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Fine Motor Skills Activities for Preschool

February 25, 2019 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

If you have a preschool student who is in need of working on fine motor skills, you’ll want to provide them with numerous hands-on activities and development tools. These activities should provide students with the opportunity to use their small motor muscles while having fun learning.

Our monthly fine motor skills activity packs are filled with engaging resources, worksheets, activities, and games that build those small motor muscles for young students. If you have missed the prior months activity packs, not to worry, you can still pick them up in our TPT store here.

**HUGE Brick Building Mat Mega Pack Available Here**

April’s pack is filled with fun, thematic learning opportunities covering Weather, Earth Day, and Easter. NOTE: If Easter falls in March you can simply swap out the Butterfly & Frog theme from March for the two weeks of Easter in April. Everything is designed to coordinate and adapt to the changing holiday. Here is a peek inside our April Fine Motor Pack. For each of the themes, there are at least 14 activity pages described below:

GEOBOARD: Students use rubber bands to create the pictures on a geoboard. Each sheet features a letter of the alphabet alongside a thematic picture.
MAZES: Students solve the mazes and follow the prompts. Each page features thematic mazes alongside a tracing activity or prompt.

TRACING: Students trace the pictures with colored pencils or fine tip markers. Each page features thematic content and prompts students to complete the pictures.
PUZZLE PICTURES: Students use puzzle blocks to create thematic pictures. These sheets feature thematic shapes and provide students with easy and more difficult patterns. A full color example is available for easy reference.
LISTENING SKILL SHEETS: Teachers will read the directions aloud and the student listens carefully to finish the task. Tasks involve fine motor elements, coloring, and prepositional positioning of drawings

DOT & POKE: Students cut apart the halves. Students solve the dot to dot activities. Then, students use a push pin to poke a picture onto colored construction paper. See full instructions below.
CUT & SORT CROWNS: Each crown features a theme alongside a 4-step sequencing pattern. Students cut out the pictures and glue them in the correct order. Students write their name, color the pictures, then staple the sides to make a crown.

SNAP CUBE CREATIONS: Students use counting cubes to make thematic pictures These cubes can be snapped together. If you do not have cubes, students can color the squares in the grid to match the picture.
PLAYDOUGH: Students use playdough to complete the prompts. Prompts require students to form and shape the dough to make pictures, solve problems, or complete the scene.

DAB & DOT: Students use daubers to dab by number in order to reveal the mystery picture. (Hold at a distance to help students see the pictures).
CUT & PASTE CRAFTIVITY: These crafty projects are perfect for little hands.Students color, glue, and cut to make fun, thematic pictures.Pair with a simple writing prompt or poem for extra learning!
POM PICTURES x 2: Students use pom-poms to complete the picture.For added difficulty have students use plastic tweezers to pick up the poms. Alternatively students can glue poms to make these sheets into a simple craft project.

CUISENAIRE™ ROD PICTURES: Students use colorful centimeter rods to build thematic pictures. Students are asked to color the rod key to show how many rods they used of each color.
BRICK BUILDERS: Students use classic building blocks to recreate these thematic pictures. Students work on storing, planning, and stacking before creating their final picture.

With over 60+ pages of fine motor activities, this set is sure to be a hit for spring! With multi-level activities, this pack easily adapts to your homeschool or classroom setting. Read more and purchase from our TPT store here.

10 Places to SELL Your Used Homeschooling Curriculum

March 28, 2018 By Crafty Team Leave a Comment

What do you do with your used homeschooling curriculum after the semester is done? Each time you need to purchase new homeschooling curriculum, you also have old curriculum you need to get rid of. One of the best things you can do is to sell your used homeschooling curriculum, helping fund the next set you need to buy.

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Homeschooling at Night: Why it Works

January 31, 2018 By Crafty Team 1 Comment

Does homeschooling at night really work? Many families say yes, it does! How do you homeschool at night, then, you ask? How do you know it is effective and doable? Here are four reasons people homeschool after the dinner plates have been put away, and why they say that it works!…

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Creation Preschool Printables

February 12, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick 5 Comments

Do you have little ones learning the Days of Creation? Today I’m happy to report that I’ve updated all of our Creation themed preschool printables, and even added in a few new extra games and activities. Best of all, I’ve combined them into an activity pack which is available FREE to our subscribers! Grab these creation preschool printables today!

Days of Creation Activity Pack contains the following:

Creation Bookmarks
Creation Story Coloring Book
Creation Story Bulletin Board Display
Creation Minibook
Creation Story Wheel
Creation Mobile Craft
Creation Memory Match Game
Creation Wordwall Cards

Print these Free Creation Preschool Printables here on our sister site Christian Preschool Printables

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Bible ABC Coloring

A complete set of Bible Alphabet coloring pages from Adam to Zacchaeus. These full page coloring pages are just right for children's ministry or outreach. You could even plan a Letter of the Week Bible program around these key Bible characters and concepts.

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Bible ABC Handwriting

A complete set of Bible Alphabet handwriting pages from Adam to Zacchaeus. These handwriting worksheets include tracing, coloring and a a place for a sticker. Combine these with your letter of the week activities or during your Sunday School lessons.

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Bible ABC Cursive Handwriting

A complete set of Bible Alphabet cursive handwriting pages from Adam to Zacchaeus. These handwriting worksheets include tracing, coloring and a a place for a sticker and match our Bible ABC tracing pages. Combine these with your letter of the week activities or during your Sunday School lessons.

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10 Commandments Activity Pack

100+ pages of activities, games, and worksheets for teaching children the Ten Commandments. You'll find Bible copywork pages, coloring sheets, file folder learning centers, handouts and more. Great for Sunday School and children's outreach programs.

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10 Commandments Handwriting Pack

http://thecraftyclassroom.com/ten-commandments-handwriting-pack/

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Holiday Pack

50+ pages! This is a set of printables for 10 different holidays you'll have a fantastic set of craft cards, worksheets, activities, bible verses and more for these important holidays.

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Bible Timeline

Over 25 different pages, filled with 200+ events from Biblical and World History. These cards are full color, ready to cut out and place in your assembled timeline. Children add in their own dates and notes for each event.

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Genesis 1 Pack

Over 100 pages of Genesis 1 coloring, copywork, timeline, and bible verse cards you can use with you homeschool or children's ministry. These resources take children through the story of creation.

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Note that we will email you as new resources are added but be sure to check our Newsletter Archives for more resources.

Alphabet Curriculum Notebook

Letter of the Week Simplified! Over 650 pages of downloadable resources for teaching children the Alphabet one week at a time. For each letter of the alphabet you’ll receive 25 pages of activites, worksheets, charts, coloring pages, math explorations and more. Designed to keep the prep work to a minimum, our letter of the week Alphabet Curriculum can be spread over 26 weeks. View the sample pages above for a sample 3 and 4 day schedule. Suggested age range is Preschool to K4.

Seed to Plant Coloring & Worksheet

April 2, 2015 By Valerie Mcclintick 5 Comments

Spring is a fantastic time to learn about the life cycle of a plant!

I highly recommend that you take children out into the garden, plant some seeds and track the results! There is great satisfaction in cultivating and tending a garden and it will keep their little hands and hearts busy for hours. Some easy and quick growing plants: Sunflowers, Nasturtium, Peas, Green Beans, Marigolds, Tomatos.

HomeschoolClipart.com has some free plant life cycle printables:

Life Cycle of a Plant Worksheet

Life Cycle of a Plant Coloring Page

We’ve even taken small lima beans and “planted” them in the classroom. Take a wet paper towel and crumple it into a plastic bag. Place a bean down the side of the bag so that it’s able to absorb the water from the towel, but so you can also see it as it grow. Close the bag and tape it up on the window. In a few days your children will be able to observe germination, the first roots, and the sprouting seedling. It’s a wonderful way to get hands on in the classroom.

Parts of a Seed Chart

Parts of a Seed Notebooking Page

Parts of a Seed Label & Color

Lima beans are perfect for dissecting, and allow children an inside look at the anatomy of a seed. Simply soak the seed for about an hour in some warm water and then provide children with small tweezers and things to inspect. You can usually pop the seeds open with your fingernails and once open children can find the first leaves, the food and the root.

Plant Life Cycle Sequencing Cards

These plant life cycle cards show progression from seed to seedling. Children order the different stages of the seed as roots form and the seedling emerges. We recommend leaving one set intact and cutting the additional set out for playing pieces.

Flower Themed File Folder Games

These educational games have a flower theme and can easily be incorporated into your unit.

HomeschoolClipart.com has some free Flower Anatomy Printables

Parts of a Flower Chart

Parts of a Flower Coloring Page

Parts of a Flower Worksheet

Garden Crafts & Projects for Kids

Our garden crafts can go alongside key gardening ideas, such as composting, fertilization, spacing, and plant knowledge in general.

For children who take an interested in planting and gardening you might want to print this free Garden Lapbook from Lapbook Lessons. Children can keep track of what they planted, how quickly it’s growing, learn about different tools, insects, and more! Add in some garden science by testing the ph levels of different soil samples around your house.

Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Science Adventure Garden Kit

Young Scientists will make a terrarium, learn about underground habitats, explore the
different parts of plants, test the soil, design a mini-garden, grow all kinds of seeds,
perform plant experiments, identify bugs and their habitats, make a working sun dial,
and much more. Click Here

Seahorse Art Project for Kids

These beautiful seahorses are adapted from an amazing torn paper collage I found at Torn Paper Paintings by Wanda Edwards. I thought it might be fun to recreate this seahorse in a way that children could color and cut with ease so I drew a template based on this seahorse and decided to color it with bleeding tissue paper instead. It’s not as stunning as Ms. Edwards torn paper art, but I think your children will be amazed at the work they can do, and this technique might inspire them to start making their own shapes from paper as well.

Seahorse Template & Materials:

Seahorse Template
Bleeding Tissue Paper
Circle Punch (Optional)
Black Construction Paper
Pen, Glue, Scissors

Seahorse Craft Tutorial:

You can watch the video above or follow the following steps to make your stunning seahorse!

Step 1: Print your Template

Print up your seahorse template on cardstock or watercolor paper. You will need one template per child, and your final project will be facing the opposite direction of the seahorse template.

Cut out punch out small bits of bleeding tissue paper. Bleeding tissue paper is different than standard tissue paper. You can purchase bleeding Tissue paper at your local craft store on with the resource link above

Step 2: Plan Your Color Blending

Take a moment to look at your seahorse and decide what colors you might put around what part. I suggest you encourage children to start with warm colors on top, cool colors on bottom and maybe a cool color near the ends of the fin. Otherwise when you mix the blues, greens and reds you start to get brown :)

Turn your seahorse template over so that you’re working on the backside of the paper. Using a small paintbrush and a dab of water begin arranging your tissue paper onto your paper.

Step 3: Bring on the Color!

As your paper gets wet it will start to bleed the color and blend with surrounding colors for a stunning effect. Don’t be tempted to peel off the color too soon! You’ll want to let it dry so that as much color as possible is transferred to your paper.

Step 4: Let it Dry! Then, Peel it Off!

Once you are sure that you’ve covered your entire seahorse you’ll want to let it dry. If you are unsure if you covered your seahorse template in entirity you can always lift your paper to see what still needs covered.

As soon as the tissue paper is dried, you can gently peel off the circles to reveal the beautiful color blends that transferred to your paper.

Step 5: Cut Out Your Shapes

After your paper has dried completely (use a hair dryer if you are impatient or doing this in a single classroom setting) you can begin to cut out your shapes. I suggest cutting these out one at a time assembling them carefully in the correct order. Younger children will need help with the cutting so be sure to plan for that if you’re doing this project with multiple young students.

Step 6: Assemble Your Seahorse

Using a piece of black construction paper as your background, begin to assemble your seahorse parts. You may want to print a second copy of the seahorse template to use as a reference guide. Be sure to leave black spaces shinning through just as in the template.

As you add more pieces you’ll see your seahorse come to life. To give your seahorse a 3-d effect, you can only glue the center of each piece, and allow the edges to lift up and away from the paper.

Step 7: Add Details

Using a fine black marker draw lines, dots, and circles along the edges of your seahorse. This will give your stunning ocean creature some personality!

Step 8: Put Your Seahorse on Display!

This is a frame-worthy art project that makes an excellent gift for Mom, or Grandma.

Looking for more art projects you can try with bleeding tissue paper? Try our Taj Mahal Art Tutorial for Kids!

Japanese Carp Kite Craft

Our Japanese Carp Kites (or more accurately windsocks) make some really beautiful projects for children to make when learning about Japanese culture. This would be a wonderful end of the unit project for your students or co-op groups. Older children might prefer to make these out of fabric see our fabric painting tutorial here.

Japan Books for Kids:

How to Make a Japanese Carp Windsock:

Materials:

Construction Paper (we used 12 x 18)
Tissue Paper (Dollar Tree)
Crepe Streamers (Dollar Tree)
Scissors
Glue
Hole Puncher

Step 1:

Lay your construction paper horizontally. Cut your tissue paper into the shape of “scales” as shown in the photo. Cut a variety of colors so students will have colorful fish. Dip your paintbrush into the glue and create a line along the bottom.

Step 2:

Carefully place your first row of fish scales along the glue line. Choose a variety of colors or even a pattern of colors. If you have younger students you can draw a glue line in pencil every 2 inches or so. That way they can create straigh lines of glue for their scales.

Step 3:

Glue your scales all the way across the construction paper. Take care to keep your line of scales as straight as possible. The top parts of the scales will be covered by the next row, so if you need to adjust your scale, you have a bit of wiggle room at the top side.

Step 4:

Repeat the first three steps to make 5 or 6 rows of scales. Each row will overlap the previous row as shown in the photos. Stop adding scales once you have about half of the construction paper covered.

Step 5:

Cut a strip of black construction paper about 2 inches wide and glue it across the top layer of scales. This will hide the ends and serve as the line separating the face and body of the carp.

Step 6:

Cut two almond shaped eyes from the black construction paper and glue them as eyes as shown in the photo.

Step 7:

Flip your project upside down. Cut strips of colorful crepe paper and glue them along the bottom side of the construction paper. Choose a variety of colors.

Step 8:

Roll your paper to connect the edges. Use a stapler to connect the ends near the top, bottom, and if possible the center. If you cannot reach the center with your stapler, use a small bit of glue to help seal the connection.

Step 9:

Then use a hole puncher to place to small holes on either side of the top of the kite. Connect a small piece of yarn through the holes to hand your carp windsock.

Taj Mahal Art Project

This Taj Mahal art project is a great way to introduce children to ink transfer using bleeding tissue paper. This technique is not only fun, but the result is a stunning color combination as the inks blend together.

Students as young as preschool age can make stunning recreations with just a little assistance. Best of all, you can pair this art project with a unit study on India and add a little cultural studies to you homeschool classroom.

Taj Mahal Art Project Materials:

Bleeding Tissue Paper
Taj Mahal Template
Watercolor Paper
Water Color Pencil or Sharpie
White Oil Pastel
(Optional) Circle Punch for cutting tissue paper.

India Art Projects for Kids:

Print up the Taj Mahal Template and cut it out. It doesn’t have to be perfectly cut, just enough to get the general shape of the Taj Mahal. You’ll also want to cut out your bleeding tissue paper. I used my Circle Punch to quickly punch out the different colors of bleeding tissue paper. And yes, in case you are wondering, Bleeding Tissue Paper is different than normal tissue paper that you would wrap a gift with. So be sure to pick up the right kind of paper for this project or the results will be disappointing.

Place the template so that it is lined up with the bottom of your watercolor paper and trace it lightly with a pencil. For younger students, you might already have this part of the project done in advance, that way you are not spending the majority of your time helping them cut or trace.

Using a white oil pastel, draw lines and shapes inside the shape of the Taj Mahal. This is another aspect that doesn’t have to be perfect. We are simply laying down a layer of oil that will resist the ink so the paper won’t soak it up. You’ll want it to be streaky, with defined lines and shapes because any missed spots will add a little character to your project.

Dip you paintbrush into a bit of water and begin to fill in your paper with the tissue paper circles. A little water will allow them to stick to the paper. You want to use your warm colors, and arrange them around the background of your picture. Try not to put any warm colors on the Taj Mahal.

Overlap the circles so that the colors will bleed and blend together. You will want a lot of color in your background, so to make it vibrant add lots of layers. Don’t overdo it on the water or you will end up with a runny mess and a wrinkled paper. It only takes a little bit of water for this project to work, just enough for the tissue paper to stick to the watercolor paper.

Continue around until your background is filled with warm colors. Then, start on the Taj Mahal with your cool colors. Remember, you laid down oil pastel here earlier so this section will pick up the color in some areas and no color in others.

Once your paper is filled with color, set it asside to dry. Resist the temptation to peek at your project before it is completly dry. You want every last drop of color to soak into your picture.

Once the paper is dry, you can easily lift it up and gently brush away the tissue paper circles. You will be left with a stunning piece of artwork, but we are not finished yet!

Using a black sharpie marker, or a watercolor crayon outline the basic shape of the Taj Mahal again. You can look at your template for reference if you need help remembering where things go.

This time, add the doorwways, windows, and architectural elements to the design. This is another step where you might want to help younger children. Even outlining the main shape and allowing them to add the decorations might help your smaller students.

If you have been learning about India, or doing a unit study, this is a great time to add a paisley motif or other common Indian design to the background of your picture.

Mount your picture with black construction paper and hang up somewhere in the classroom for everyone to enjoy! This is one of those projects where each one turns out a little different so it’s fun to see each student’s interpretation. More India Art Projects for Kids

Fossil Craft

Do you have a geology planned for your homeschool classroom. Or maybe you have a Dinosaur Theme Preschool Birthday Party to plan for? Either one would be a wonderful opportunity to try our DIY Fossils Project with your chidlren. Making your own fossils is great fun, and really not as “troublesome,” or “messy” as you might think! This craft really drives home the point in how fossils are formed and leaves children with a lasting impression!!

Make Your Own Fossils!

Materials:

Plaster of Paris
Tinfoil
Small objects to fossilize!

Step 1: Making a Fossil Cast

Using your tinfoil, you’ll want to crumple and create a small circular container (as shown in the upper right-hand corner). You’ll need a tinfoil container for each fossil you want to create.

Next, you’ll shape your clay to fit inside the tinfoil container, as shown in the center of the photo. Your tinfoil container should be raised up higher than the clay.

Next, you’ll want to make impressions into your clay. You can do this using a variety of plastic children’s toys. Try insects, dinosaurs etc….and really push into the clay so that each tiny detail is transfered over.

Using toys that have texture or design to them will make for an extra detailed fossil. Just be sure all the little parts are carefully pressed into the clay.

Step 2: Making Plaster Fossils

In a separate container, you’ll want to mix your plaster of paris according to your specific product directions. Obviously, this is a job for Mom, Dad, or the teacher. Always carefully supervise your students when using these types of materials.

Once the plaster is mixed, you can use a small spoon to carefully fill in over the top of your clay impressions. Adding small amounts of plaster with each scoop ensures the plaster reaches inside the tiny areas in your impression.

You can use the back of the spoon to smooth out the top and fill in any areas that might need more coverage.

Once your casts are filled with plaster it’s time to wait for them to harden. This can take near an hour, so set them aside somewhere safe and come back to them in about 60 minutes.

Step 3: Reveal Your Fossils

After you are sure they are hardened, carefully peel back the tinfoil to reveal the clay and plaster. The plaster will be stuck to the clay, so you’ll want to carefully peel that back as well. Slow and steady so as not to break off any small areas.

Wow! Take a peek inside as your plaster cast! This fossil turnout out amasingly detailed, look at all the lines of texture on this spider!

And here is a peek at how our butterfly turned out! How pretty is that? If you look closely you can see all the lines in the body and wings. Plaster of Paris is fantastic for picking up all the intricate details.

And check out our millipede and all those tiny little legs!

Making your own fossils is a simple, yet exciting activity for students. If you are using this activity for educational purposes these would work well for any geology, biology, or archeology unit. If you are using this for a preschool discovery bin or a dinosaur themed birthday party, these would be fun to bury in a small sensory tub filled with sand for students to unearth and discover!

Monet Craft for Kids

Claude Monet is well known for his beautiful water scenes! This Monet Art Project for Kids is a fun (and messy) finger painting craft that will leave children with beautiful results. The materials used are simple and you’re sure to have them on hand in your art supply closet. I suggest you try this craft beforehand to get a feel for removing the tape.

Monet Art Project Materials:

Cardstock Paper
Fingerpaint
Painters Tape or Masking Tape

Monet Art Project for Kids:

Step 1: Build Your Bridge

For this craft, you’ll need some masking tape to make your bridge shape. I cut our tape in half to get thinner strips. You want to form the shape of the bridge using your masking tape. You can do this ahead of time for younger children if needed.

Continue building your bridge using small sections of tape for the slats. Try to add five or six of them across the bridge at equal intervals.

Step 2: Monet Finger Paint Art

Time to fingerpaint! Provide students with a rainbow of colors for them to dip their fingers in, then show them how to dab their finger multiple times to start filling in the canvas.

This is a great time to teach children about color blending and using similar colors (hues) together to create depth. Show children how to overlap their fingerprints to blend the different colors together.

Continue to fill in your canvas with a multitude of colors and blends. Don’t worry about painting over the tape. As long as it’s securly fixed to your paper the paint will not seep through.

Add more fingerprints over the bridge and below until your entire canvas is filled up.

Step 3: Allow to Dry

As tempting as it is to peel off the tape, set your art asside and allow your art to dry. Keep the little ones busy by reading one of the many beautiful children’s stories of Monet.

Step 4: Peel to Reveal Your Masterpiece!

Once your art project has dried, carefully peel back the sections of tape to reveal Monet’s bridge! Mount these masterpieces to colored construction paper and hang up in your homeschool classroom or in your classroom bulletin board.

Scientific Method Printables

Use our printables to teach children the Scientific Method. You can print the chart and laminate it to hang in your classroom or cut out the strips for children to practice putting them in order. Great review for children learning to take the necessary steps when performing an experiment.

Suggested Resources:

SMART Start Science Pack

Teaching about the Scientific Method has never been so easy! With these full-color charts, handouts, and step-by-step journal pages this print & go Science Notebook can be used for any experiment. 31 pgs. Click Here

Scientific Method Chart

A printable chart you can hang in your classroom, or give to children to keep in their science notebooks. Additionally, you can cut an extra copy into sequencing strips to aid children in remembering the steps.

Scientific Method Worksheet

A simple step by step worksheet featuring the scientific method. This is great for review, or even beginning to explain the process to children.

Scientific Method Worksheets

I made these to use with my children as we learn to put the Scientific Method into action. This is a set of 6 steps, that will take children through the process of asking a question, forming a hypothesis, testing with variables, recording, interpreting and reporting information

Step 1: Ask a Question
Step 2: Research Topic
Step 3: State your Hypothesis
Step 4: Test your Hypothesis
Step 5: Analyze your Results
Step 6: Report Your Results

Looking for more?

Try our Smart Start Science Journal Pack for Kids

Brain Crafts & Activities

The Human brain is fascinating! We’ve got some fantastic crafts, activities and printables you can use during your Brain or Nervous System Unit Study. These resources are intended to spark intrigue and wonder within your children. You’ll find Brain Labeling Worksheets, Optical Illusions, Printable Puzzles, Crafts, Models and more. During your unit study of the brain consider exposing children to various mind benders, optical illusions, brain games and the like.

Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Make a Brain Hat

This is an awesome activity, and really got my children excited about our upcoming lesson on the brain! We downloaded this craft free from EllenJMcHenry.com, where you can find TONS of other amazing science resources

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Brain Learning Center

We've got a brain file folder game over on our sister site: FileFolderFun.com There is also a Nerve labeling game for children who are learning about the Nervous System. Both games have a follow up worksheet to "Show you Know"

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Printable Brain Puzzle

Help children easily learn the names of the different lobes of the brain by printing out our brain puzzle. Print on heavy cardstock and laminate for best results. Then cut along the dividing lines of each lobe.

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Nervous System Charts

Use these charts to explain to children that the nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and neurons. These are great for recording key facts from text books to store in your journals or lapbooks

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Neon Neuron

Sometimes making a simple construction paper model is a great way to learn more about something. We used some brightly colored printer paper to make these electric neurons and later labeled each part.

Brain Coloring & Worksheets

Homeschool Clipart has a variety of coloring pages, worksheets and notebooking pages you can use to enhance your unit study on the human brain.,

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Egg Carton Spinal Cord

I made this to use as a visual demonstration for how the spinal cord can bend, as well as discuss the nervous system with the string also be a great project for older children. Needle/Thread: Egg Carton, Noodle.

Printable Stroop Test

This is a fun activity where children try to say the colors of the color words as fast as they can. (So the top row they'd say, "Red, Black, Green, Blue, Yellow, Red") It's more difficult then it looks and makes for lots of giggles. Ask children why it's so hard?

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Brain Mold

What could be more fun then actually making a JELLO brain! You can get a brain mold from Jello for under $5, and you're children are sure to use this again and again over the years!

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Homeschool Printables

We try to get a lot of our homeschooling resources online, and when we can’t find them, sometimes we make them. As we make different printables I will post them on our blog and this page to share. We have printables for all ages and subjects. You are more then welcome to use our printables in your personal homeschool, or classroom setting, but PLEASE make sure you read our Terms of Use. All of our materials are under full copyright and must be used according to our guidelines outlined here.

Notebooking Printables

We have organized all of our Notebooking printables onto one simple page! You'll find some great resources for implementing the notebooking method in your homeschool classroom!

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Printable Writing Guides

We've recently created some amazing writing guides for beginning and reluctant readers. Currently you can purchase Poetry, Biography, Research, and Instructions in our online e-store. Be sure to subscribe if you would like updates when new titles are released!

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Free Lapbooks

Tons of free lapbooks on our sister site LapbookLessons.com

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Bible Timeline & Notebooking

We are using the Mystery of History in our classroom this year, and this page has all of the crafts, activities and printables that we'll be using alongside this amazing program!

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Homeschool Planning Forms

I'm acutally a very minimal planner, but here are a couple of the different planning worksheets that I've made over the past few years.

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Scientific Method Printables

Use our printables to teach children the Scientific Method. You can print the chart and laminate it to hang in you classroom, or cut out the strips for children to practice putting them in order. There is also a worksheet for children to take the necessary steps when preforming an experiment.

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Bible Verse Study for Kids

These Weekly Bible Verse Worksheets are great for children of all ages. These are weekly bible verse memory sheets that give children something to work on for each day of the week. There is a KG version and a K-3 version. The K-3 version includes space for copywork in print or cursive. This is a great way to motive your kiddos to learn their verses!

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Free Writing Charts for Kids

Our Writing Guides are for beginning and reluctant writers. I developed these step by step writing resources to children get their ideas on paper in an organized fashion. There are fun characters Read more about our writing guides, or check out details for each guide below:

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Summer Reading for Homeschoolers

Creating a Summer Reading chart is a fantastic way to keep kids learning throughout the Summer months. Visit your local library and stock up on fun books your child is interested in. Often times your library will have their own Summer reading program you can participate in as well!

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Dinosaur Report Printables

We've got some fantastic Dinosaur Notebooking through a dinosaur research report. These are We've got some fantastic Dinosaur Notebooking poster board for a great end-of-the-year project.pages you can use to help guide your children

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Science Printables & Activities

We are learning about the human body and I've been making some fun printables to go alongside our lessons. You'll find visual charts, notebooking pages, printable games, crafts and more!

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Printable Number Math Mats

These printable math mats have a fun Buggy theme! There are coordinating number cards 1-12, and each card includes the number, written form, and a picture of the corresponding amount of bugs.

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Shell Identification Mats

Children love sorting sea shells. Simply sorting them by shape makes a great activity for preschool aged. I made these so that my kiddos could have fun aged children, and the older ones love to learn the different names of all the shells. I found so many different "names' for the shells, you're welcome to change them as needed

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Click on any of these links above to be led to a treasure trove of homeschool printables for every age, grade level, and subject! We’ve enjoyed creating them for your use at home or even in a classroom setting. Download them today!

Japan Crafts for Kids

On this page you’ll find lots of free crafts and activity ideas for learning about Japan! We really enjoyed learning about Japan, so much so that we even made a Japanese Lapbook to store many of the facts and information we learned. Our crafts and activities are a great way to enhance your unit study or thematic lesson. Children can make a japanese windsock, woodblock prints, fans, sumi-e paintings, origami, paper lanterns and more.

Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Japanese Koi Fish Salt Painting

A fun textured way to create a stunning overhead view of Koi fish in a pond below. Children love to learn this art technique and will apply it to many other projects after instruction.

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Japanese Woodblock Printing

There are so many wonderful forms of art from Japan, and this is one that children will absolutely love! Woodblocking is definitely a Family craft as Mom and Dad can makes some stunning creations as well. Children design their own print then experiment with varying amounts of ink.

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Japanese Kimono Art

This is a stunning kimono art project for children. Using bleeding tissue paper children can create watercolor like designs so that each kimono turns out unique and beautiful.

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Japanese Carp Kite

Technically a windsock and not a kite, these look amazing hanging up in your classroom and children can also fly them around outside! This was one of our favorite projects during our unit study on Japan.

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Sumi-e Starter Kit

Sumi-e is the timeless art of Japanese brush painting. Sumi-e works are typically made up of just a few brushstrokes, but the graceful birds, fish, and plant life they depict seem to move on the page. This portable kit contains all the materials youll need to get started, plus an instructional booklet covering the history of sumi-e and step-by-step techniques to master the four basic strokes necessary to complete any painting

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Sumi-e Japanese Painting

Sumi-e is a form of Japanese painting involving a bamboo brush, ink, and rice paper. Even young children can learn the different techniques and brush strokes of this ancient art technique. These paintings are worthy of your family gallery or make an origami frame with the instructions below.

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Japanese Fan Craft

Print up some fun Japanese themed fans for your children to decorate. Then add in a Popsicle Stick to make them into Japanese Fans! These make wonderful activities for workshops and co-op classes. They are simple with their ready to color designs, or use our blank template and let children design their own.

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Japan Coloring Pages

This is a small collection of coloring pages your children can complete. These would look beautiful with colored pencils or even pencil pastels.

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Japanese Paper Lanterns

The beautiful paper lanterns that adorn the streets of Japan during festivals and holidays are like non other! These paper lanterns are made with a little decorative origami paper and some simple cutting techniques! These look fantastic hung through out your class room during your unit study.

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Origami Photo Frame

The beautiful patterns of Origami paper can be used for more then just paper folding! Try out this decoupage photo frame to display your favorite piece of Japanese artwork. Use Modge Podge to adhere different colors of Origami paper to a craft frame.

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Japanese Fan Craft

You can make these authentic looking Japanese fans with some scrapbook paper, some raffia and a few beads! This is a great beginner activity and when you use your Fans with just a little bit of leftover scrapbooking Fans with just a little bit of leftover scrapbooking paper, some raffia and a few beads! This is a great beginner activity and the fans actually work!

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Japanese Sandal Craft

This craft is perfect for learning about Japanese customs. We used a bit of origami to decorate the bottoms too! Fill them up with some Japanese candy such as Hi-Chew, or Rice Candy!

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Origami for Kids

You can print up this free "Origami by Me" pocket for children to store all of their origami creations. There are so many cute tutorials online or you can purchase a simple origami book for kids.

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Free Japan Lapbook

We have an amazing free Japan lapbook on our sister site LapbookLessons.com

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Origami Craft Kit for Kids

• 3 great starter books
• 55 fun-to-do projects
• Over 1,000 easy-to-follow illustrations
• 96 sheets of authentic origami paper in
traditional vibrant hues, rainbow patterns,
and metallic colored foils Click Here

India Crafts for Kids

Learning about the different countries of the world can be lots of fun! Use our country themed crafts and activities to enhance your geography unit studies on India. Children can make their own beautiful oil pastel creations, Indian textiles, Lotus flower sand paintings, Taj Mahal watercolor and more. If you’re feeling adventurous you can round out your India unit with the art of henna, it lasts only a week or two but is fun for all ages. If you want something easier, you could try the Henna tattoos (temporary) below:

Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Taj Mahal Art Project

This Taj Mahal art project is so simple yet the results are beautiful! Children use bleeding tissue paper to create a vivid backdrop, and watercolor pencils to outline their shapes.

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India Textile Painting

Using fabric scraps, school glue and some paint children can create beautiful representations of Indian textiles.

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Draw Your Own Mandala

Paisleys, mandalas and other symmetrical designs can be found on walls, fabrics, and even displayed in the temporary staining of skin with henna. This project teaches children how to draw their own mandala using radial symmetry.

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India Elephant Coloring Page

In India the elephant is a revered animal. They are often painted with bright colors and intricate designs for festivals and celebrations. Here is a coloring page you can give children to decorate their own elephant.

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India Tiger Oil Pastel

The tiger is India's national animal. It's strikenly beautiful with the contrasting markings of black, white and orange. This oil pastel project is just right for your studies on India. Children will be amazed with the work they can do when given small amounts of instruction.

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India Peacock Craft

The peacock is the National bird of India. It's certainly one of God's most beautiful creatures, and even young children can make these wonderful pictures. We provide you with step by step drawing tutorials, as well as instruction on using oil pastels to bring your peacock to color.

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Paisley Coloring Pages

This is a small collection of beautiful paisley coloring pages for children to decorate. Use these coloring pages as decorative covers for your India notebook or as free time fillers for children who finish their work early.

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India Design Transfer Craft

Textiles and art of India features some of the most beautiful and intricate designs. Use this simple method to transfer an Indian design to a handmade card or art project.

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Temporary Henna Tatoo

I don't know about you buy my children LOVE to draw on themselves and learning about India is a great time to introduce children to Henna. This natural pigment temporarily stains the skin, leaving you with a lasting reminder of your studies of Indian culture. If you've never experimented with Henna before I recommend checking out this introductory book for step by step instructions:

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Lotus Flower Sand Painting

Use our lotus flower template to guide children in the art of designing with sand. This is a simple introduction to sand painting great for beginners.

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India Elephant Craft

This craft uses glue, sand and sequins to make a beautiful Indian elephant.

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India Coloring Pages

Children can learn about India with these beautiful coloring pages. Add these to an India lapbook or notebooking journal, or simply color and hang on the wall.

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Top Secret Travel Adventures

The bundle includes the following seven countries: India, Egypt, China, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. Each country kit includes: A puzzle book A colorful guidebook Six (6) silly villain cards A sturdy case file to keep everything organized and more!

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Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems

Driven by love and compassion, and sustained by faith and determination, Amy Carmichael defied the cruel barriers of India’s caste system. The story of this young woman from Northern Ireland is a brilliant, sparkling example of God’s love generously poured out to “the least of these among us.”

Van Gogh Art Project

Van Gogh is a name every young child knows, and Starry Night is the title they remember! Uses this fun technique to create movement on your canvas.

Van Gogh Art Project Materials:

Black Construction Paper
White School Glue
Oil Pastels
VanGogh Artist Card

Using your white glue, begin to draw the dark shape in the foreground. This will outline the main tree and the village in the distance. It might help to view Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting while you draw.

Add in your horizon line, accounting for the hills and the village below. These are simpl shapes without much detail. We are basically outlining things that we can add color, texture and detail too later on.

Begin to add in some swirls in the background. Keep the path continuous behind the tree as it is in the foreground. The starry sky is in the background so be sure you draw with the glue so that it appears behind the shapes.

Continue buiding your image with glue. Make the stars with circles and curved lines radiating outwards from them.

Be sure to add in the moon and lots of stars, making sure your glue is moving around them, and filling in all the empty space with movement.

Allow your glue to dry for a few hours. It will almost disappear but you’ll still be able to see it and feel it. When your glue is dry, provide children with Oil Pastels.

Begin to draw over the lines you made with your glue. When you draw over the glue, you’ll begin to see different textures coming through

Use different colors of clue and white along your lines. Show children how to choose a variety of different hues of the same color to create depth and interest.

Highlight with white and yellow on top of your blues and for your stars. Use darker yellows to draw in your Moon and Stars along the path of the glue.

Use black and purple to add shadow and depth to the image in the foreground. Black down the left side and purple down the right sides. Overlap the colors a bit in the middle and blend them a little.

Color in your village. Use dark colors in the background and whites and yellows for the buildings. Add in a little light blue to highlight areas in the darkness.

Stand back and marvel at your beautiful Starry Night masterpiece! These look wonderful when mounted on a classroom bulletin board, or framed with black construction paper.

Looking for more Famous Artist Projects for Kids? Try our beautiful Monet art project today!

Famous Artist Crafts for Kids

Learning about famous artists can be lots of fun and a great opportunity for children to explore different techniques and mediums. Follow along with us as we explore the different masterpieces and create ourown artistic interpretations! For each famous artist we include a suggest reading as well as a printable reference guide for the back of your child’s art. We suggest framing your creations with black construction paper for a finished look. Paste the famous artist reference card on the back of your project

Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

What Makes a…..Series is published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are perfect for grades 6-8, or as a read aloud with late elementary students. I would recommend this set as a purchase for your classroom, it will last for years to come. We personally own these and they are filled with information about each artist and feature many colorful photographs and explanations of their work.

Van Gogh Art Project

Van Gogh is the name every young child knows, and Starry Night is the title they remember! Uses this fun technique to create movement on your canvas!

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Claude Monet Art Project

Claude Monet is well known for his beautiful water scenes! This is a fun (and messy) finger painting craft that will leave children with beautiful results.

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Andy Warhol Art Project

Children who love to use bright colors love to create Warhol inspired artwork. You can use our pre-printed Warhol artist cards, or use this activity to teach children how to transfer and copy images.

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Miro Art Project

Miro has an amazing surrealist quality to his work, making him a fun artist to study. Children can get creative with their doodles and have fun with this easy project. Give children a black sharpie marker and encourage them to explore lines and shapes. Show them how to make shapes inside of shapes and color block.

Piet Mondrian

Here are three different ways your children can create beautiful representations of Mondrian's artwork. This is a great beginner craft for young children.

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Georges Seurat Art Project

Pointillism is a fun artistic technique for any age level! Children enjoy making these representational pieces of artwork. This is a great craft for children who like to work on details. arranged on canvas to create

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Jackson Pollock Art Project

Okay, what kid doesn't love to splatter paint? We're using a bit of splatter and a bit of blowing to make our Action Jackson paintings!

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Henri Matisse Art Project

Matisse had a very colorful style to his artwork, and in his later years he used paper cut-out arranged on canvas to create

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Van Gogh Art Project

The Potato Eaters is not only a great painting to study context but also to study light and shawdows. Children can recreate this hanging oil lamp with oil pastels.

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Suggested Resources for a Unit Study:

Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists is a great series for younger children. Each book features a different artist, showcasing their work, their life, and sometimes their quirkiness! There is just enough here to give children a good idea of who the artist was and some ways to identify their work.

Printable Nets

September 21, 2014 By Valerie Mcclintick 3 Comments

These printable nets can be helpful for teaching young students geometry and geometric concepts.

Plus they are sorta fun to make!

We recommend you print your nets on colored paper. Â This makes it more fun and colorful.

You can print on cardstock and laminate if you’re making a classroom set, but we’ve just used regular strength printer paper for this set.

Cut your nets out carefully, the tabs are in light gray and can be difficult to see on the colored paper, so go slow!

Crease all your folds. Â We assembled ours so that the lines are inside the shape and don’t show.

Use a glue stick on the tabs for best results.

Here is how our cube looks when assembled!

They won’t be perfect, but they are an inexpensive way to add a little hands on fun to your math lessons.

Print your set of Geometry Nets Here

This is a subscriber freebie so be sure you’re logged in first!

Find more Math Printables and Manipulatives here.

Preschool Printables

February 20, 2014 By Valerie Mcclintick 4 Comments

I have recently updated our Free Preschool Printables section of PreschoolMom.com!

We have over 30 themes with numerous printables and activities you can use in your homeschool or classroom.

Here’s a sneak peek…..Click Here for links to all these units!

Be sure to check out more resources at KindergartenMom.com

BTW- We have a separate newsletter for our Preschool Mom website!

Many of these sets include handwriting practice, alphabet themes, printable charts, file folder games, wordwall cards, crafts, science activities and more!

Alphabet Printables

American Sign Language Printables

Australia Printables

Butterfly Printables

Colors Printables

Community Helper Printables

Days of the Week Printables

Dinosaur Printables

Click Here for Full List

Full

Does homeschooling at night really work? Many families say yes, it does! How do you homeschool at night, then, you ask? How do you know it is effective and doable? Here are four reasons people homeschool after the dinner plates have been put away, and why they say that it works!… Read More

Bible ABC Coloring

Bible ABC Handwriting

Bible ABC Cursive Handwriting

10 Commandments Activity Pack

10 Commandments Handwriting Pack

Holiday Pack

Bible Timeline

Genesis 1 Pack

Seahorse Template & Materials:

Seahorse Craft Tutorial:

Step 1: Print your Template

Step 2: Plan Your Color Blending

Step 3: Bring on the Color!

Step 4: Let it Dry! Then, Peel it Off!

Step 5: Cut Out Your Shapes

Step 6: Assemble Your Seahorse

Step 7: Add Details

Step 8: Put Your Seahorse on Display!

Japan Books for Kids:

How to Make a Japanese Carp Windsock:

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Step 8:

Step 9:

Taj Mahal Art Project Materials:

India Art Projects for Kids:

Make Your Own Fossils!

Step 1: Making a Fossil Cast

Step 2: Making Plaster Fossils

Step 3: Reveal Your Fossils

Monet Art Project Materials:

Monet Art Project for Kids:

Step 1: Build Your Bridge

Step 2: Monet Finger Paint Art

Step 3: Allow to Dry

Step 4: Peel to Reveal Your Masterpiece!

Make a Brain Hat

Brain Learning Center

Printable Brain Puzzle

Nervous System Charts

Neon Neuron

Brain Coloring & Worksheets

Egg Carton Spinal Cord

Printable Stroop Test

Brain Mold

Notebooking Printables

Printable Writing Guides

Free Lapbooks

Bible Timeline & Notebooking

Homeschool Planning Forms

Scientific Method Printables

Bible Verse Study for Kids

Free Writing Charts for Kids

Summer Reading for Homeschoolers

Dinosaur Report Printables

Science Printables & Activities

Printable Number Math Mats

Shell Identification Mats

Japanese Koi Fish Salt Painting

Japanese Woodblock Printing

Japanese Kimono Art

Japanese Carp Kite

Sumi-e Starter Kit

Sumi-e Japanese Painting

Japanese Fan Craft

Japan Coloring Pages

Japanese Paper Lanterns

Origami Photo Frame

Japanese Fan Craft

Japanese Sandal Craft

Origami for Kids

Free Japan Lapbook

Taj Mahal Art Project

Does homeschooling at night really work? Many families say yes, it does! How do you homeschool at night, then, you ask? How do you know it is effective and doable? Here are four reasons people homeschool after the dinner plates have been put away, and why they say that it works!…

Read More