Art activities are a great way to spend time with kids. As well an enjoyable way to pass afternoons together, there are also numerous benefits for the children. For example, art is a great way to develop their fine motor skills, stimulate their creativity and imagination, and encourage self-expression. But most of all it is fun!
Here are some ideas of creative activities that you can do with your kids:
Pasta Necklace
This one is very easy – simply paint some pasta (penne are ideal because of the shape) and let everything dry. Here, the children are free to use whatever colours they want. For example, the children I work with really enjoyed using lots of colours to make a pattern. Then, take a long piece of string or ribbon and put it through each piece of pasta, then tie a knot.
And that’s it! The kids will enjoy having created their very own unique, colourful necklace.
Papier Mâché Balloon
This activity can be very messy, so take precautions!
First, prepare your papier mâché – collect lots of paper (or newspaper), and rip it into strips. Get a bowl and fill it with a mixture of liquid glue and water. Blow up a balloon. Now, you are ready to get started.
Dip the ripped-up paper in the glue mixture and place it on the balloon, smoothing it down as you go. Make sure the whole balloon is covered in at least 2 layers. Let it dry. Then, the kids can use paints, markers, googly eyes, pipe cleaners…etc. to decorate it.
I have found the kids love doing the papier mâché just as much as they enjoy the decoration later.
Make your own playdough
For this one, you will need 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of salt and ½ cup of water.
Simply mix everything together in a big bowl (note that you can add more flour if the playdough feels too sticky, or more water if the playdough feels too dry). Once it’s all mixed together you can add either food colouring or paint for the colour. I prefer using liquid, tempera paint, mainly because it is washable. Just make sure that whatever you use is non-toxic. Tip: If you divide the playdough into sections, the kids can pick multiple colours to use.
The children are then free to play! They can let their imagination run wild by making playdough creatures and shapes. If they make something that they are particularly proud of, you can offer to bake it for them, that way they can keep it.
When they are done playing, simply put the playdough in a sealed, plastic bag (or use saran wrap). Although this playdough won’t last for very long because it is made with natural ingredients, it’s a great activity and one that your children will love.
Origami
With origami, there are endless forms and shapes that you can make. I’ve found that kids particularly enjoy making animal shapes (frogs are especially popular in my experience).
Although origami can sometimes be quite complicated, it doesn’t have to be. You can find lots of resources online with ideas that are suitable for kids. To make the shapes, you can use special, coloured paper, but normal paper is also fine. Afterwards, the kids are free to colour and decorate their shapes as they please.
Salt Art
For this activity, you need salt, liquid glue, some thick paper, and paints.
First, take the glue and use it to create a shape on the paper, for example a star. Then, use more glue to fill in the shape, and use either your finger or a paint brush to spread it around. You will then completely cover the glue with salt, tapping off the excess when you’re done.
At this point you have your salt shape. You then take your paints (making sure they are well diluted with water), and gently touch the paint brush to the salt. Kids really enjoy this part of the activity, particularly when they can see how the salt absorbs the liquid. After, let everything dry and the result will be a lovely, textured painting.
Simple painting and colouring
Although it’s fun to sometimes do more complicated projects, sometimes the most successful activities are the simplest.
Just pull out some paper and paint, or markers, crayons and coloured pencils. The children can draw something that they see or something from their imagination, they can trace their hands and feet, they can create stories with their drawings, they can also use colouring books…etc.
This activity provides a moment of calm, allows for creativity to flow, and gives children more autonomy when it comes to deciding what they want to create.
