Black History Month Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

For my list of age appropriate books for toddlers that celebrate Black lives and Black culture, click here. For my list of age appropriate books for preschoolers/kindergarteners that celebrate Black lives and Black culture, click here. The lists will be at the bottom of the page.



1. Individual Multicolored Dove of Peace craft adapted from here    (Preschool)

Before having children complete the craft, read a story like "The Colors of Us" by Karen Katz. Talk about all the colors skin can be. Review color mixing. Tell the children that red, blue, and yellow mixed together make brown. If you add white to the brown, the color is lighter. If you add black to the brown, the color is darker.

       Materials:
  1.  White cardstock
  2. Red, blue, yellow, black, and white paint for each child
  3. Dove template originally from http://eastertemplate.com/dove-cut-out-template/
  4. Fingertips
  5. Paper plates for mixing

*Note: Instead of having the group make one together like a kindergarten class did, each child made their own.





2. Skin is Beautiful Wreath         (Toddler and Preschool)

I die-cut all the hands, and each child painted his/her set. I found the basic idea here.

      Materials:
  1. Large paper plates
  2. Set of 17 die-cut hands per child cut out of 
   white cardstock
  3. Red, blue, yellow, white, brown, and black
   paint
  4. Paint brushes
  5. Six inch paper plates for mixing colors
  6. Scissors to cut out doves
  7. Glue
  8. Dove of peace clipart
  (http://clipart-library.com/clipart/2043443.htm
 has several free ones to choose from)


Instructions:
  1. Cut middle out of large paper plate. This will form the foundation of the wreath. All of the hands will cover it up.
  2. Mix the colors of paint to form several shades of skin colors. I made five shade colors, so I used each color three or four times.
  3. Let the paint dry.
  4. Arrange eight hands on each side of the wreath with the thumbs facing into the middle of the plate.
  5. Glue the hands in place.
  6. Glue the remaining hand in the middle of the bottom.
  7. Download a dove that you like. Copy and paste it into Word. Make it small enough to fit in the palm of the hand.
  8. Print out the dove, and glue it on the hand at the bottom of the wreath.



3.  Additional Skin is Beautiful Wreath         (Toddler and Preschool)

Materials:
1. Two 11 by 17 white pieces of paper glued together
2. Red, yellow, blue, brown, white, and black paint
3. Construction paper to cut out hearts
4. Brushes
5. Small plates to mix colors on
6. Pencil
7. Scissors
8. Glue









Instructions
1. Glue two 11 by 17 white pieces of paper together. 
2. Lightly draw a large circle on child's paper with pencil.
3. Prepare paint in a variety of skin colors.
4. Paint hand the color you decide to start with.
5. Have child press hand over part of the circle.
6. Wipe hand off with paper towel.
7. Repeat with other colors until circle is complete.
8. Cut out three hearts in various skin colors of construction paper to layer inside the middle of the hand.




4. Imitating the art of Alma W. Thomas, African American abstract painter (Toddler and Preschool)

Painting entitled Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses
1969




First, I showed a picture of her to the children, and I told them a little bit about her. She was first an art teacher for 35 years, and at the age of 68, she began studying to become a professional artist. Next, I showed them some of her paintings using the book Alma W. Thomas: a retrospective of the paintings by the artist herself. I explained that her art is abstract art. It isn't meant to look like anything specific. She painted using small, separated tile-like marks or spots of bright colors. Spots of the same color were either grouped in  vertical rows or in layers of circular shapes.

 Materials:
1. Cardstock paper
2. Dot markers in a variety of colors
3. Picture of Alma Thomas
4. Examples of her work




5. Imitating the art of Alma W. Thomas, African American abstract painter  (Preschool)


First, I showed a picture of her to the children, and I told them a little bit about her. She was first an art teacher for 35 years, and at the age of 68, she began studying to become a professional artist. Next, I showed them some of her paintings using the book Alma W. Thomas: a retrospective of the paintings by the artist herself. I explained that her art is abstract art. It isn't meant to look like anything specific. She painted using small, separated tile-like marks or spots of bright colors. Spots of the same color were either grouped in vertical rows or in layers of circular shapes.


The Eclipse, 1970





Materials:
1. Cardstock
2. 3 inch circle template
3. Pencil
4. Paint brushes
5. Q-tips
6. 6 inch paper plates
7. Paint in a variety of colors

Instructions:
Print off a 3 inch circle template. Cut out circle template, and trace it onto the paper. Paint the circle any desired color. Then paint a circular, segmented line of bricks or tiles around the circle in another color. Next, paint a slightly larger circular, segmented line of bricks just outside of the previous line. Repeat until the page is filled with these segmented, circular lines.


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