Diamond-Shaped Arts & Crafts for Preschoolers

Diamonds are a preschooler's best friend when you introduce the shape with a variety of arts and crafts. Invite students to spy diamond shapes in your classroom and out in the world, and have them manipulate paper diamonds into decorative art work and play items. Keep preschoolers in the hands-on arts and crafts mood with child-made snacks, such as kite cookies or sandwiches cut into a diamond shape with a knife or cookie cutter.

Preschoolers will love the idea of making their own kite to fly, even if it is just flies a few inches above their heads in a good breeze or is on display in the classroom. Cut two large diamond shapes out of paper or a paper grocery bag. Invite preschoolers to color or paint their kite as desired. Place the two diamonds on top of each other, decorated sides out, and glue together with the end of a 10- to 12-inch string inserted between the bottom point of the two layers. Let dry and then staple or glue four smaller diamonds, triangles or bows along the string. A large kite can be used for blowing in the breeze, while a miniature-sized kite makes a clever bookmark.

Amaze your preschoolers by creating a little friend almost entirely out of diamond shapes. Invite students to practice their counting as they try to decide how many diamonds make up their friend Danny. Print out a template for this project or just cut out two large diamonds for the head and body, small diamonds for eyes, feet and hands, and other smaller diamond shapes for decorations while you draw on other features or decorations. Preschoolers will enjoy cutting out the large diamond shapes, but provide the smaller shapes pre-cut. Assemble all of the shapes on a larger piece of paper as an example for students to follow, or invite them to make their own special friend as they desire.

Play on words with diamond-shaped diamond jewels to decorate a king or queen's crown. Provide plenty of silver, gold, sparkly and glittery paper for preschoolers to cut into diamond shapes with your assistance. Create crowns, necklaces, bracelets and rings out of strips of construction paper glued or stapled into circle shapes. Let preschoolers decorate their fancy new jewelry as they count the number of diamonds they are using.

Diamond cut-out shapes glued together onto paper combine to create larger geometric shapes like triangles or squares. Provide students with a variety of colors and sizes of diamond shapes cut from construction paper or card stock. Also provide larger sheets of paper in standard rectangular shapes, large triangles and squares so preschoolers can experiment with patterns, colors and shapes.