1st Grade Arts and Crafts Activities
First grade is a year of firsts: your child's first full day of school, the first time she'll write a small story herself, and the first time she'll read a complete book cover to cover. We've got dozens of wacky reading and math activities, cool science experiments, and indoor and outdoor games to keep the learning fun.
Celebrate Labor Day and give your child a jump start on the school year by taking a walk through your neighborhood and talking about the different jobs that people do, then showing him how to make his very own "career book."
This fun activity makes use of some simple "ingredients" to make a crab while your child learns about this unique creature. Get started with just a few pasta shells and some paint!
More arts and crafts activities for first grade:
Create a Fish Art Print!
The fish most first grade kids see is usually filleted or canned, and it's hard to see how it came from a lake or sea. Here's a delightful way to bridge the gap, with an activity that blends art with life science discovery.
Make a What-I'm-Thankful-For Placemat
Thanksgiving is a great excuse to pause and give thanks for more than what's sitting on the table. This activity gives kids a chance to make a cute collage of things that make them happy, and it's perfect décor for holiday dinner... or any day!
String Story Necklaces
Tell your kid you're going to spend the afternoon working on comprehension and you're sure to get a yawn. This activity delivers the goods with a fun art project that will also teach kids to look for a story's beginning, middle, and end.
Make a Halloween Tissue Ghost
Now that October's here, with days getting chillier and afternoons more cozy, it's a great time for family crafts. Here's a ghost Halloween decoration you and your child can make together.
Grow a Holiday Bouquet!
If you're like lots of us, you've secretly decided that your green thumb is actually brown. Parents, take heart! This winter garden project is just about bomb-proof, and believe it or not, it might even make a great gift.
Make Your Own Wrapping Paper
When it comes to wrapping paper, nothing beats homemade. Not only is it pretty, but it's good for kids, because by experimenting with paint and crayons and other decorative tools, they are also doing science, art, and small-motor muscle building that all lead to success at school.
Group It!: A Skip Counting Activity
Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s may not sound like much fun. But using "skip counting" with real objects you find or make at home is a different story...it can be hours of entertainment. Here's a hands-on activity to touch and move real stuff while building abstract reasoning...paint, shoes, and coins ...
Make a "City of Bags!"
Forget 2-D maps. It's time for 3-D! One way that kids learn about their community is by making maps that help them become aware of the people and places around them. Give your kid a stack of paper bags, swing by the police station, the fire house, and the other important buildings in your ...
Make a Patriotic Pinwheel
This hands-on activity uses just a few ordinary supplies to create an extra-fun Fourth of July craft. You and your child can celebrate our nation's heritage while also boosting skills in geometric thinking. And while you're at it, you'll even demonstrate a little wind power!
Make a Story in a Bag
Ask a first grader to tell a story, and often the result will be hilarious because it's all mixed up. As fun as it is to listen to the tomato that went to sleep, ate dinner, and then put on his pajamas and went for a swim, teaching kids that stories have an order is important. Want to give your ...
