Arts and crafts are a great way to have fun with your preschooler and can help prepare him or her for going to school. Cutting, gluing, learning shapes and colors, and learning to follow directions are all important things that preschoolers can learn by playing with you. During the preschool years children grow and learn at an enormous rate, and the majority of learning they do is through play. Providing quality play time with lots of encouragement and advice will help your preschooler open doors to higher learning.

Here are 10 great arts and crafts activities that you can do with your preschooler for fun, entertainment, and learning.

1. Make you own flags. Use colored paper, stickers, ribbon, crayons, and whatever else you have. Talk with your preschooler about why he or she has choosen what they are putting on their flag. It may be as simple as "I like orange" or as important as "I used tree stickers because I like to climb tree". Let them make their own personal flag that they can hang in their room or on their door.
2. Paint masterpieces. Drip, splatter, spray, or just dip your fingers in and smear them on the paper; painting is a great way to have fun and help your preschooler learn about colors and shapes. Lay various objects on a piece of paper then dip an old toothbrush into paint. Use the toothbrush to spray the paint across the paper and the objects, then remove the items and see what shapes you ahve made.
3. Do print painting with your preschooler also. Use sponges cut into vaious shapes, or slice vegetables and cut shapes into it for printing with. try a variety of objects around your house and see what they will make. Combs, cardboard, nails, and anything else you can find can make intersting paint prints.
4. Teach your preschooler how to cut out paper snowflakes. Use a variety of colored paper to make an interesting snow filled world. Hang the snowflakes on strings that tie the string onto a coat-hanger to make a fun mobile.
5. Make fun collages out of photos of family and friends. Make copies of favorite photos that can be cut and glued onto cardstock. Let your preschooler add decorations to the collage from things you find around the house. Images from magazines, old wrapping paper, ribbon, yarn, and more can all be used to decorate your preschooler's fun collage.
6. Help your preschooler make their own book. Cut images out of catalogs and magazines or draw his own images on pieces of paper. Help him write his own story on the pages. When your preschooler is done punch holes in the pages and tie them together with string. Your child will love having a book that he made himself.
7. Make musical intruments with your preschooler that you can then play together. Tie metal objects on strings to make a chime. Fill empty plastic bottles with beans or rice to make a shaker. Wrap large rubber bands around an empty match box for a "guitar". Decorate empty cans to use as drums. Experiment with other items you find around your house and see what you can use to make music with.
8. Make jewelry together. Paint pieces of pasta that have holes, collect buttons of various shapes and sizes, and gather beads. You can string all of these together to make necklaces and bracelets that you can wear.
9. Make a miniature garden to enjoy. Use an old tin or foil dish and fill with rocks, sand, twigs, and dirt. Plant grass or cress and watch it grow. Add small toy animals and other decorations to the garden. You can use a variety of things to decorate the garden and create whatever scenery your preschooler wants.
10. Help make badges for your preschooler to wear. Let your preschooler cut out cardboard squares and rectangles then decorate them with their own drawings or with pictures they ahve cut out. They can also use stickers, glitter, beads, or whatever else they want. Attach safety pins to the back of the badges with strong tape and let your child wear them with pride.

Doing crafts with your preschooler can be hours of family fun for everyone. With just a few supplies and a little imagination you can create memories that will last a lifetime.

For more ideas check out Little Kid Crafts. Discover quick and easy crafts guaranteed to spark a child's imagination and create lots of family fun!