With a supply of paper lunch bags, children can create a whole collection of puppets they will enjoy not only making, but also playing with too. Turn a flattened paper lunch bag upside down so that the bottom of the bag is at the top. The bottom of the bag becomes the face; when the child puts his hand in the bag, the fold under the bottom becomes the mouth. Children can use many different materials to create eyes, a nose, mouth, ears and hair for their puppets.
DLTK Crafts for Kids in "Animal Crafts" provides templates that can be printed and cut out to help children make animal puppets for many different species.
By cutting out the center of a basic paper plate, a preschooler is left with a circular form that can be used to make a wreath for any occasion. Children can glue hearts on the form for Valentine's Day, leaves in the fall, colorful paper eggs at Easter and snowflakes in the winter. Children can trace their hands and cut them out in festive colors to make a handprint wreath. A green and red handprint wreath makes a nice gift idea for Christmas.
Children enjoy creating jewelry, and both boys and girls enjoy making necklaces at this age. Provide each child with a piece of yarn with tape wrapped around one end to prevent fraying. Tape the other end to a table so that the pieces the child is stringing won't fall off the other end. Adults can provide circular-shaped cereals, buttons, beads or even pasta to string on a necklace.
In "Dyed Pasta," All Kids Network provides instructions for dyeing pasta to make it colorful. Mix a few drops of food coloring with rubbing alcohol and let the pasta sit in the alcohol for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow the pasta to dry completely before stringing.
Many preschoolers love learning about animals, and this craft will help them create something to feed their feathered friends. Gather some open pine cones, then spread peanut butter or shortening all over the cones. For easy cleanup, provide plastic gloves for children to use their hands to spread the material. After the cone is covered in the shortening or peanut butter, roll it in some birdseed, attach a string at the top, hang it in a nearby tree and watch the birds enjoy the creation.
Provide children with a round coffee filter and washable markers, and give them time to color their coffee filter in any way they choose. Then, fill a spray bottle with water and allow children to spray their coffee filters. The colors will run and blend to make a colorful creation. Allow to air dry, or use a blow dryer on low heat to speed up the drying process. Children can use a pipe cleaner to wrap around the middle of the coffee filter and gather it in the middle, creating butterfly wings. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner on top to create antenna.
In "Butterfly Wand," Enchanted Learning suggests using cone shaped filters and gluing it on to a popsicle stick for a butterfly that is easy to hold.