White craft glue

Foam sticker letters

Foam sticker flowers

Buttons

Wax paper



How to make it:

Lay five jumbo craft sticks on wax paper.

Lay the two regular-sized craft sticks across the jumbo sticks in the opposite direction, one at the top and one at the bottom. This should resemble an old-fashioned snow sled.

Glue the regular-sized sticks onto the jumbo sticks, then pipe glue down in-between each of the jumbo sticks.

Smear the glue between the seams of the jumbo sticks and gently squeeze them to get them close together. Let glue dry completely.

When dry, turn craft stick figure over and paint pink. Repeat for a second coat and let dry completely.

Take outside and spray craft sticks with acrylic sealer, let dry.

Cut a piece of ribbon about 24” long.

Turn dry craft stick figure over and tie each end of the ribbon to the regular sized craft stick at the top of the figure. Be sure to knot the ribbon at the back side.

Dot on some glue to the knots. Let dry.

Turn craft stick figure over again and decorate with foam letter stickers and flowers. For flower centers, glue on buttons.

Use scissors to trim the ends of the tied ribbon hanger.



Tips:

If child’s name is too long to fit stickers, paint the name on or use a craft paint pen with glitter glue.

Don’t trim the tied knots until after the glue has dried.

Always supervise children when using acrylic sealer spray. Spray object outside to avoid any fumes.

With a few craft sticks, some paint, and a lot of imagination, your child can have a personalized door hanger to call their own. This project is simple and it’s fun to make.

Be sure to visit all of our classic crafts for more fun ideas!

What you'll need:

5 jumbo craft sticks

2 regular-sized craft sticks

Ribbon or twine

Scissors

Pink acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Acrylic sealer spray

White craft glue

Foam sticker letters

Foam sticker flowers

Buttons

Wax paper



How to make it:

Lay five jumbo craft sticks on wax paper.

Lay the two regular-sized craft sticks across the jumbo sticks in the opposite direction, one at the top and one at the bottom. This should resemble an old-fashioned snow sled.

Glue the regular-sized sticks onto the jumbo sticks, then pipe glue down in-between each of the jumbo sticks.

Smear the glue between the seams of the jumbo sticks and gently squeeze them to get them close together. Let glue dry completely.

When dry, turn craft stick figure over and paint pink. Repeat for a second coat and let dry completely.

Take outside and spray craft sticks with acrylic sealer, let dry.

Cut a piece of ribbon about 24” long.

Turn dry craft stick figure over and tie each end of the ribbon to the regular sized craft stick at the top of the figure. Be sure to knot the ribbon at the back side.

Dot on some glue to the knots. Let dry.

Turn craft stick figure over again and decorate with foam letter stickers and flowers. For flower centers, glue on buttons.

Use scissors to trim the ends of the tied ribbon hanger.



Tips:

If child’s name is too long to fit stickers, paint the name on or use a craft paint pen with glitter glue.

Don’t trim the tied knots un

Answer 10

Make a "city" out of old cereal boxes.

Paint with utensils and other kitchen objects to see the different shapes and sizes.

Play doh is always fun, but get a cheap cookie tin so that you can keep it all clean! :)

Magnets with a cookie tin is fun too.

Make your own puzzles by cutting up old cards or the boxes of cereal and have him piece it together.

File folder games....get a file folder and have pictures on it and then have pieces that he has to match to them.

Answer 11

enchantedlearning.com