For Saint Patrick’s Day we created a leprechaun hat, cupcakes, and a clover sun-catcher. Each mini-project practiced motor skills for tiny hands.
Materials
- Leprechaun Hat: Construction paper, safety scissors, & glue sticks.
- Sun-catcher: Dollar bin clover from Target OR Contact paper & tinted tissue paper.
- Cupcakes: Box cake mix, eggs, oil, water, baking cups/muffin tin, & green sprinkles.
Leprechaun Hat
This activity was really simple and fast, but was great for introducing scissor safety and practicing fine motor skills.
I used a ruler to draw out the shapes on colored construction paper. With a brief safety overview, my preschooler used his safety scissors to cut out his shapes with my guidance. He then used a glue stick to piece everything together. It was a really easy craft, and he was so excited to show my spouse his creation.
Adjustments
- For younger children, precut the shapes and focus on the motor skills reinforced through gluing.
- For Increased Depth: Push those cutting skills by adding a clover to the hat which will give your child a chance to practice cutting curved shapes.
- Advanced: Add paint to the process. Create 3-5 green color mixes (green + white, green + yellow, green + blue, green + orange, etc.) and fill in the entire hat before applying the belt and buckle paper strips.
Clover Sun-catcher
This activity also used fine motor skills, embraced the process of layering and creating, and resulted in a cute final piece. It was $1 at Target, but can be replicated with tinted tissue and contact paper. I helped my preschooler get started, but soon he was focused on fitting each tissue square onto the clover shape. Once complete, I cut it out, strung it, and hung it by the window for a fun Saint Patrick’s Day decoration.
Adjustments
- For increased Depth: Encourage your child to cut out the shape by her or himself. Consider shredding or cutting her or his own tissue paper in varying shapes.
Cupcakes
These came from a box and couldn’t get more basic, but my preschooler measured, poured, counted, mixed (have we talked about motor skills yet?), and decorated these delicious bundles of sugar. Baking with my son is one of my favorite activities, and these festive goodies were perfect for his age.
Tip: If your preschooler is in charge of sprinkles, consider taping off most of the container’s holes to control the flow or pour the sprinkles into a bowl to be added by hand.
As we dive in to social distancing, I hope that sharing our crafts is helping. Send me a message (amy@amyfixart.com) if there are any crafts you would like to see us create. I am looking forward to making paper and bookbinding later in the week, but have some simple and engaging projects lined up until then. Have a happy and lucky Saint Patrick’s Day!
Amy Fix Art 