Lauren’s Favorite Art Projects for Kids
Lauren Phillips is an art teacher at a Title 1 high school. She holds three degrees in art education and loves the empowering capacity of art and creativity. She is also a frequent Paint Love artist!
1. Colorful Bubbles
Colorful bubbles: add food coloring or liquid watercolors to bubbles and blow them on paper. Let it dry. It’s beautiful on its own but you can also use it as a base for drawing with crayons, markers or collage. | Via Craft Whack
Discussion Question:
- How does taking a big, deep breath make your body feel? Does it feel different if you take a lot of fast, small breaths?
- What is your favorite part of your picture?
- Tell me more about the colors you chose and how they make you feel.
2. DIY Sidewalk Chalk
DIY sidewalk chalk paint: add equal parts cornstarch and water to make a liquid, then add food coloring. Washes away with rain or a hose. | Via Lady and The Blog
Discussion Question:
- What messages or pictures can you draw that would make someone else feel happy?
- Try making an obstacle track that people taking a walk in your neighborhood might enjoy. Try including silly instructions to do jumping jacks, high knees, and sending followers on a twirling, jumping, pose-striking journey. Can you draw lines moving along the sidewalk that match each motion?
3. Watercolor resists
Create a series of different water color paintings. Draw with crayons then paint on top with watercolor for a cool resist (white and yellow are fun colors to start with). Put salt on wet watercolor then let dry for neat star patterns. Apply rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab to wet watercolor to see interesting circles. Crinkle a square of plastic wrap on top of wet watercolor and let it dry before removing. | Via Kitchen Table Classroom
Discussion Questions:
- Can you come up with a title for each of your different pieces?
- Did any of these come out the way you expected? Do the different textures make you feel differently?
4.
Create a collage box
Using an empty shoe box, create a collage box with old photos, magazines, construction paper, any scrap paper you have.
You can create both 2-D collages and 3-D paper sculptures!
Discussion Questions:
- How did you feel while creating this?
- Why did you include these specific pieces?
- What pieces of this collage feel special to you?
5. Make a thankful chain
Cut strips of colorful paper and write or draw something or someone you are thankful for. You can staple these into chains or fold them into hearts before linking them together. Invite others in your household to participate and see how long you can make your chain! Hang it up in your home so you are all reminded of all the good things you appreciate. Keep adding to it every day if you want to!
Discussion Questions:
- Was it easy or hard to come up with things you’re thankful for?
- Try getting more specific about things you’re thankful for- what made them stick out as special or significant to you?
- As you keep adding to the chain in the following days, think about how you’re looking at the things around you. Are you more aware of things that make you happy?
- What things could you do for others that might make them feel thankful?