Seven Tips for Inexpensive Preschool Holiday Crafts

By Joanna Young

Parents and preschool teachers, ever put off a preschool holiday craft project because it might be too expensive? Creating preschool holiday crafts is so much fun for preschoolers, but when your budget is tight it can take the fun out of everything. Learning how to shop wisely and frugally for crafts materials can help stretch your dollars. Here are seven tips for making inexpensive preschool holiday crafts.

 

Recycle! Not only does recycling help the environment by creating less trash, it helps preschoolers by giving them ample supplies of crafting materials. From empty medicine boxes (for crafts such as the Valentine’s Day Treat Box) to used wrapping paper, your old household items make for wonderful preschool holiday crafts! So, the next time you’re about to toss out that empty milk carton or peanut butter jar, think again. You may have in your hand a preschool treasure-in-the-making!

 

Turn other people’s junk into preschool holiday craft treasures. Shop thrift stores, garage sales, and consignment stores to find priceless “junk” that can be transformed into wonderful preschool holiday crafts. Pick up items, touch and feel them. Turn them over in your hand until you envision a delightful preschool holiday craft. For example, a fuzzy red Christmas stocking can be cut up and turned into tree ornaments or Valentine’s Day hearts. An old picture frame can be made into a preschool holiday craft such as the Candy Hearts Valentine’s Day Photo Frame. Save some change and let your imagination soar!

 

Shop the clearance bins. Whether you’re perusing the crafts and department stores on a mission or simply browsing for inexpensive preschool holiday crafts ideas, be sure to make your way to the clearance aisles. Unknown treasures often lie hidden because clearance signs aren’t always blatantly visible, so seek out those bargains!

 

Hit the outlet stores. Crafts materials and other items that are out of production or slightly damaged end up in the outlet stores ripe for the picking! Seek out items that contain minimal damage. A tiny nick or a sliver of a scratch won’t make much of a difference, especially if preschoolers will be painting over the surface.

 

Visit the dollar shops. Parents and preschool teachers, if you haven’t discovered the treasures found at dollar shops, you’re missing out! No item costs more than one dollar so finding the perfect preschool holiday crafts supplies is even more affordable. Scissors, paint, baskets, clay pots, glass jars, and so much more can be found at the dollar shops – all for only $1.00!

 

Ask for donations. Preschool teachers might send out a wish list to parents or create a “wish tree”. For example, a brown paper tree with apple-shaped cutouts labeled with items on your wish list can be placed in the classroom. If a parent sees an item s/he feels like contributing, s/he can simply pluck the apple from the tree and return the wanted item with his/her preschooler!

 

Shop online. Companies like Amazon.com offer retail items for sale from its own selections or through affiliate companies. Shop online for hard-to-find preschool holiday crafts items such as extra large construction paper in bulk and die cut machines. The advantages to shopping online include cheap deals through buying used items, convenient search tools, product descriptions, consumer ratings, and shipping right to your home or preschool! Look for special deals on shipping to save even more money.

 

Creating marvelous preschool holiday crafts doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Once you discover how to save a dollar here and there, purchasing preschool holiday crafts materials doesn’t seem like such a burden!