Prepare your workspace. As the creative process at this age can get a little messy, it's a good idea to prepare for it ahead of time to minimize your clean-up time. Putting glitter or colored sand in containers that have perforated tops can help contain the mess somewhat so that each child can just shake out the amount he needs, without getting it all over the table. Glue sticks make less of a mess than non-toxic white school glue, but for a project like this, the liquid white glue can be a lot of fun. Use your discretion. You might want to cover the tables with a plastic or vinyl tablecloth to make cleanup quick and easy, especially if those tables need to be ready for another activity immediately after. Have a shelf or an out-of-the-way table cleared and ready to hold the finished products so that they can dry out of the way.
Prepare your materials. Divide the materials among several containers and group the containers of materials along the tables, so that there is a small cluster of them for every three or four children. This will help keep the children actively involved in creating art and less busy arguing over resources.
Set up the activity. Set a container each of sand, glitter, yarn and colored paper scraps near each group of three or four children. If there are enough resources, give a pair of scissors and a bottle or stick of glue to each child. Place a sheet of heavy paper in front of each seat and have extra sheets available for those children who want to fill more than one page.
Get started. Help the children get settled into their seats and explain what materials they have available. Talk about colors, textures and shapes. Let the children go, allowing them to fill their pages with all the fun materials that you've offered them. Some might be very methodical about it and place certain items in exact places on the page, while others may seem to have a haphazard approach.
Relax and enjoy the process. Other than reminding children not to pour too much glue on the page, to share materials with their friends and to just enjoy the process, there's not much required once the project is under way. This type of unstructured creative project is really essential to children's development and helps them feel in charge of their own creativity. There is no room for failure here; all results are exactly right.
Be creative. Doing a free-form art project such as this one, where there are no expected results, allows children to be more creative and gives them a sense of accomplishment that isn't hampered by expected results. As much as time allows, let each child decide when they are finished. Write their name or help the child write his name on a corner of the page. Set the finished pages aside to dry.
Set projects aside to dry. As children finish with their pages, place them flat on a table or shelf out of the way of normal classroom activities so that they can dry. After several hours, the glue should be dry. Teachers might want to shake the page over a garbage can to shake off any excess glitter or sand.
Talk to parents about the creative process. It helps to talk to parents about the art process and the way children develop creatively. Rather than asking your child, "What is this?" it helps to ask about how they created the work, what choices they made or how they felt about the process. Unstructured creative projects can feel chaotic when they are under way, but if you manage it somewhat, the results can be really fun.
Display the children's artwork. Hang the dry, completed art work around the classroom or send home with parents. Seeing completed projects proudly displayed in their classroom or at home gives children a sense of accomplishment and will help reinforce the urge to do more creative projects.