Art is one of the world's great methods of communication, expressing ideas and emotions. For children, who don't always understand their own emotions or how to express them, art can become a vehicle for letting go of emotion or expressing joy and creativity. Here are a few art easy art projects that provide your children with an opportunity to express themselves and create something beautiful in the process.
It's also cool when you can combine the fun of art with learning about actual artists. Consider having your child complete a collage based upon the work of a famous artist. You can actually download PDF murals of famous paintings from artists such as Van Gogh, Klimt, Kandinsky, Monet and more from a website such as ArtProjectsForKids.org. The PDF prints out as several pages, and your children simply color each page using crayons, paints, oil pastels or colored pencils. In the end, you put all the pieces in order and you have a beautiful piece of artwork that looks like a renowned painting. A cool idea would be to paste each section down on a canvas and then hang it in your home.
Art is often messy, and children often really enjoy that aspect of art. Paper mache can be a great and messy project that your kids will enjoy and they can make hundreds of items. They might create a bowl that can be used, a house, an animal or even a decoration for their bedroom, such as a huge paper mache version of their initial. To make paper mache, you will need a large amount of paper, and newspaper is the easiest and least expensive source of paper. Save some Sunday newspapers or ask a friend for a couple papers for the project. The paper mache glue can be made with regular school glue mixed with water or you can mix up flour with water, boil it on the stove and cool it. There are many good recipes for paper mache glue online.
The letter or initial project is a fun idea because your child can paint it using their favorite colors and it makes a great wall decoration. To make the letter, you need two large pieces of cardboard, and you simply draw and cut out two identical letters. Glue several Styrofoam cups onto the back of one letter, let it dry and then glue the other letter on top. Now the fun begins as you wrap the letter with strips of gluey paper. Be sure to do several layers and then give it a full day to dry. The following day, paint with acrylic paint. It's wise to paint the main color, let it dry overnight and then add more colors on the following day. After all the painting is done, cover it with a sealant such as Mod Podge.
Another fun and messy project is tie dye, which allows children to experiment with color and create their own clothing. You will need a white cotton t-shirt, plastic gloves, rubber bands, soda ash, several colors of dye and squeeze bottles. Of course, most craft stores sell tie dye kits and everything you need is included except for the t-shirts. Because using 100% cotton shirts is the best option, it is wise to get a shirt a couple of sizes bigger than you need since cotton does shrink. Generally, this type of project is better for children who are about age 8 or older, as it can be a bit complicated. For younger children, find some non-toxic fabric paints and let them decorate a t-shirt that way.
Don't forget to think seasonally when you are searching for crafts. For instance, during the holiday season, children have a lot of fun creating festive Christmas or Hanukkah decorations or wrapping paper. For Valentine's Day, have them create their own handmade cards for friends and family. For Fourth of July, they can make tissue paper flags by tearing and scrunching bits of red, white and blue paper. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and you can find hundreds of craft ideas to suit any holiday and also suitable for toddlers to teens.
It's also cool when you can combine the fun of art with learning about actual artists. Consider having your child complete a collage based upon the work of a famous artist. You can actually download PDF murals of famous paintings from artists such as Van Gogh, Klimt, Kandinsky, Monet and more from a website such as ArtProjectsForKids.org. The PDF prints out as several pages, and your children simply color each page using crayons, paints, oil pastels or colored pencils. In the end, you put all the pieces in order and you have a beautiful piece of artwork that looks like a renowned painting. A cool idea would be to paste each section down on a canvas and then hang it in your home.
Art is often messy, and children often really enjoy that aspect of art. Paper mache can be a great and messy project that your kids will enjoy and they can make hundreds of items. They might create a bowl that can be used, a house, an animal or even a decoration for their bedroom, such as a huge paper mache version of their initial. To make paper mache, you will need a large amount of paper, and newspaper is the easiest and least expensive source of paper. Save some Sunday newspapers or ask a friend for a couple papers for the project. The paper mache glue can be made with regular school glue mixed with water or you can mix up flour with water, boil it on the stove and cool it. There are many good recipes for paper mache glue online.
The letter or initial project is a fun idea because your child can paint it using their favorite colors and it makes a great wall decoration. To make the letter, you need two large pieces of cardboard, and you simply draw and cut out two identical letters. Glue several Styrofoam cups onto the back of one letter, let it dry and then glue the other letter on top. Now the fun begins as you wrap the letter with strips of gluey paper. Be sure to do several layers and then give it a full day to dry. The following day, paint with acrylic paint. It's wise to paint the main color, let it dry overnight and then add more colors on the following day. After all the painting is done, cover it with a sealant such as Mod Podge.
Another fun and messy project is tie dye, which allows children to experiment with color and create their own clothing. You will need a white cotton t-shirt, plastic gloves, rubber bands, soda ash, several colors of dye and squeeze bottles. Of course, most craft stores sell tie dye kits and everything you need is included except for the t-shirts. Because using 100% cotton shirts is the best option, it is wise to get a shirt a couple of sizes bigger than you need since cotton does shrink. Generally, this type of project is better for children who are about age 8 or older, as it can be a bit complicated. For younger children, find some non-toxic fabric paints and let them decorate a t-shirt that way.
Don't forget to think seasonally when you are searching for crafts. For instance, during the holiday season, children have a lot of fun creating festive Christmas or Hanukkah decorations or wrapping paper. For Valentine's Day, have them create their own handmade cards for friends and family. For Fourth of July, they can make tissue paper flags by tearing and scrunching bits of red, white and blue paper. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and you can find hundreds of craft ideas to suit any holiday and also suitable for toddlers to teens.
About the Author:
Kate Halfey loves writing about art projects for kids. For further information about animal art projects for kids or to find watercolor art projects for kids, please check out the Art Projects For Kids site today.
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