Astronaut-themed crafts allow young kids to imagine they are space explorers as they create their artwork. A self-portrait as an astronaut is one way to do this. The preschoolers draw themselves as an astronaut in a space suit. Another option is to provide a space suit outline kids can cut out. Print a photo of each child's face so they can attach them to their space suits and see themselves as astronauts. A space-helmet mask is another idea for a themed craft. Cut a rectangle from a white paper plate to create the space helmet's opening. The kids decorate the plates to complete the helmets.
Rockets are another element of space study that typically interest young children. Empty toilet paper or paper-towel tubes work well for small rocket replicas kids can decorate. A nose made from a paper cone and tail fins made from paper give the tube a rocket appearance. A large appliance box allows you to make a giant rocket replica useful for dramatic play. Stack smaller boxes on top of the appliance box to get the tapered look of a rocket. Cardboard tail fins along the bottom also help create a rocket appearance. Let the kids paint and decorate the rocket.
Stars, moons and planets are simple to work into a variety of preschool crafts. Styrofoam balls work well as replicas of planets. Let the kids paint the balls to look like different planets. For a two-dimensional look, finger painting round paper cutouts or paper plates works well for planet replicas. To create the cratered look of the moon, use bubble wrap dipped in paint and pressed onto the cutouts. Preschoolers can create a starry galaxy scene with black paper, white paint and cotton swabs. When dipped into the paint and touched to the paper, the cotton swabs create little dots that look like stars. Add other details to the scene, such as a small rocket ship or planets to round out the picture.
A telescope theme encourages preschoolers to explore space from Earth. A paper-towel tube is ideal for kids to create model telescopes. A paper cup with the bottom cut off and glued to the end looks like the lens portion of a real telescope. Once the basic shape is done, kids can decorate their telescopes with paint, paper and stickers for a customized look. It won't make space look closer, but the pretend telescopes work well for spotting planets and stars in the artwork and decorations previously created.