Independent art activities are a vital part of your daily routine at preschool. Preschoolers should have access to art materials and some invitations to create, curated by the adults to support students’ creativity and a secondary goal of working on specific skills. My hope is that I will work myself out of a job, and after creating fun invitations, my students will be able to look at the materials available and create on their own. It feels like students come to our classrooms with less and less experience creating art at home, so we may have to encourage free art even more than ever. Here are some of my favorite simple and engaging free-choice art activities for preschoolers.
Painting with non-traditional tools and surfaces at free choice
Painting with combs
Painting with plastic bugs
Painting with dish scrubbers
Painting with feathers
Perler bed plate rubbings
Drawing on the “ceiling” under the table
Painting with worms ( cooked noodles or yarn)
Painting with trucks
Painting with marbles and jingle bells
Blow Painting
Painting with corks
Ice Painting
Using easels, whiteboards, and chalkboards at free choice
Easel Painting
Chalk boards
Whiteboard Buddy Drawing
White Board solo drawing
Collage and Shape Art Activities for Preschoolers
Shaving cream art with shapes
Creating shape dinosaurs
Plastic Egg Prints
Shape Colllages
Name and Letter Art At Free Choice
Gem Letters
Ripped Paper Names
Sequin Letters
Printing with Letter Cookie Cutters
Write and cover names with art daubers
Color Mixing Art Activities For Preschoolers
Color Mixing with Playdough
Color Mixing with Paint and Q-Tips
Color Mixing Trays
Novel Watercolor Art Activities for Free Choice at Preschool
Painting shells
Rainbow Art
Painting with Rubber Bands
Hot Glue Resist Fall Leaves
Hot Glue Resist Hearts
Recycled Collages
Making collages with recycle bin materials
Recycled Cardboard Haunted Houses
Recycled Cardboard Hearts
Outside Free Choice Art
Sidewalk Chalk
Painitng with Water
Painting Rocks with Watercolors
More Learning Activities for Your Preschoolers
There is no better resource for classroom teachers than my newest book, Everyday Preschool In The Classroom. It’s packed with simple and effective activities you can throw together, and you can rest in knowing these are tried-and-true lessons that work! Find it on Amazon here.
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