Starting next week I'll have 3 3yr old boys (they're not related and never met each other before), a 5yr old boy, and 2 babies. I want to do either daily or weekly arts and crafts projects with the 3 and 5 year old boys. I've had all school-age kids this summer (I opened in June), so I have no clue what 3 year olds (esp boys!) can handle or will like to do. I'd like to have weekly themes, like "Colors" or "Farm Animals" or "5 Senses" so that all of our activities can go along with that week's theme.

Any suggestions? I'm open to anything at all! Thanks!

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A lot of things we do are with construction paper. Last week we made flowers using cupcake wrappers and the paper. Cut out yellow circles that fit in the center of the cupcake wrapper. Cut out stems and leaves. Then let the kids glue stems down, the leaves and the cupcake wrapper on a sheet of const. paper and it makes a 3D flower. They can build with popcicle sticks, pic frames, a little box with a lid, stick men.. Also make things out of foam sheets and cut outs like, bookmarks, scenes about family or cars, sports etc on sheets of construction paper and foam picture frames we put a magnet on the back for the fridge. Pom pom caterpillars are an old fav. Egg carton caterpillars too.

Music type crafts like Maracas using 2 bathroom cups taped together filled with rice or beans. Paper plate tamborine staple 2 plates together and fill with rice or beans.

We make a lot of things using hand tracings. Like the construction paper hand lillies at Easter the lilly is actually a traced hand and curled and attached to a green pipe cleaner, this week we made daisies (like the lilly but didnt curl the fingers just glued a yellow circle of contruction paper in the middle and attached to a green straw with leaves also construction paper. Hands and arm tracings can become a tree and the kids glue paper leaves to the tree or tissue paper pieces etc. Paper plate sunflowers, they glue tracings of hands on yellow const. paper all around the plate and let then spread glue in the center and fill center with actual sunflower seeds. I staple it onto a papertowel roll once dried. Green const. paper leaves can be glued on also. At Christmas hands become deer antlers etc..

With nature we collect Queen annes lace flowers (i think thats the name) and put them in cups of water with food coloring and dye them all dif colors. They then give them to Mom or Grandmas. Hands and arm tracings (tree) and glue on real leaves the kids collected on a walk. We press leaves, and do crayon rubbings on things. Thanksgiving we collect the huge maple leaves and make a turkey (the leaf is the tail feathers)

We even use food sometimes. U can make spiders with crackers, spread peanutbutter on 1 stick on pretzels for the legs, top with 2nd cracker, 2 raisins for eyes. Ants on a log let the kids fill the celery with pb and sprinkle with ants. Lots of things can be done with food.

I just out a pot luck once in a while and let the kids go. Glitter, paper, foam cut outs, pom poms, all kinds of things and just let them experiment with glue.

Hope some of those ideas help. Have fun!

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