Styrofoam adheres to itself with glue. Trays that are contrasting colors stand out if some are cut into shapes and one serves as a background. Cut a snowman out of white Styrofoam and glue it to a black or blue Styrofoam tray. Glue smaller pieces of white Styrofoam around the snowman to create a snowy atmosphere. Cut a fir tree out of a green Styrofoam tray. Your preschooler can glue it to a white Styrofoam tray to complete his scene.
Use Styrofoam trays for holiday crafts. Preschool children may have difficulty cutting, so provide them with pre-cut construction paper they can glue to the Styrofoam trays. Let children glue a boat and water on a Styrofoam tray for Columbus Day. They can glue construction-paper ornaments on Styrofoam trays for Christmas. Give the children a Styrofoam tray with a construction paper turkey. Students can glue feathers on the turkey's tail, use dried pasta to glue on feet and add a button for an eye to the turkey.
Children can decorate Styrofoam trays with glitter pens to make pretty perfume trays. Create bookmarks by cutting the Styrofoam tray into long strips. Children can glue yarn hair to the top. Then draw eyes, nose and a mouth to create facial features. Their face strip will make a handy bookmark. Give children buttons, lace and other decorative items to glue on the outer edges of Styrofoam trays. Help them glue a picture on the inside of the trays, and they will have instant frames.
Prepare the Styrofoam trays by cutting them into squares. Use a fork or sharp knife to create a texture or indentations in the Styrofoam. Let your preschooler dip the Styrofoam in ink and press it against paper to create ink designs. Give her small pieces of Styrofoam in different shapes. She can dip shapes in assorted paint and then press them against paper to create a fun geometric design.