Craft ideas for a 3 yr old?

Question

I need some ideas on what my 3 yr old and I can do during the day. We are getting bored with the park and outside play in the yard. We need some art and craft things to do. Any ideas that are easy and inexpensive?

Answer 1

ONe of the ones my daughter has enjoyed it using a sheet of contact paper, usually cut out in the shape of a holiday coming up i.e. shamrocks, easter egg, hearts, and giving her tissue paper to tear and stick to the contact paper. I then cover the back with another sheet of contact paper to seal it. We have even made stained glass with assorted colors and given them as gifts on grandparents day.

I love it since it involves no scissors or glue. My daughter likes little pieces so she would be tearing for half an hour before she very carefully filled her contact paper which would take half an hour to an hour. I was also able to get dishes and laundry done while she was occupied at the kitchen table.

Answer 2

It's starting to get warm. This activity will last you all summer long. Go buy some plant seeds. Kids love to dig holes. So why not let them? Your child will also get a learning experience from this. Besides if you plant veggies this might get your child to start eating the veggies since they have made them. There is different chores everyday with a garden.

Answer 3

Maybe not anything with sharp edges or anything like that, coz he could cut himself. Not pipecleaners or scissors. toddlers usually would like drawing and colouring in, and play dough. Or you could teach him to make little fiinger puppets with sticky tape.

Answer 4

Save cleaned recyclables — cardboard cereal boxes, egg cartons, plastic containers, lids, etc. — and purchase inexpensive masking tape. Add any random items you can find in the junk drawer and let your child build models and sculptures. You can let them glue on beads or any other small items you have around the house that you don't need (buttons, etc.). If you want to paint these creations, tempera will flake off and you will need acrylic paint — but be careful, because it's not usually washable!

Answer 5

Straws and play dough are fun. My sons have heaps of fun being scientists with bicarb and vinegar. Containers a teapot and water have given them endless joy, also boxes. Save the empty boxes from the pantry, hand over a roll of sticky tape and he'll do the rest. Or one big box has at least a weeks fun in it before it falls apart

Answer 6

PLAY...paint....imaginantion wit em, like superheros, indians n cowboys, princes, cinderella, superman, spiderman....anything they love...dolls if girl. sports if boy...or w/e...teach em things on the computer, time for them to laern how to use it some, play elmo, seaseme street, barney, poooh. ect......i use to aall the time n had fun....blocks, pots n pans ! haha let em make noise n have fun....kids love takin pictures. let em borrow ur phone or camera they'll have fun.......draw pictures...

Answer 7

anything with the following:

pipecleaners (the coloured ones)

popsicle sticks

nature crafts (ie. a nature mobile, or a frame made from sticks, etc).

finger paint made from acrylic paint and dish soap (cleans up like a breeze)

painting for pudding

making jello and then using a cookie cutter to make shapes, numbers, letters

simple cut and paste projects, for the time of year (make a small bulletin board for him/her to post her work).

making stories (have them tell you a story and you can write it out/type it out, then have him/her draw the pictures).

homemade play-dough

homemade bubbles and bubble makers

cheap necklaces/keychains with beads from the dollar store

going to a local goodwill store and purchasing cheap clothes for dress up games

if your child has a favourite toy or a pretend friend, you could plan a birthday party for it, make cupcakes/muffins, serve juice and invite a few of his/her friends over to celebrate with simple kids games (hide and seek, egg drop race, etc). we did this with the daughter of friends of ours and its becoming a tradition, more or less.

Answer 8

making necklaces out of cereal, noodles etc.

finger painting

paper bag puppets

paper plate mask

Answer 9

cooking food is really good not only does it give them sumthin fun to do but they are learning a skill for life if u keep doing it i learnt so much off my mum in the kitchen as a child and now i am cooking with my little girl and they love it even if ur not good at it just bake cakes and cookies piders that kind of stuff and u can also make ur own play doh wich is great cause they love that too... gooodluck

Answer 10

watercolor painting, playing with clay,

thats all i can think of

Answer 11

Fingerpaint is a toddler's best friend.

Can be a bit messy though <3

Answer 12

You've gotten some really good suggestions.  The craft site I use the most is:  

www.dltk-kids.com

I use it with my kids that are homeschooled (5 and 7 years), with girl scouts ages 5-11, and with my daycare preschool 2 years and up (and many of the crafts they do with little help from an adult).

What I really like about it is that the crafts are done with items around the house (old cd's, toilet paper rolls, etc.), not expensive and that all crafts can easily be adapted to age and ability.

The site is well organized, has ideas for the month, lots of holiday and learning crafts, favorite charaters, you name it.

Many sites come and go, but this is one that I would miss if it went.

Answer 13

go to google and type in

enchanted learning

this site has loads to do

i use it as my main site for activities for my child care studies

Answer 14

I disagree completely with the no scissors.  Children entering the preschool years need to learn how to use scissors.  I use child-safe scissors with the children in my care starting at about 2 years old.  I have various types of scissors and I have found that the "scissor suitcase" or tub is very much a "hit" with the children.  Here are some things that we cut and then glue to make collages.  

Paper (of course :-)) Various types of paper- construction, computer, gift wrap, newspaper ads, cardstock etc.

Foam is a wonderful media to cut.  If the child is just starting out provide foam strips.

STRAWS!  Yes... very much a cause and effect activity.  This is very exciting for the children because when they cut the straw it "boings".  And then they can lace them or glue them...I had one child glue the straws vertical on their base (cardboard works for this best because children will explore with the amount of glue that they use.)  Pipe cleaners work best with lacing the straws.  (3 year old children can handle pipe cleaner quite well!)

Consider adding hole punchers and paper crimpers to your scissor tub.  It adds a different dimension.  When you get enough colorful hole-punched circles, you write the child's name on heavy paper/cereal box cardboard and help the child trace it with liquid glue and then add the hole-punched circles onto the glue.  A colorful name board that can be used for praciticing spelling their name.

Another suggestion: cover a large area of your wall or floor with paper and provide crayons/markers.  It's amazing what they can do and often it turns into a cross-lateral activity (crossing the midline of their body).

Sensory:  I use wading pools with tubs inside to help keep the "mess" contained.  But sensory is a big hit and a great learning experience.  Sand, water, rocks, rice, beans, corn, paper crinkles, etc and multiple combinations.  Add a few tools and ta-da!  

Something I did with my youngsters was a letter collage a day. I provided upper and lower case block letters and we thought together and came up with some sort of collage material that started with that particular letter and glued it on.  We then displayed the alphabet.  

You will get a great many ideas if you search preschool arts and crafts or preschool sensory on the internet.

Good luck!

Answer 15

painting (watercolor)

Answer 16

Playdough!