Paper Craft Ideas that Are Perfect for Younger Children

Paper crafts are a fun way to keep younger children occupied and engaged, and there are many simple paper crafts that even preschoolers can do. Here are some of the best paper craft ideas for younger children.

Origami the perfect craft ideas for children

Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, is one of the greatest paper craft ideas for young kids. Start with simple origami models like a paper aeroplane or frog that use just one sheet of paper. Folding the paper into different shapes helps children learn about spatial relations. Origami also teaches following step-by-step instructions. Help your child by guiding their hands to make the folds. Over time, allow them to do more folds independently as their fine motor skills improve.  

Paper Collages

Paper collages are an open-ended art project perfect for preschoolers. Give your child paper in different colours and textures (construction paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper) along with child-safe scissors and glue. Let them cut out their own shapes and glue them onto a sturdy background paper any way they’d like. Collages help develop creativity, fine motor skills, and colour/texture recognition. Add some stickers or glitter glue to make it more fun!

Paper Chains

Make a colourful paper chain garland by cutting strips of construction paper and having your child tape or glue the ends together to form links. Paper chains are a good project for practicing cutting (use child safety scissors) and strengthening hand-eye coordination. Let your child pick the paper colours and decorate the links with crayons if desired. Hang up the finished colourful chain for decoration!

Paper Weaving

Weaving paper strips is an easy introduction to basic weaving concepts. Cut paper strips and tape them vertically to a background paper. Have your child interlace new paper strips horizontally across the vertical strips, going over and under. The repetitive motion promotes hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Let your child create fun patterns by varying paper colours. Display the finished woven artwork on the wall.

Paper Shapes

Tracing and cutting out paper shapes boosts fine motor skills. Draw simple shapes like circles, squares, and triangles on paper. Help your child use safety scissors to carefully cut along the outlines. Or let them create their own abstract shapes! You can turn the shapes into a matching game or collage. As your child masters simple shapes, move on to letters and numbers. Tracing and cutting paper shapes teaches important pre-writing skills.

The Benefits of Craft Activities for Younger Children

Crafting is a fun activity for any children you foster with orangegrovefostercare.co.uk because it allows them to express their creativity. As they cut, glue, colour, and assemble, children are free to make anything they can imagine. Crafts also develop important skills. As children use child-safe scissors or practice tracing shapes, they improve their fine motor skills. Following step-by-step craft instructions helps build focus and sequencing abilities. Allowing children to select materials and direct the craft boosts decision-making skills. And crafting is often a social activity that builds bonds with parents and siblings. Most importantly, crafts give children a sense of pride in creating something unique.

With just some paper, scissors, glue and creativity, you can make endless crafts with young children. Paper crafts build their skills while allowing them to express themselves. Keep the materials on hand for an easy activity that will keep kids happily occupied.

Featured Photo by Istvan Hernek on Unsplash