Snowman craft

I love my job as a preschool teacher. My most favorite part is coming up with craft projects that the children actually can do themselves. Nothing bugs me more than seeing preschool crafts where it is obvious the teacher did the entire thing his- or herself. Believe me, I'm all about helping the kids out, but I make them do what they can on their own. This snowman project was inspired by a Christmas card that I helped my son make for his grandparents. The preschoolers (ranging in age from 2-6 years old) had the fine motor skills necessary to do most of the project with little assistance and see it through to completion.

Materials required:

• white, black, red and orange construction paper
• small hole punch
• circle punch (I used Martha Stewart 1 inch wide punch) or scissors and circle template
• light colored pencil 

Before beginning an adult cuts out black construction paper into a quarter sheet for background. Cut out orange carrot nose, and red hat and scarf.

Step 1: Tear a white strip of paper for the ground. Most of the children needed hand-over-hand assistance with this part.

Step 2: Glue the torn paper onto the bottom of the black paper. Trim the white paper that extends over the edge of the black paper so that they are the same width.

Step 3: Punch out 3 circles from white paper for snowman's body.

Step 4: Punch out 5 black dots with hole punch for eyes and buttons.

Step 5: Glue circles one on top of the other to make the snowman's body. Glue on snowman's eyes, and buttons. Glue on carrot nose, hat and scarf .

Step 6: Punch out white dots with hole punch. Glue the white dots onto black paper to make it look like snow is falling.

Step 7: Draw on stick arms with light colored pencil. Masking tape or brown colored art tape cut in thin strips can be used also.

Step 8: Glue on moon if you want. Moon is made by placing cut out circle in circle punch part way and punching it out.

Finished! Hang up on wall and enjoy!