Collage art for kids - The Artful Parent

How to Make Pictures with Flowers

The Artful Parent Editorial Team — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Learn how to make pictures with flowers by arranging petals in different patterns and shapes to make beautiful artwork. Or use the flower petals as the start of a drawing prompt!

We love to use flowers in our art making. The garden or backyard (or even supermarket bouquets!) can provide a wealth of materials and inspiration when creating with your kids.

One easy and low-mess way to use flowers is by making flower petal pictures! Simply arrange flower petals and leaves into different images and designs. Then rearrange them to create a different design! When you are finished, compost the petals or dry them for another time.

Here’s a video showing how to make pictures with flowers. Then keep scrolling for the full directions!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

How to Make Pictures with Flowers

MATERIALS

Flowers and leaves of any kind
Scissors
White paper or tray
Painter’s tape (optional)
Drawing tool

INSTRUCTIONS

Gather your materials
To make pictures with petals, you need flowers! You can pick them from your garden or yard, or you can pick up a bouquet from the supermarket.

You can do this activity on a tray or on a piece of plain white paper. We like to tape the paper down with painter’s tape, so it doesn’t shift around.
Create your design
Arrange flower petals and leaves as desired to create a picture or design.
Try faces, animals, or even a mandala.

We love this bird – it’s so adorable!
Keep going!
When you’re happy with your artwork, take a photo to save it for later.
Remove the flowers from the paper and start again, creating a new picture.

Continue as many times as you like!

Another way to make pictures with flowers is to use them as a drawing prompt!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

To do so, add one or more flowers or leaves to your paper and tape or glue it in place. Use your pen to draw around the flower or leaf to turn it into a car, skirt, animal, or person — whatever you want.

Will you try this super fun and easy process art activity?

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

More Flower Art Activities

Want even more creative ideas?

Check out our Spring Creativity pack!

Let creativity blossom with this fun bundle of art activities perfect for Spring!! This 40-page printable eBook is full of coloring pages, drawing prompts, games, and more!

SHOP NOW

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Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

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DIY Art Books for Kids

Meri Cherry — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:16:00 +0000

These DIY art books for kids are a wonderful way to store and display kids’ art for you to enjoy over and over again.

Updated April 2024

As an art teacher, I am constantly introducing young children to new process-based art techniques, like salt painting, printmaking, and collage. Sometimes we have piles of art looking for a home. You probably have the same problem at your home!

Making art books with young children is like an active art portfolio you can enjoy over and over again. It’s a great coffee table book and a wonderful way to share your child’s artwork all contained in one space.

There are lots of ways you can make an art book. It can be big, small, and anywhere in between.

Here’s how we make ours.

DIY Art Books for Kids

MATERIALS

Watercolor paper for the cover
Craft paper or construction paper for the inside pages
String or yarn for binding

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the cover
The cover will be for the front and back of the book. We used watercolor paper and had so much fun painting it. We started with big paper and actually cut it down to 11×17 after we painted it. You can see the whole painting process here plus lots of reasons to let kids paint.
Add the inside pages
For the inside pages we used craft paper that was used to cover our table for art class. You can also use regular construction paper. Whatever paper you choose, cut it to the same size as your cover and place three or more pieces on top of the watercolor paper. Then, carefully fold it in half to make a book.
Bind your book
To bind your book, take a piece of string or yarn and place it alongside the fold and then tie a simple bow or knot along the outside seam.
You want to tie it tight enough so that it keeps the pages secure but doesn’t pull on your book. If you want to make your book more secure, you can staple the pages together along the seam.
Fill your art book
Anything goes when it comes to art books. And they definitely don’t have to be finished in one go. We worked on ours for over three weeks! That’s the fun part.
You can make a family art book or individual ones. You can keep adding to it over time. And you can even add more pages as you go.

You can also make art books for special occasions. We made some in art class for Mother’s Day that were so special. We included quotes on each page from the artist about what they love about their mom. It was such a beautiful exchange between mother and daughter.

Regardless of the occasion or no occasion at all, art books can make a precious keepsake to hold onto for years and years to come. What would you put in your art book?

Note: Your art book can be any size you want. I’m just sharing what we did but get creative. It’s your art book!

More Ways to Reuse Kids’ Artwork

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How to Make a Nature Diorama for Kids

Keira Gladstone — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 18:56:00 +0000

Gather pinecones, leaves and seed pods on a nature walk. Then paint and assemble these materials with this fun nature diorama project for kids. Project and post by Kiera Gladstone of ArtClassPDX.

Updated March 2024

Any time of year is a great time for a nature walk! I find it’s more fun to take a walk when I have a mission.

Grab a bag for collecting and invite young artists to look for abandoned acorn tops, seed pods, waxy leaves, sticks and small pebbles.

Look up, look under logs, look beneath your feet. You never know what you’ll find!

Paint your nature items to give them a pop of color, and then assemble them in a box or box lid for a fun and creative nature diorama!

Photo by Kiera Gladstone

How to Make a Nature Diorama with Kids

MATERIALS

A couple of boxes (shoe boxes or lids of gift boxes work well)
A few colors of bright acrylic paint + white paint
Paint brush and paint container
Hot glue or YES! Paste
Drawing tools of your choice
Book pages from an old nature/bird identification guide (these can be found at almost any thrift shop)
Collected nature items

INSTRUCTIONS

Decide on nature items to use
Once you’ve gathered your nature items, spread out all of your found materials. Decide which ones to include in the box.
Paint the nature objects
Then mix the acrylic paints with a bit of white. This helps the colors show up well when painting on natural objects.

Next, paint the objects that were chosen for the box.
Draw a nature scene
Think about something you saw that you couldn’t put in your collection bag. An interesting tree, a bird or a funny shaped cloud.

Use the book paper to draw that image.
Glue materials inside box
Allow the painted materials to dry and attach them into your box. YES! Paste is great for young children, it’s like hot glue without the risk of burning oneself with the glue.

When your box is finished it will tell the story of your nature walk and will hopefully inspire you to create more stories with natural materials found right in your own backyard.

Photo by Kiera Gladstone

More Nature Crafts for Kids

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Masking Tape Art for Kids

Jean Van't Hul — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 11:53:00 +0000

Masking tape art is an easy, fun, and low mess way for kids to make art. You can use colored masking tape or any kind of tape.

Updated August 2023

Are you looking for an easy art activity that your kids can do independently? What about something mess-free that requires very little set up? Sounds too good to be true, right? Nope!

Enter masking tape! Simply give your kids a few rolls of masking tape and a piece of paper and they will get right to work.

We set out this art invitation after school, or during transitions, or when we need a little extra time. It really does check all the boxes. And kids of all ages love it!

Photo by Andrea Martelle

Masking Tape Art for Kids

MATERIALS

Colored masking tape
Poster board, cardstock, paper, or cardboard
Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

Set out your materials
To begin, set out your paper, tape, and scissors.

For the base, you can use paper, cardstock, cardboard, or anything else you might have on hand. Some kids might want to work on a smaller piece of paper, and others might want to work big. It helps to have a variety of options to choose from.
Create!
Step back and let your kids go to town! Some kids may create a picture or scene with the tape, and others will create something more abstract.

That’s all there is to it! We recommend having even just a few rolls of tape on hand for an easy-to-throw-together art invitation.

We know that young and old kids alike will have fun with this. And you will probably want to join in the fun, too!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

Have you tried masking tape art with your kids?

More Tape Art Ideas for Kids

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5 Tape Art Ideas for Kids

Jean Van't Hul — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 17:24:00 +0000

Tape art is a fun and easy art activity for kids of all ages. And did we mention it’s low mess?! Here are our five favorite tape art ideas!

Updated August 2023

We love tape! It’s affordable, it’s low-mess, and it’s totally open-ended. Give a kid a few rolls of tape and you never know what they’ll come up with!

You can use masking tape (you can buy this by the roll or in larger packs), or washi tape, or even painter’s tape! They all work and are guaranteed to become a new favorite art supply.

Photo by Andrea Martelle

Tape Art Ideas for Kids

Photo by Andrea Martelle

1. Abstract Tape Art

Simply set out some rolls of tape, paper or cardstock, and scissors and let your kids explore and create! This is one of our favorite low-mess art invitations.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

2. Tape Resist Painting

Use tape to make a design on paper or canvas and paint over the tape. Then peel off the tape to reveal your tape-resist artwork!

Photo by Danielle Falk

3. Geometric Art with Tape

Check out these two fun projects that explore collaborative larger scale geometric art with tape and colorful tape resist canvas paintings for kids.

Photo by Andrea Martelle

4. Cards Made with Tape

Use washi tape to decorate cards instead of drawing materials. The results are totally unique and lovely! You can make holiday cards, thank you or birthday cards this way.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

5. Tape Resist Skeletons

This is a favorite Halloween art activity but can also be done any time of year. Especially if you are learning about the human body!

We hope you enjoy these tape art ideas as much as we do! Which one will you try first?

More Easy Art Invitations for Kids

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How to Make Paper Collage for Kids

Jean Van't Hul — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 11:53:00 +0000

Try simple paper collage for kids by cutting colored construction paper (good scissor skills practice!) then gluing the shapes to paper.

Updated July 2023

Here’s a super simple way to make collage art with your kids. All you need is some colored construction paper, scissors, glue, and a piece of cardstock for the background. That’s it!

And once you have your materials gathered, let you kids at it! They’ll have a blast cutting shapes and gluing them on the cardstock.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

Paper Collage for Kids

MATERIALS

Colored construction paper
Scissors
Posterboard or cardstock
Glue or glue stick

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut
Let your child cut random pieces and shapes from the construction paper.
Glue
Then, have them glue the pieces on to the cardstock. They can glue a random design or use the collage pieces to make a picture.
Display!
Once the glue has dried, your child can hang their artwork somewhere special.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

A variation of this art activity is using only black and white paper to make a visually striking piece of art!

If your child is still learning how to use scissors, sticker collages are a great alternative! Simply set out a bunch of stickers (dot stickers and hole reinforcement stickers are perfect for this!) and some paper, and let your child create!

Photo by Rachel Withers

We hope you give this collage activity a try! It’s so easy and yet so fun!

More Collage Art for Kids

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9 Easy Collage Ideas for Kids

Jean Van't Hul — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 19:56:00 +0000

If you’re looking for easy collage ideas for kids, try one of these nine collage projects that combine the simplest of materials with engaging techniques.

Updated July 2023

Collage art activities are great for kids of all ages. They don’t require any fancy skills or materials, and even the littlest artists can create beautiful and unique artwork using collage techniques.

And many collage projects are easy to set up and make perfect art invitations for transition times during your day.

Here are our favorite collage ideas for kids!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

Easy Collage Ideas for Kids

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

1. Paper Collage for Kids

Try this simple paper collage for even the youngest kids by cutting colored construction paper then gluing the shapes to paper.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

2. Black and White Collage

Still a simple paper collage but by only using black and white paper, you create stunning, high-contrast artworks.

Photo by Samara Caughey

3. Make Monochrome Art

These monochrome paintings are the perfect color art activity for kids of all ages. First paint a piece of cardboard your favorite color, then collage all types of materials in that same color onto your artwork!

Photo by Joanna Pink

4. Create Colorful Painted Paper Collage Art

Color and paint warm and cool colors on paper. Then turn into colorful collage art for kids inspired by Alma Thomas.

Photo by Catalina Gutierrez

5. Make Pablo Picasso Collages

Explore identity and learn how to create Pablo Picasso collages with colorful cut paper shapes and glue.

Photo by Danielle Falk

6. Make Marble Paper Art Landscape Collages

Put all of your shaving cream-marbled paper to use! Create beautiful marble paper art landscape collages inspired by Australian artist Kate Shaw.

Photo by Krista Simcoe

7. Explore Texture with These Fun Mixed Media Collage Portraits

Mixed media collage portraits are a great way to explore texture and use recycled materials.

Photo by Rachel Withers

8. Make Sticker Collages

This simple sticker collage invitation is perfect for little hands and little attention spans. And it requires very little preparation. You can also use stickers to make mandala collages!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

9. Use Pasta for Collages!

For older kids, you can use cardboard pieces in your collage. Then paint your collage artwork, and if you like, add a bead handle to hang it up!

Which collage idea will you try with your kids?

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How to Create Monochrome Paintings

Samara Caughey — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:02:00 +0000

Monochrome paintings are the perfect color art activity for kids of all ages. Art project by Samara Caughey of Purple Twig.

Updated May 2023

We start teaching color theory lessons as early as 2 years old at the Purple Twig. Kids mix colors using the primary colors to make secondary colors. We also teach about hues of color like with this monochrome art project.

It’s great for many ages; two year olds will love touching and looking at each material and exploring the textures as well as color.

Older children will figure out how to make an intricate pattern using the same color but in different shades and tones.

Monochrome Paintings for Kids

MATERIALS

Cardboard
Tempera paint in chosen color
White glue
Paint brush
A variety of materials in chosen color such as: cut straws, colored rice (see recipe below), buttons, fabric, colored paper, spangles, yarn, milk jugs tops, colored sand, pom poms

Time needed: 30 minutes

Choose color and prep materials

We began by having the children choose one color they would like to work with. If you are doing this project at home walk around the house with your child and see what materials they find in the color they have chosen.

I add a little white glue to the paint so it’s nice and sticky when they are ready to add all the other varieties of materials.

Then I give the children cardboard squares, which you could recycle from a box or just use a sturdy piece of paper.
Paint cardboard square
The kids paint away. I add a little white paint to each paint cup for them to mix in. So now we have two tones of color on the cardboard.
Offer materials

Next, offer the materials to the children one at a time, each in their own cup. Start with the flat materials first, like fabric or paper and build from there.

I absolutely love materials; I love the potential in the materials and so enjoy observing the children using them to their interest.

Some children enjoy organizing their materials on the board and some enjoy pouring the materials onto the paint and moving them around with their hands or the brush.
Let dry

When dry, this artwork has such a lovely variety of textures and pattern. It looks especially great hanging together in a colorful grouping on your wall!

If you’re looking for collage materials, you might add colored rice as well. Here’s a simple recipe that I use.

Colored Rice Recipe

1 cup white rice
Food coloring or liquid watercolors
1 tbsp water
1 gallon ziplock bag
tray

Put the rice into the ziplock bag. Add a few drops of desired color and the water. Close the bag and shake until the rice is fully colored. If you would like the color to be stronger, just add a few more drops and shake again. When finished, pour the rice out onto a tray to dry. It dries in about 15 minutes or so.

I hope you try this monochrome art project for kids!

More Art Ideas for Kids

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How to Make Mandala Art Designs on Records

Catalina Gutierrez — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:03:00 +0000

Upcycle a vinyl record and glue on loose parts to make these beautiful mandala art designs for kids. Relax, unwind and create–it’s the perfect process art activity!

Updated April 2023

These record mandalas are one of my favorite projects of this year. I know I say that often, but seriously, making these mandalas for kids was a major hit! The kids loved it and so did I right from the beginning.

At the beginning of a project, I like to sit with the kids on the floor for ten minutes and have a conversation about a book or image connected to the activity we will be working on.

This time it was a conversation about “looking within”. Pretty deep huh? We art teachers can get quite deep sometimes!

I asked them what they thought this phrase meant, and how can we focus on ourselves and on quieting our minds. The kids had so many wonderful, and, let’s just say, diverse, answers.

One child brought up the word “meditation”. And I took it from there and started to show them some images on ancient and more contemporary mandalas.

Photo by Catalina Gutierrez

The kids started to point out what they saw, the patterns, the repetition, the colors, the thoughtfulness put into each and every one of them.

And then I invited them to make their own mandalas, focusing their attention as they were creating on looking within. They made an effort to be quiet and intentional as they went around and around in circles.

Of course they were quiet for let’s say, about the first three minutes, and then it got quite noisy! But they went back and forth from quiet to noisy for the whole class as I asked them to remember to give their entire thought and attention to their mandala.

I was very happy and satisfied to see them making an effort to truly focus and to be present in the moment as they made these.

Photo by Catalina Gutierrez

Record Mandala Art Designs for Kids

MATERIALS

Old Records
Glue
Fun items to use for the designs: rhinestones, round stickers, stars, small gems, cut up straws, cut up plastic necklaces, small bingo chips, pony beads, mosaic squares, buttons, sequins and spangles
Yarn
Tape
Chalk markers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Gather supplies
Start by setting out all of your supplies to make it look like a big buffet of loose parts. Keep in mind that the supplies I listed above include a variety of options you can use for your record mandalas.

It doesn’t have to be exactly these supplies; just about anything you have around will likely work to create patterns and series for the circles. Another option is to use chalk markers to create shapes on the record as a first step, and then add the parts.

Or even try using chalk markers to create shapes and patterns alone.
Attach yarn to record
Tape a small piece of yarn (about 8 in long) to the back of your record mandala. This will be used to hang it once it is complete.
Glue on loose parts to create the mandala
Bring out the glue and the loose parts “buffet” and ask the kids to start gluing these onto the record. Remind them to try to be very thoughtful of the patterns they can create.

Begin at the inside with a small circle and expand working outwards, until the entire record is filled up.
Let dry
Let it dry overnight. Some pieces may fall off the next day, but if this happens just use a glue gun to attach them onto the record again.
Hang your record mandala!
Now the record mandala is ready to be hung! I suggested the kids hang it close to their bed so it reminds them to be mindful, focused and to slow down and look within.

I hope you enjoy making these record mandalas!

Photo by Catalina Gutierrez

More Mandala Art for Kids

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How to Make Easy Mandala Art with Stickers

Jean Van't Hul — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 23:57:00 +0000

Sticker mandalas for kids is a fun way to create easy mandala art using a favorite kids’ arts and crafts material.

Updated April 2023

Mandala art for kids is made extra fun and easy with stationery store stickers. We’ve used them on different colored construction paper cut into circles and even combined the sticker art with drawn details on some of the mandala artworks.

This would make a good art invitation, a simple transition art activity, an art activity that is good for mixed age groups, or a travel art activity.

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

Easy Sticker Mandalas for Kids

MATERIALS

Construction paper
Stationery store stickers such as hole reinforcement stickers, circle stickers, star stickers, and rectangular labels
Scissors
Drawing tools such as markers or colored pencils (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut your paper
First, cut your paper into circles. We traced an upside-down bowl onto our construction paper to get our “perfect” circles.

You could also use paper plates if you had some just lying around waiting to be used for art or something.
Set out your materials
Once you have your circle-shaped paper, set out an assortment of stickers and dive into making your mandala art.
Create your mandalas
Apply the stickers in concentric circles or radiating designs. Or in any design you like! You can also cut stickers in half or into different shapes, if you like.

In case you’re not familiar with mandalas, they are generally circular forms with radial symmetry. Think of a daisy blossom or a snowflake. Both are nature mandalas.

Finally, if you are so inclined, add additional mandala detail with pens, markers, or any other drawing tool.

We had so much fun with this! It’s amazing to see how different each one is!

Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

More Mandalas for Kids to Make

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