Art Activities for Preschoolers: Easy Ideas to Try at Home
Preschool art is mostly about trying things: smearing paint, tearing paper, pressing a stamp, making a line go somewhere. This article gives you art activities for preschoolers that use crayons, paint, paper and household objects. You will find set-up tips, a realistic plan for preschool activities at home, and ideas for using printable coloring pages as a calm art station. For a themed set of ideas, see our flower activities for preschoolers.
Why process matters more than the finished picture
With young children, the doing is the point. A preschooler who spends ten minutes mixing paint on a plate has had a full art session, even if nothing ends up on the fridge.
A few ways to keep the focus on the process:
- Let the child choose the colors and the materials.
- Skip “what is it?” and say something you can see: “You used a lot of blue” or “That line goes all the way across.”
- Do not fix or add to the child’s work.
- Accept that there is no right result.
Art activities for preschoolers
Each of these needs few supplies and can be set up in a few minutes. They also work as art and craft activities for preschoolers in a group, if you scale up the amounts.
Coloring with crayons
Start with large sheets of paper and thick crayons. A big page gives a child room to move the whole arm. Offer a printed page to fill in and a blank sheet for free drawing, and let the child decide which to use first.
Finger and sponge painting
Pour a small amount of washable paint onto a paper plate or into a muffin tin. Children can paint with fingertips, or with a kitchen sponge cut into squares and stars. Small amounts of paint are easier to manage and make less mess. Put on an old shirt and cover the table first.
Collage with torn paper
Tear colored paper, scrap paper or old magazine pages into pieces, then glue them onto a sheet or a paper plate with a glue stick. Children can cover a shape you have drawn or fill the whole page. Tearing is easier than cutting, so even beginners can do this one.
Stamping with household objects
Press objects into a thin layer of paint and then onto paper: bottle caps, the end of a cardboard tube, a fork, a sponge. An adult can cut a potato in half for a bigger stamp. Choose stamps big enough that they cannot be swallowed, and stay nearby.
Color mixing
Put a spoonful of two paint colors on a paper plate and let the child mix them with a brush or a finger. Blue and yellow make green, and red and yellow make orange. A child does not need to know the names of the colors to enjoy seeing a new one appear.
Simple crafts
Craft projects add a purpose to the art: the child decorates something that gets used. These art craft activities for preschoolers need an adult for the cutting and taping, and the child does the decorating. Good starting points are a paper bag to decorate with crayons and torn paper, a cardboard tube covered in stickers or paint stripes, and a paper plate with a collage border to make a frame.
Drawing games
“Draw a line and add to it” is a quick game with two people. One person draws a squiggle, and the other turns it into something: a snake, a hill, a hat. Then swap. Another idea is scribbling freely for a minute and then looking for shapes in the scribble.
Vehicles and shapes
Coloring a plane or a car, then drawing the sky or road around it, turns a printed page into a bigger picture. The child can add clouds, a bridge, a tunnel or a row of houses. Our Printable Car Coloring Pages have 64 printable pages of friendly cartoon vehicles with bold outlines (Pre-K to grade 1). For planes, the 50 Airplane Coloring Pages Jumbo Pack is a 50-page printable PDF of airplane coloring sheets, sky adventures and flying vehicles (Pre-K to grade 3).
If a project gets stuck, change the materials, not the child. A different tool, such as a fat brush instead of a thin one, often makes the next try easier.
Set-up tips
- Protect the table. An old tablecloth, a shower curtain or newspaper saves cleaning later.
- Use small amounts of paint. A spoonful in a muffin tin lasts longer than a full cup that gets knocked over.
- Offer one or two choices. Too many supplies out at once makes it hard to start.
- Keep supplies in a tray. A tray you can carry to the table and back makes tidying quick.
- Plan the wash-up. Keep wipes or a damp cloth ready before you start.
- Display the work. A string and clothespins on a wall, or a fridge, tells the child the work matters.
Preschool activities at home: a realistic daily plan
You do not need a full schedule. A few anchor points are enough, and art can be one of them. Here is a plan that is easy to keep up:
| Part of the day | Idea |
|---|---|
| Morning | One art activity from the list above |
| Midday | A walk, outdoor play or a snack together |
| Afternoon | Reading a few picture books |
| Quiet time | A printable coloring page or free drawing |
Treat it as a menu and not a to-do list. Some days will have no art at all, and that is fine.
Printable coloring as a calm art station
Printable pages are useful when you need a quiet activity at short notice: while you cook, during a waiting time or after a busy morning. Keep a folder of pages and a tub of crayons where the child can reach them.
A good habit is to pair a printed page with a blank page. The child colors the printed page, then draws what is around it on the blank sheet. Our guide to printable coloring worksheets has more ways to use pages at home and in class.
Practice material
Airplane pages
The Printable Airplane Coloring Pages and Things That Fly are a 20-page printable PDF of aviation illustrations and cartoon airplanes with clean outlines (Pre-K to grade 2). To try a smaller set first, the Free Cute Airplane Coloring Sheets are a 14-page printable PDF with 12 friendly cartoon airplane coloring sheets, a cover and a coloring tips guide, all with bold outlines (Pre-K to grade 1).
If you want all three airplane packs, the Airplane Coloring Pages Bundle has all three Eduminate airplane packs in one download: 84 printable pages of planes, jets and sky scenes.
Something different
The Cupcake Coloring Pages are 38 pages of kawaii cupcake designs for early childhood art activities (Pre-K to grade 2).
Frequently asked questions
How long will a preschooler stay with an art activity?
It varies. Some children stay for a long time with paint and others leave after a few minutes. Follow the child’s interest and put the supplies away when it fades.
What should I do with all the artwork?
Display a few pieces for a week or two, then replace them. Photograph the ones you want to remember, and keep one folder or box for favorites. Many pieces will go in the recycling, and that is normal.
Should I draw or color for my child?
It is better to sit alongside and make your own picture. A child may enjoy seeing an adult try the same activity. Avoid fixing or finishing the child’s work, so the picture stays the child’s own.
Do I need expensive supplies?
No. Paper, crayons, a glue stick, washable paint and household objects like sponges and bottle caps are enough for everything in this article.
