7 Quick and Easy Letter I Craft Ideas for Preschoolers

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I’m excited to share some of my favorite quick and easy letter “I” craft ideas that have brought so much joy (and a little bit of mess) to my home! These fun activities are not only creative, but they also help teach my little ones valuable skills like color matching, hand-eye coordination, and following instructions. Let’s dive into these fantastic crafts!

1. Letter I is for Ice Painting

What it is: Ice painting is a simple yet intriguing way for preschoolers to experience color in a new form. We use frozen colored ice cubes to create beautiful art!

Materials Needed:

Ice cube tray or popsicle mold
Water
Food coloring
Paper

Steps:

Fill the ice cube tray or mold with water.
Add a couple of drops of food coloring to each section.
Freeze the tray until the water is solid.
Once frozen, take the ice cubes out and use them to color on the paper.

Experience: My daughter found this one to be a fun twist on coloring! Watching the vibrant colors glide and melt on the paper made for such a lovely experience. I’d give this a 7/10, and it’s perfect way to enjoy some unique color play!

2. Letter I is for Ice Cream Shop

What it is: In this sweet activity we created a mini ice cream shop right on our table! We used colored pom-poms to represent ice cream scoops and made cones from brown paper.

Materials Needed:

Colored pom-poms
Brown paper (cut into half circles)
Index cards
Dot markers
Ice cream scoop
Sensory bin (optional)

Steps:

Cut out some smallish circles from brown paper, we traced a bowl, then cut them into half. Then tape or glue them into cone shapes.
Use dot markers to create circles on index cards that match your pom-pom colors. (these will be the recipe/order cards your child will use for matching)
Scatter the cone shapes and pom-poms on a table for creative play.
Let your child use the ice cream scoop to make and serve “ice cream” cones.
Use the “order cards” to extend the play into a matching / instruction game.

Experience: My daughter absolutely loved this one—definitely a 10/10! Watching her pretend to serve ice cream was adorable and she was all in with this one.

3. Letter I is for Insects

What it is: This craft was all about creating cute little insects from colored paper. It helps develop both scissor skills and fine motor skills while being creative!

Materials Needed:

Colored paper
Scissors
Glue
Googly eyes (optional)
White paper

Steps:

Cut or tear the colored paper into small pieces.
If you want, arrange the scraps into a letter “I” before gluing them down.
Glue the pieces onto white paper.
Add googly eyes and draw legs/antennas to create insects.

Experience: This craft was a breeze to set up and turned out looking fantastic! I loved seeing my daughter engage with scissors and glue, and I’d rate this an 8/10 for the fun and creativity it sparked.

4. Letter I is for Icy Sensory Bin

What it is: This craft is a super fun sensory bin filled with icy-themed treasures like plastic penguins, floating bits of Styrofoam to resemble icebergs, glass beads, and even real ice cubes! It’s a fantastic way to introduce concepts like temperature, texture, and imaginative play, all while honing fine motor skills and sensory exploration.

Materials Needed:

Plastic penguins
Styrofoam balls or bits (to create icebergs)
Glass beads
Ice cubes
A large bin or container
Water

Steps:

Start by filling the large bin with a layer of water (you can freeze some if you want to include ice cubes directly in the bin).
Next, add in the Styrofoam bits to create little “icebergs” floating in the water.
Then, toss in the plastic penguins for some icy fun!
Finally, sprinkle in the glass beads to add a touch of sparkle and color to the icy landscape.

Experience: My little one had such a blast exploring the Icy Sensory Bin! She was absolutely fascinated by how the ice cubes disappeared as she played and loved moving the penguins around. I’d rate this activity a solid 9/10—Plus, it gave us both a chance to chat about winter and the animals that love it.

5. Letter I is for Ink Splatter

What it is: Ink splatter involves using watered down paint and a straw to create really cool designs on paper. A good way to let my kids experiment with painting in a unique way!

Materials Needed:

Washable paint
Water
Straw
Paper

Steps:

Water down the washable paint so it can be easily blown.
Place little puddles of the watery paint on paper.
Use the straw to blow the paint around the paper.

Experience: This one definitely was messier than I expected, and we had to figure out how to control the splatter. Although it didn’t go as planned, we had a lot of laughs during the process. I’d give it a 4/10, but we still enjoyed the creativity of it!

6. Letter I is for Instruments

What it is: This craft involves making a musical instrument using paper plates and some dried beans—a fun way to introduce rhythm and sound!

Materials Needed:

Paper plates
Dried beans
Scissors
Yarn or string
Stapler

Steps:

Decorate the back of a paper plate.
Cut 3 small slits at the top and bottom edges of the plates.
Place beans between two plates and staple the plates together.
Thread yarn through the slits to make a mini rattle guitar.

Experience: It was a quirky little project and turned out to be a lot of fun making silly songs together. I’d rate this one a 6/10—definitely strange but also fun!

7. Letter I is for Insect Sensory Bin

What it is: The Letter I is for Insect Sensory Bin is a delightful exploration of the insect world, perfectly designed to engage little ones through tactile play! This sensory bin not only encourages imaginative play but also teaches my preschoolers about color matching, fine motor skills, counting, and following simple instructions.

Purchase Full Sensory Bin Kit, with Extended Play Activites on Etsy Here

Materials Needed/Included in the Kit:

Sensory bin items (including plastic bugs, plants, and flowers)
Plastic hoop for weaving
Yarn
Laminated ladybug cards and matching river stones
Bug catcher cards
Tweezers or scoops
Container for collecting bugs

Steps:

Set Up the Bin: Fill a large, shallow container with the sensory bin kit items—lots of colorful bugs, plants, and flowers.
Spider Web Weaving: Have the kids take the yarn and wrap it around the plastic hoop to create their very own spider web.
Ladybug Spot Matching: Start the matching game by letting the kids pick a smooth black river stone from the kit and encourage them to match it to the spots on the laminated ladybug cards.
Bug Catcher Game: Using the tweezers or scoops, ask the little ones to search for specific bugs from one of the eight bug catcher cards. Once they identify the bugs, they can use the tools to collect them in the bug catcher jar!

Experience:

Creating the Insect Sensory Bin was an absolute buzz! My daughter was fully engaged, using her tiny fingers to explore the textures. She especially loved the spider web weaving—watching her concentration was adorable. This activity got a solid 10/10 from us; it was a perfect blend of fun and learning. If you’re interested, you can grab your own Sensory Bin Kit here on my Etsy shop! 🐞

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