Our preschool homeschool solar system is getting bigger, and it was time to add the biggest planet: Jupiter!
For our Jupiter week, we made paper towel marker art, painted with cotton balls, created shaving cream planet prints and tried a homemade sewing activity. These hands-on preschool space activities gave us different ways to explore Jupiter while practicing fine motor skills, experimenting with colors and getting a little messy.
They also gave me a few reminders about what each of my kids is ready to do independently and what we need to practice more.
Jupiter Paper Towel Marker Art
This activity was originally supposed to use coffee filters, but I realized we didn’t have any. We used paper towels instead, and they worked!
The kids decorated their paper towels with markers, then sprayed them with water to watch the colors spread and blend together.
It was a simple way to bring color exploration into our preschool solar system unit. Squeezing the spray bottle added some hand-strength practice, too.
If you’re planning space activities for preschoolers, this is an easy one to try with supplies you may already have at home.
Painting Jupiter with Cotton Balls
For our big Jupiter painting, I cut circles out of an old paper takeout bag. We’re building a homemade solar system, so I wanted Jupiter to be nice and big!
Instead of paintbrushes, we clipped cotton balls into clothespins and dipped them into paint. The kids used those to dab color onto their planets.
My oldest did really well with this activity. My youngest was still figuring out the dabbing movement, which reminded me that we should do more painting activities like this. Something that looks simple still takes coordination and practice.
We also added Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. An extra blob of paint landed beside it, so ours ended up with a bonus storm. 😂 It might not be a scientifically accurate model, but it is very much our preschool solar system.
Jupiter Shaving Cream Art
The shaving cream art was such a hit that we did it twice.
We spread shaving cream in a tray, added paint and swirled the colors together. Then we pressed paper onto the surface, lifted it off and scraped away the extra shaving cream to reveal the print.
Some instructions call for food coloring, but we used regular paint, and ours turned out great.
The swirls made this a fun fit for Jupiter’s appearance, and every print came out a little differently. It was one of those preschool art activities where the process was just as exciting as seeing the finished picture.
Homemade Jupiter Sewing Activity
Our Olive Garden order came with cardboard dividers that were the perfect starting point for another Jupiter activity.
I cut them into circles, punched holes around the edges and gave the kids yarn to thread through. A little tape around the end of the yarn made it firmer and easier to push through the holes.
They loved the idea of sewing their planets. Actually getting the yarn through took more patience.
There was some frustration, but they ultimately had fun. It showed me that we need more opportunities to practice threading and lacing. This homemade preschool fine motor activity involved using both hands together, lining up the yarn with each hole and sticking with something that felt challenging.
What I Took Away from Jupiter Week
One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is watching my kids approach the same activity differently.
The cotton ball painting and sewing gave me a clearer picture of the movements we can keep practicing. The marker art and shaving cream prints gave them room to experiment and see what happened.
Our Jupiter preschool activities used paper towels, a takeout bag, cardboard, yarn and paint. Those everyday supplies became another piece of our solar system and a week of learning together.
Save these ideas for your own preschool space theme, kindergarten planet study or homeschool solar system unit!