22 Crafts for 4 Year Olds (Easy Ideas with Pictures)

Start here: three crafts for 4 year olds crafts that always work

Paper plate rainbowFill the arc with anything you haveToilet paper roll frogPaint a tube green, add eyes and legsCardboard tube rocketThe rocket: paint, cone, fins, done

22 crafts for 4 year olds, with pictures and steps

1. Paper plate bunny

The child turns a paper plate into a bunny face with paper ears, a pom pom nose, whiskers and googly eyes.

You need: 1 small white paper plate, white and pink construction paper, 2 googly eyes, 1 pink pom pom, 4 short black pipe cleaner pieces, glue

How to make it

1. You cut 2 long white ears and 2 smaller pink centers.
2. Your child glues each pink center on a white ear. Glue the ears behind the top rim, side by side.
3. Glue 2 eyes in the upper middle and the pom pom nose in the center.
4. Glue 2 black whiskers on each side of the nose.

2. Paper plate rainbow

The child cuts a paper plate in half and fills the arc with colour bands in paint, tissue, buttons or pom poms, adding cotton ball clouds.

You need: 1 paper plate, red, orange, yellow, green and blue paint, cotton balls, glue

How to make it

1. You cut the plate in half.
2. Your child paints curved bands from the outside in: red, orange, yellow, green, blue.
3. Let it dry.
4. Glue cotton balls at each bottom corner as clouds.

3. Coffee filter snowflake

The child folds a coffee filter, snips notches from the edges and opens it up, optionally colouring it blue first.

You need: 1 round coffee filter, blue marker, water in a small cup, spoon or dropper

How to make it

1. Your child scribbles on the coffee filter with the blue marker.
2. Drip water on it so the ink spreads into soft blotches. Let it dry.
3. You fold the dry filter into a wedge.
4. Snip small triangles from the folded edges.
5. Open it up flat.

4. Egg carton flowers

The child paints cut-out egg carton cups in bright colours and attaches them to straw or pipe cleaner stems to make a bouquet.

You need: egg carton cups, paint, flat buttons, green pipe cleaners, glue

How to make it

1. You cut the cups apart. Your child paints them inside and out. Let them dry.
2. Glue 1 button flat in the bottom of each cup as the centre.
3. Make a hole in the bottom of each cup and push a green pipe cleaner through. Bend it over as a stem.

5. Leaf suncatcher

The child sticks torn tissue paper or real leaves onto sticky contact paper inside a leaf-shaped frame for the window.

You need: brown construction paper, clear contact paper, tissue paper, clear tape

How to make it

1. You cut a leaf shape with a short stem from brown paper, then cut out the middle to leave a frame about one finger wide.
2. Peel the contact paper backing and lay it sticky side up. Press the frame onto it.
3. Your child tears tissue paper and sticks the pieces inside the frame until it is mostly filled.
4. Trim the extra contact paper around the leaf and tape it in a window.

6. Paper plate rainbow fish

The child cuts a wedge mouth from a paper plate, reuses it as the tail and glues on overlapping tissue paper scales plus one foil scale.

You need: 1 white paper plate, tissue paper squares in a few colours, 1 square of foil, 1 self-adhesive googly eye, glue

How to make it

1. You cut one pie slice wedge from the side of the plate as an open mouth. Keep the wedge.
2. Glue the wedge on the opposite side by its point as the tail.
3. Your child glues tissue squares over the plate and tail, overlapping like scales.
4. Glue the foil square in the middle as a shiny scale and stick the googly eye above the mouth.

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7. Paper plate scarecrow

The child colours a paper plate face, then glues on a paper hat, yarn or paper straw hair and a triangle nose.

You need: 1 white paper plate, brown paper, green paper, yellow yarn, orange paper, black and pink markers, glue

How to make it

1. You cut a hat from brown paper and a green strip.
2. Glue the strip across the bottom of the hat, then glue the hat over the top edge of the plate.
3. Your child glues pieces of yarn under the hat on each side as straw hair.
4. Cut an orange triangle and glue it in the middle as the nose.
5. Draw 2 round eyes and a stitched smile in black, and colour 2 pink cheeks.

8. Toilet paper roll bee

The child paints a cardboard tube yellow, adds black stripes, paper wings, eyes and pipe cleaner antennae.

You need: 1 toilet paper roll, yellow and black paint, white paper, 2 googly eyes, 1 black pipe cleaner, black marker, glue

How to make it

1. Your child paints the roll yellow. When dry, paint or glue 3 black stripes around the lower part.
2. You cut out 2 white wings. Glue them on the back so one wing sticks out on each side.
3. Glue 2 eyes near the top and draw a smile under them.
4. Cut the pipe cleaner into 2 short pieces and glue them inside the top rim as antennae.

9. Toilet paper roll turkey

The child paints a tube brown and glues a fan of paper feathers behind it.

You need: 1 toilet paper roll, brown paint, colored paper, 2 googly eyes, orange and red paper scraps, glue

How to make it

1. Your child paints the roll brown. Let it dry.
2. Cut 5 feathers from colored paper.
3. Glue the feathers on the back of the roll so they fan out above and behind it.
4. Glue 2 googly eyes near the top of the front.
5. Glue a small orange triangle beak below the eyes and a red teardrop wattle beside it.

10. Paper plate polar bear

The child covers a paper plate with cotton balls or torn white paper and adds ears, eyes and a black nose.

You need: 1 white paper plate, about 20 cotton balls, 2 white paper half circles, 2 large googly eyes, 1 black pom pom, glue

How to make it

1. You cut 2 half circles from white paper. Glue them behind the top rim, one on each side, as ears.
2. Your child glues about 20 cotton balls all over the front of the plate.
3. Glue the 2 eyes on the plate in the upper half.
4. Glue the black pom pom in the middle as a nose.

11. Egg carton caterpillar

The child paints a strip of egg carton cups, then pokes in pipe cleaner antennae and adds eyes.

You need: 1 strip of 5 joined egg carton cups, green paint, 2 googly eyes, 2 short red pipe cleaner pieces, glue

How to make it

1. Turn the strip upside down so the cups make bumps in a row.
2. Your child paints it green all over. Let it dry.
3. Glue 2 eyes on the front of the first cup.
4. Make 2 holes in the top of the first cup and poke the red pipe cleaners through as antennae.

12. Toilet paper roll frog

The child paints a tube green and adds eyes on top, a mouth and folded paper legs.

You need: 1 toilet paper roll, green paint, green paper, 2 googly eyes, black marker, glue

How to make it

1. Your child paints the roll green. Stand it upright to dry.
2. You cut 2 small green circles. Glue them on the front at the top, half above the rim, with a googly eye on each.
3. Draw a wide smile with the marker.
4. Cut 2 green strips, fold them like an accordion and glue one on each side at the bottom as legs.

13. Hatching chick

The child makes a chick that sits inside a cracked paper egg; the top half lifts on a paper fastener or fold to show it hatching.

You need: white construction paper, yellow construction paper, 1 small orange paper triangle, 1 brass paper fastener, black marker, glue

How to make it

1. You cut a large egg from white paper and cut it in two with a zigzag line across the middle.
2. Cut a yellow circle and glue it behind the bottom half so its top sticks up above the zigzag as the chick.
3. Your child draws 2 dot eyes on the chick. Glue the orange triangle beak below them.
4. You join the two halves with the fastener on one side, so the top swings open.

14. Cardboard tube rocket

The child covers or paints a cardboard tube, adds a paper cone nose and fins, and tissue paper flames.

You need: 1 toilet paper roll, blue paint, red paper, yellow paper, orange and yellow tissue paper, glue

How to make it

1. Your child paints the roll blue. Let it dry.
2. You cut a red cone, 2 red triangles and a yellow circle.
3. Glue the cone on one end as the nose and the 2 triangles at the other end as fins, one on each side.
4. Glue the yellow circle in the middle as a window.
5. Cut tissue strips and glue them inside the bottom end as flames.

15. Craft stick photo frame

The child glues four craft sticks into a square, decorates it and backs it with a family photo or drawing.

You need: 4 jumbo craft sticks, markers, foam heart stickers, 1 square of white paper with a drawing, glue

How to make it

1. Your child colours the sticks with markers.
2. Glue the 4 sticks into a square with the ends overlapping at the corners.
3. Stick hearts on the sticks.
4. Glue the white square with the drawing behind the frame.

16. Paper pinwheel

The child decorates a paper square, the adult cuts the corners in and the child helps pin it to a stick so it spins.

You need: 1 white paper square, crayons, 1 wooden craft stick, 1 brass paper fastener, red paper

How to make it

1. Your child scribbles crayon on both sides of the square.
2. You cut from each corner toward the centre, stopping short of the middle.
3. Fold every second corner point in to the centre.
4. Push the fastener through the 4 points and the centre, then through the top of the stick, and open its legs flat on the back. Cut a small red circle and slip it over the fastener.

17. Egg carton apples

The child paints egg carton cups red and green and adds stems and leaves.

You need: Single egg carton cups, red and green paint, short brown pipe cleaner pieces, green paper, glue

How to make it

1. You cut cups apart. Your child paints them red and green.
2. Let the paint dry.
3. Turn each cup upside down. Make a hole and poke a short brown pipe cleaner through the top of each cup as a stem.
4. Cut small green leaves and glue one next to each stem.

18. Paper plate snowman

The child joins two or three paper plates and adds a paper hat, scarf, buttons and a carrot nose.

You need: 2 white paper plates, black paper, orange paper, 1 piece of red ribbon, 3 large black buttons, black marker, glue

How to make it

1. You cut the ridged rim off one plate, leaving the flat middle as a smaller head.
2. Glue the head so it overlaps the top edge of the whole plate.
3. Cut a black hat and glue it on the head. Glue the red ribbon across the join as a scarf.
4. Cut an orange triangle and glue it on the head as a nose. Draw 2 dot eyes and a dotted smile.
5. Glue the 3 buttons in a column on the body.

19. Paper weaving sea turtle

The child weaves coloured paper strips over and under through slits in a turtle shell.

You need: green paper, yellow paper strips, 2 googly eyes, glue

How to make it

1. Cut a turtle from green paper in one piece: a big round shell, a head, 4 flippers and a tail.
2. Cut slits across the shell.
3. Your child weaves the first yellow strip sideways through the slits, over and under.
4. Weave the next strips one below the other, starting opposite to the one above. Glue the ends down.
5. Glue 2 googly eyes on the head.

20. Pumpkin feelings faces

The child gives paper pumpkins happy, sad, surprised and silly faces with shapes or markers.

You need: orange paper, green paper, black construction paper, 1 sheet of white paper, glue stick

How to make it

1. You cut 4 orange pumpkins and 4 small green stems. Your child glues the pumpkins on the white sheet in two rows, each with a stem on top.
2. Cut black triangles, circles and mouth shapes.
3. Your child glues a face on each pumpkin: a mouth turned up for happy, turned down for sad, a round mouth for surprised and a zigzag mouth for silly.

21. Pumpkin suncatcher

The child sticks orange and yellow tissue squares onto contact paper inside a pumpkin frame.

You need: orange paper, green paper, clear contact paper, orange and yellow tissue paper

How to make it

1. You cut an orange pumpkin frame with the middle cut out.
2. Stick it on a sheet of clear contact paper, sticky side up.
3. Your child presses tissue squares onto the sticky middle until it is mostly covered.
4. Cut a green stem and stick it on the top of the frame.

22. Star suncatcher

The child fills a star-shaped sticky contact paper window with red and blue tissue paper pieces.

You need: dark blue paper, clear contact paper, red and light blue tissue paper

How to make it

1. You cut a large five-pointed star out of the middle of the dark blue paper.
2. Stick clear contact paper behind the hole to make a sticky window.
3. Your child tears the tissue into small pieces.
4. Press the pieces all over the window, overlapping them.
5. Hang it in a sunny window.

Nothing matches that filter. Clear it and try again.

Scissors, glue and a 4 year old

Four is the age for child scissors. Draw a thick line, hold the paper for them, and let them cut the fish tail and the scarecrow hat. Curves and plate cuts are still yours.

A four year old can glue craft sticks into the frame and bend pipe cleaners for the bee and the caterpillar with help. The pinwheel corners, the snowflake snips and the turtle slits for the weaving need an adult.

Build crafts take two sittings. Paint the tube, the plate or the egg carton on day one and glue on the parts the next day when it is dry.

Suncatchers go in the window, the rocket and the pinwheel stand in a jar on the shelf, and the rainbow fish and the turtle make a wall at child height in the hallway.

More crafts for preschoolers

• Paper plate crafts for preschoolers
• Spring crafts for preschoolers
• Recycling crafts for preschoolers
• May crafts for preschoolers
• Fall crafts for preschoolers
• Summer crafts for preschoolers
• Toilet paper roll crafts for preschoolers
• April crafts for preschoolers
• All crafts for preschoolers, by theme, holiday and letter

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