It’s a rainy afternoon - maybe even a snow day - and you’re itching to sit down with your kids and make something cool. Only, you’re pretty sure they already know how to draw stick figures and beyond that, you’re feeling kind of inadequate.
Before you abandon the idea altogether, see if you can answer the following questions.
1) Do you have paint in the house?
(small containers from the dollar store will do just fine)
2) Do you have paper?
(computer paper is all you need)
3) Are you willing to make a mini mess?
(not too big, I promise)
If you answered yes to all three questions, then you are well on your way to having an artistic moment with your kids.
To begin, find an area in your home where you can spread out some newspapers or an old tablecloth.
Then, gather some paint, keeping in mind it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. You can often find little containers of acrylic or poster/tempera paints at the dollar store or at any craft store. As a bonus, if you use the primary colours (red, yellow and blue) you can turn this into a quick lesson on colour mixing. Double win!
After that, grab a stack of paper from your computer printer, a paintbrush or two (we used one for each colour) and a container of water.
The next steps are easy and fun for kids (and adults) of all ages.
1) Fold a sheet of paper in half, unfold it and prepare to choose a colour.
2) Place a dab of paint on one side of the paper.
3) Then, place a dab of paint on the other side.
4) Fold the paper.
5) Rub the paper. (Tip: place another sheet of paper on top to absorb any leakage.)
6) Unfold the paper.
7) Marvel at the wonderful burst of colours.
8) Repeat.
Once dry, you can leave the blots as they are, or you can get creative by cutting them out and gluing them onto colourful construction paper.
Feeling adventurous? Grab a magic marker and add some embellishments, like eyes and legs. Before you know it, the splats of colour you and your kids created together will become monsters, bugs, or alien creatures. The sky’s the limit and there is endless fun to be had while naming your creations.
The Dizzy Ladybug
Robot Wearing Mittens
Angry Hornet
Dancing Beetle
Rooster Kissing Rooster
The Fine Print: The primary colours are red, yellow, and blue and all other colours can be created by mixing them together in various combinations. Yellow + Red = Orange. Red + Blue = Violet. Blue + Yellow = Green. We call these new colours the secondary colours.
Imagine that!
Find more fun and creative art projects for you and your kids from Andrea at The Art of Childhood.
Get Dirty; Make Art
Printer-friendly version