Starfish Preschool Craft

Intro

Many children find starfish, also called sea stars, intriguing. When teaching your preschoolers about starfish, prepare some hands-on crafts to keep them entertained and build fine motor skills while learning more about the oceanic wonders. Awarding the preschoolers with starfish-themed stickers and coloring books for a job well done will also keep them involved in each craft.

Coloring Crafts

• For an easy craft, print pictures of starfish from the Internet and allow the children to color the pictures. Websites like First School have a variety of printable sheets to print for your preschoolers. For added decoration, have the children paint a thin layer of glue on top or around the starfish and sprinkle with sand. If you do not mind a mess, allow the preschooler to paint the starfish pictures. You can also purchase white starfish from your local craft store and give the children paint pens to color their very own starfish.

Hand Crafts

• Have the preschoolers hold their hands in the air with their fingers spread apart. Explain how their hands have five points just like a starfish has five points. Tell the children starfish use their five points to move across the bottom of the ocean. Have each preschooler place his hand on a piece of card stock paper and trace it so that it resembles a starfish. Ask them to paint glue on the starfish and give each child a small bowl of star-shaped pasta. Tell him to glue the pasta to the inside of the star. After the glue dries, help the preschoolers cut the starfish out, poke a hole in the top for a piece of string and hang up.

Playdough Crafts

• Give each child a tub of playdough to make a starfish shape. Explain to your preschoolers that starfish have no bones so they are squishy, just like the playdough. After the children get the correct shape of the starfish, give them play sand and small seashells to decorate the starfish. They can press the sand and miniature shells into the starfish to create a rough texture. The children can also lay the starfish on a piece of cardboard and use the shells and sand to decorate around the outside of the starfish.

Jewelry Crafts

• Preschoolers can make their own starfish jewelry using glue, paper clips and sand or glitter. Help each preschooler draw a starfish shape with glue on a sheet of wax paper. Bend a paper clip into a V-shape and place it at the end of one of the starfish's arms. Have the preschooler sprinkle the starfish with light brown glitter or sand. Allow the glue to dry overnight and peel the glue starfish off the wax paper. String yarn through the paper clip to create a necklace. The preschoolers can do the same thing to make starfish bracelets and anklets.

Posted in: Arts and Crafts