October 21, 2026

Crafts for Daycare

Toddlers and a caregiver at a daycare art table

Daycare crafts have to be safe for mixed ages, quick to reset, and possible with one adult nearby. Use large pieces, washable supplies, and a process that is finished even if a child only does one step. These crafts for daycare assume toddlers and preschoolers in the same room.

One-colour dabbing

Ages: 2–4. Time: 10 minutes.

You need: washable paint, cotton balls, paper, clothespins.

  1. Clip a cotton ball in a clothespin so fingers stay cleaner.
  2. Offer one colour.
  3. Show a dab.
  4. Write the child's name in the corner when they are done.

One colour keeps the table easier to wash and the choice easier to make.

Sticker-on-a-shape

Ages: 2–4. Time: 10 minutes.

You need: a large paper circle, large stickers.

  1. Hand each child one circle.
  2. Offer a small pile of stickers.
  3. They stick them anywhere on the circle.
  4. Done when they say done.

A circle is easier to recognise as theirs than a full poster shared by the group.

Tape roads

Ages: 2–4. Time: 10 minutes.

You need: painter's tape, a tray or the table, cars.

  1. An adult lays two tape roads.
  2. Children drive cars along the tape.
  3. Peel the tape up at the end. That is the cleanup.
  4. No glue, no dry time.

Painter's tape lifts off tables more kindly than packing tape.

Big-crayon rub

Ages: 3–4. Time: 10 minutes.

You need: chunky crayons, paper, a textured mat.

  1. Tape paper over a mat or a floor vent.
  2. Children rub with the flat side of a chunky crayon.
  3. Look at the pattern that appears.
  4. Send it home the same day.

Chunky crayons are harder to break and easier to grip.

The Imagination Hive is a children’s art and STEM studio in Milton, Ontario. These projects use ordinary paper and scraps so you can start today.

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