Benefits of Crafts for Kindergarten and Preschool
Arts and crafts come with all kinds of benefits for kindergarteners and preschoolers. The learning outcomes for art lessons prove it’s an important part of early child development and early education. Fortunately, there are lots of fun ways to add easy crafts for kindergarten learners to your lesson plans.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of arts and crafts, explore the benefits of crafts in your lesson plans and preschool themes this year, and get ideas for how to create your very own art center in preschool or kindergarten too.
You won’t want to miss all these printable fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners that you can use all year long!
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The Importance of Arts and Crafts in Child Development
From helping kids build confidence as they practice self-expression to developing critical fine motor skills in kindergarten and preschool, arts and crafts play an important role in early child development.
Adding arts and crafts to your classroom or homeschool lessons is important.
Arts and crafts have tremendous developmental benefits for your students.
For kindergarteners, the benefits of crafts include helping them accept mistakes and look for solutions instead of giving up. That’s a valuable skill they’ll remember for life!
Plus, kindergartners get the opportunity to think critically about the steps they’ll need to take as they work to bring their vision to life. Other learning outcomes for art and crafts include practicing with shapes, colors, patterns, and proper pencil grip.
Benefits of Crafts and Arts in Kindergarten and Preschool Education
There are lots of benefits of crafts you might not see right away too.
For example, craft projects could be just what you need for your reluctant readers. As kindergarteners and preschoolers read and decode instructions, they’ll be getting valuable reading practice without the pressure of reading a traditional book.
Plus, students get the opportunity to develop their creative muscles with easy crafts for kindergarten and preschool.
As they make crafts with their peers, your students will learn there’s more than one way to solve problems, complete tasks, and get used to the kind of creative thinking that our world needs leaders to possess. Crafts set our kids up for success!
Did you know researchers have discovered crafting has lots of mental health benefits for people of all ages too? No matter what kind of medium you’re using, fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners can improve your child’s mood, boost their confidence, and reduce stress.
Additionally, crafts are great food for our brains, improving our mental agility and encouraging cognitive growth.
In the classroom, fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners have the ability to bring a lesson to life, engage reluctant learners, and increase retention.
If arts and crafts can do all that, setting up an art center in your preschool or kindergarten classroom might be one of the best things you do this year!
How to Set Up an Art Center in the Preschool or Kindergarten Classroom
The importance of arts and crafts and the learning outcomes they encourage are totally worth setting up an art center in your classroom. After all, creating arts and crafts is a favorite activity for many kindergarten and preschool learners.
Having an art center set up makes it easier to say yes to creative projects, arts, and crafts in your kindergarten classroom. Here are some steps you can take to set up an art center that’s just right for your kindergarten or preschool classroom.
Choose the Right Space
Think carefully about the size and location of your art center. You’ll want to make sure you have enough space to store materials and allow your students to get creative. However, you don’t want art supplies and unfinished crafts taking over all your classroom space.
You’ll also want to think about what you can realistically do with the space you have available. Do you have room for drying racks or a place to hang crafts while the glue dries? Will you need shelves to store materials? Planning ahead with your space in mind will make your art center more functional and fun for everyone.
Think About Furniture
Whether you’re homeschooling or setting up an art center in your classroom, thinking about furniture is a must. You’ll want to choose materials that are durable and can be cleaned easily.
You might also want to avoid setting up your center near certain furniture. For example, an art center near a cream-colored sofa or your storytime rug might not work out well.
Get Aprons and Splash Mats
Even if you choose a space for your art center that’s easily cleaned, you’ll want to grab some aprons for kids to wear while they create.
Having your kindergarteners and preschoolers wear aprons for arts and crafts isn’t just a good way to protect their clothes, it’s a great way to transition to your creative space. The physical transition will help facilitate a mental transition to creativity and fun for your preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Think about adding splash mats to your art center too. They won’t just protect the floor, they’ll make it easier for you to say yes to fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners. That’s a win for everyone!
Fun Arts and Crafts for Kindergarteners and Preschoolers
Have I convinced you of the benefits of crafts and arts for your kindergarteners and preschoolers yet? Then, you’re ready to discover some of my favorite fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners and preschoolers.
These printable crafts and art activities are perfect for students to do in the classroom or as take-home activities.
My cut-and-paste craft templates for kindergarten and preschool learners make it easy to say yes to crafts with your kids this year. These activities are low-prep with full color instructions and templates that make it easy for your kids to create their own versions successfully.
Check out some of my favorites below.
Name Crafts
Some of my favorite easy crafts for kindergarteners involve helping kids learn to spell and write their own names.
Name activities like these are also a great way to practice early literacy concepts. Check out the name crafts below for ideas that will help your kindergarteners and preschoolers practice letters, sounds, and even rhymes.
Preschool Name Crafts and Name Activities
Holiday Crafts
Another way to incorporate fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners into your lessons is by theming them to match the seasons or upcoming holidays.
Kindergarteners and preschoolers are naturally curious and excited about holidays like Halloween and Christmas. You can capitalize on their interest and make learning exciting with fun arts and crafts.
Seasonal crafts are another easy way to encourage your preschoolers and kindergarteners to be curious about the world around them. Plus, you can use seasonal crafts and art projects to teach students about the natural world.
Check out some of my favorite seasonal craft projects and holiday crafts below.
Character Crafts
I love pairing easy crafts for kindergarteners with a great story. It’s such a fun way to bring a good book to life with your students in a way that’s engaging and tactile for them.
Check out some of my absolute favorite character crafts and activities you can pair with books below.
Do you have more easy crafts for kindergarten learners you like to do with your students? I’d love to read about them in the comments and try a few of your favorites with my kindergarten and preschool students this year.
Don’t forget to share your favorite fun arts and crafts for kindergarteners in the comment section for everyone to explore.