Although painting can be a fairly involved process, you can pare it down to a ten minute activity that is perfect for most preschoolers. Think small and give the child something pint sized to paint. Customizable wooden crafts such as Christmas ornaments or basic shapes such as hearts and diamonds are ten minute options that preschoolers can easily handle. If you are looking for a project with a bit more punch, a large scale activity isn't out of the question. While young children may take their time painting an oversized mural or similar project, a quick abstract easel activity involving lines, curves and zigzags is a time-friendly choice.
Clay play can help young children to develop fine motor skills such as strength, eye-hand coordination and dexterity. Create a quick ten minute clay craft with a modeling compound and simple tools such as Popsicle sticks, rolling pins or cookie cutters. Allow the preschoolers to experiment with the clay modeling process for a timed ten minutes or design a more formal project. Have the kids spend half of the time stretching and rolling the clay flat. With the other five minutes they can create shapes with themed cookies cutters. Try holiday, animal or geometric cutters for different concepts.
Self-adhesive craft foam is an easy art material for a quick-paced project. Use pre-cut shapes, letters or themed foamies in dinosaur, animal, seasonal or holiday designs as a decorative addition to a foam door hanger, visor or bookmark. Provide the preschoolers with a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. Help them to peel and stick the foamies to whatever background they choose. For an added lesson, ask the young learners to spell their names with craft foam stickers.
Quick puppet-making projects are an easy compliment to other preschool lessons and content areas. Supplement your science lesson on farm animals by making cow, horse or pig paper plate puppets in less than ten minutes. Give the child a paper plate and markers or crayons. Invite her to draw the animal's face directly on to the plate. Tape a thick craft stick for the back to hold the puppet up. Another option is to turn a regular lunch sack into a paper bag puppet. Glue googley eyes onto the flap and decorate with craft foam and markers for a dramatic look.