All “Hopeful Art” is really just an adventure or ART-venture with creative supplies (ARTventure) with more of an experiment in how to use them. When art buddies (parents, teachers. care takers) look at it that way, they can set out supplies (like an invitation to create or a provocation) and simply hope it becomes art. Simply set out a fun surface for them to create on, fascinating tools to create with, and lastly some super interesting supplies to test out in the trial and error phase.
Kids seemed to enjoy the open ended challenge and to wonder what they can create, experiment with the selected items, and explore more ways to use them. Adapt and Repeat…
I love this method because it is basically handled like a science experiment. So if they don’t like their project, adapt and repeat or just claim that the combination of tools or mediums just didn’t work. Just like in a science project. If their confidence seems down, finish with something that you know they are able to do and will enjoy doing it. Notice what they like to do or don’t like to do, what they can do independently, and what tools are difficult for them to use.
Every child comes to the art table with a different skill set. And with that skill set they will use the supplies in a totally unique fashion. Whether or not they like the end product is not important. It’s whether they enjoyed or learned from the process that they chose to use.
If you want a provocation question- “What can you create?” will work in most cases.
I always had stencils or silhouettes, stickers, glitter, glue, cookie cutters and DIY stamps out for Hope. She loved to embellish and add media to every background. My students and boys did not use them as much. So adapt your activity to your child's abilities and personal interests but don’t buy all your supplies at once. Keep slowly adding new supplies to keep their interests.
So try putting a few things out on a tray. I always tried the invitation as well. Sometimes the trial and error process just flops at first. It’s OK, just set it aside. Discuss your options or your suggestions out loud. Then fix or replace the apparent component that caused the problem. The set of droppers above, require advanced fine motor skills. They will be difficult to impossible for some to use. However, the artist can learn from it and we can tweak(or adapt) it a little and it works. This teaches problem solving which is vital to any inquiry based process. Simply replace the dropper with another tool that they have experienced success with.
Quick Ideas
Hands
Feet
Balls
Short fat brushes
Forks
Cookie cutters
Shaped art sponges
Stencils
Rubber stamps
DIY Homemade art stamp
Kitchen and office utensils
Leaves and ferns
Fruit and vegetables
Potato Stamp
Bingo Dabber or Dot marker
Scented markers - Mr. Sketch
Short and fat paint brushes
Textured play dough rollers & tools
Scrapbooking tools
No spill paint cups
Spin art machine
Spirograph
Quick Ideas
Index cards
Paper plates
Coffee Filters
Paper towels
Contact (or sticky) Paper
Kiddie pools
Bathtub (easy clean up)
Foil
Crumpled Wax paper
Contact Paper
Various kinds and colors of paper
Card stock
Coloring
Small rocks
Small pieces of bark
Newspaper
Paper bags
Butcher Paper or newsprint paper
Pinecones
Crayola doodle board
Color & Erase Reusable Activity Pads
Wipe off board
Scrapbook papers
Windows
Paint easels
Quick Ideas
Jello
Yogurt
Pudding
Kool-Aid
Whipped Cream
Crayola Crayons & Markers
Crayola washable finger paint
Crayola Large Crayons Jumbo Washable Watercolors
Reuseable stickers
Foam stickersVibrant Colors Washable Paint Sticks
Jumbo Bath Crayons
Bath Markers
Crayola Bathtub Finger Paint Soap
DIY Homemade Supplies
Juice and any beverages
Colored non-toxic glue
DIY -Homemade paint
DIY Homemade play dough
While these activities are ideal for early childhood, you can adapt aspects of it to challenge older kids too. You’ll see that I try to keep this art lesson very simple to start off with, but you can add in something like primary and secondary color concepts or color mixing.
No matter how old your students are, even mixing colors can be therapeutic. It’s soothing, relaxing, and can relieve stress. Giving toddlers the opportunity to play like this also helps them develop the wiring in their little minds.
I recommend setting up Hopeful Art on a regular basis—maybe even once a day—so their understanding of creative explorations consistently grows and deepens. Most of the time you will be amazed at ways they create a unique project with the skills that they have today.
Making art with your baby will not only put some fun in your day, it will develop their fine motor and visual skills as well as their eye hand coordination. The earlier that you start developing those skills, the more confident they will be in using the sense of touch in exploring their world. Most of my students and children love being able to change the appearance of a piece of paper or another base by marking, stamping and painting on it. Hope wanted to make EVERYTHING “pretty” so certain supplies had to be put out of her reach.
Art challenges their eye hand coordination so I always like them to be able to feed themselves before starting them in any art.
NOTE: Allow them time to experience and explore new supplies and tools.
They will use all their senses to check them out. You can bet on it.
"Mom Brandon is eating my crayons”
It also gives them very creative experiences while they explore and discover the properties of new art supplies and tools. They may even come up with innovative and creative ideas on how to use something in a way that you didn't think of. It’s always fun to watch. Let them explore and try to use them in their own ways, which is great for making and tinkering as they grow older. So don’t correct them because they are developing their own creativity which is a huge asset in today's world.
They start out not knowing how to put two things together to make art. So use books, videos on the computer, television, or a demonstration from yourself to give them a little bit of an idea of how to use them. They get excited to change the visual properties of what they are working with.
Hope used to see something plain and wanted to make it “pretty”. I thought that was great, because both my sisters made things “pretty” in their jobs as florists. The first time that she was at a florist shop she was about five months old. She loved to watch their hands move as they made an arrangement and to play in the displays (which wasn’t always wanted).
Unless they had a camera ready.
At first we used household items and homemade supplies so they would be safe (in case they explored them with their mouths) anything pourable was mixed with corn starch for paint. And anything peanut butter, pudding, yogurt, cookie and cake mixes were quickly made into playdough. We used pre-cut shapes, index cards, paper plates, computers and copy paper for them to paint, decorate, and draw what needed to be drawn on a project for them before giving the art tray to them.
Those first art experiences are so incredible to be a part of!
Watching babies as they play, explore, and create is such a special thing and one neither the baby or mom will soon forget.
Did you know that babies can begin exploring art when they are just a couple months old?
"How" do you ask?
With some fun taste-safe paint recipes and mess-free art activities!
Protect all surfaces from stains from the dyes in food coloring, Kool aid and Jello
“We really want them to feel their creativity was important to the project…and that they did the finishing touches themselves.
Babies need projects where they learn one thing at a time. I often call them “art motions”… like squishing, slapping, poking, moving, shaking, spreading, marking, pressing, stamping etc.”
Process Art for Babies to Grandmas
Slapping Paint- Watercolor Paper and Paint in a Plastic Bag
Pour paint on a plate, press cookie cutter into paint and move it onto paper
Marking with finger tips
in a sensory bag
Pressing or slapping on paper and paint in a baggie
Spreading or mark making with yogurt
Mixing and spreading colors in the tub
Pressing & moving feathers with water inside a baggie
Marking or drawing in dry goods tray
Create with me-Pressing cookie cutters into playdough
Press something into playdough and make a imprint
DIY bottle lid and foam sticker stamps
Move watercolor paint to Wet Paper towels- watch it spread
Learning Big Strokes
Poking Embellishments into Playdough
Spreading Neon Paint with your fingers
Create with me- scatter nature onto contact paper
Process Art for Babies to Grandmas
Squishing Food Coloring and Whipped Cream in a Baggie
Moving Pom Poms in water in a baggie -Pre-Art
Squishing playdough balls
Shaking the paint onto the paper in a jar
Spreading Jello with hands
Learning to spread baby safe fingerpaint in the bathtub
Painting with water is great for paint brush training
Moving paint onto paper plates
Create with me-spreading paint with small ball in a box or tray
Create with me- Guide their hands to move paint to paper
Pressing on Potato Stamp Stars
Create with Me Collage After our visit to a Pond
Moving Construction Paper Shapes onto Contact Paper
Decorate or Paint on Pre-cut Shapes
Creating in their highchair- crinkle & rip tissue paper
Squishing Tempera under Saran Wrap
Spreading Little Bits
on Contact Paper
Window Art -Moving Pre-cut Tissue Paper to Contact Paper
Pressing on the paint under bubble wrap-in high chair
Trying Our New Fat Brushes to move paint
Press & Move Nature in a Sensory Bag
Pressing sponges with paint into watercolor paper
Using Mom’s stuff to “help” in the kitchen-Art Chef Training
See Through Art on a contact paper frame Edible Gloss Paint
Natural pigments for Home -made playdough or paint
Pressing blocks into paint and onto paper for beautiful art
Watercolor markers on dry paper towel, then squirt water
with small spray bottle
1. Mix paint & water- freeze
2. Move Icecubes across paper
Foam Sicker Aquarium
Testing the new easel outside
Decorating Pressboard Photo Frame cutouts with Ink pads and DIY rubber stamps
When I graduated from college, my first job was at the local YMCA. It challenged me to find and master my skills at introducing art to be used with multiple age groups….and needed to fit into a tight budget. So I gathered recyclables and nature as well as ordering basic supplies.
Here is some of what I used from a workshop that I led in the late 1980’s while I directed students’ programs at the YMCA. Creating art is a wonderful way for some kids to express their feelings and emotions, and it's great to see the range of creativity in their artwork.
The projects in this section may require you to become a scaffold or art buddy for your artists’ success. The hardest part is holding back from just doing it for them when they struggle with an aspect of the project. But you need to just model it beside him/her and discover a way to make them successful in their own version of the project. Think of your role as the person who can be the “bridge” and break down the barriers of frustration for your budding artist.
You can lead them to the place where their natural strengths can be showcased. Then assist and encourage them when they seem challenged by something. A demonstration with simple instructions and repetition are key. You just have to keep experimenting and find the way they communicate and learn. Then provide extra structure. This may be all you need for your student to succeed. It can be as simple as taking an extra five or ten minutes to provide this.
Five-year-old Shaelyn Young was born with Spina Bifida. But give her a paint brush and some paper mache, and she can create her own version of a masterpiece just like any other child. The wheelchair she sits in doesn't define her or limit her creative spirit. A program like this emphasizes a team approach by inviting along a buddy, such as a friend or relative, to pair up with the budding artist. And allows students to express themselves and experience new joys. In their discovery, the little ones ignite you. It spills over to the adults. In our adult worlds, we sometimes forget how to have joy or experience new things."
Hope spilt juice on the table and started to run her fingers through it. That is when I knew that I could try some tools for painting. So I looked around the house and went through my program and activity files. We started some of mine and Jean Warren’s collection of open-ended art. If your students have disabilities and/or you are a little inhibited about teaching art with them, please don’t panic. An extremely helpful book to have is The Special Artist’s Handbook by Susan Rodriguez. Here is also a link to a great webinar to help you adapt. It’s 65 minutes long. So you want to plan an hour with no distractions.
http://vsafl.org/sites/default/files/images/collab-recording.mp4
A lot of times students just want to learn how to manipulate the materials. We want them to have a great project to show others. However, they just want to be creative. It doesn’t have to be the same as the example.
Key findings of Dr. Rende’s study on the benefits of art showed that: Arts and crafts engage multiple brain areas simultaneously and improve bilateral coordination between the left and right sides of the brain, leading to immediate and future cognitive development. Activities like arts and crafts accelerate the development of muscles in the hands and fingers, improving fine motor skills that are essential for school success in the earliest formal years. Face-to-face interaction in the early years is critical for optimal social development. Arts and crafts promote rich social interactions that help develop or maintain language skills and social cognitive abilities for older children and adults as in understanding emotions.
Creative activities are a great way to bond with children and create lasting memories. Nearly 90% of the parents surveyed for the study said that they would like to spend more time creating arts and crafts with their children, but they didn’t know where to start or how to carve out the time needed. I carefully chose the quick and simple crafts in this section for multi-generational fun. I’m hoping that I can show you that there is always time to bond and spend creative time together.
It’s SO simple –turn on some music and prepare these creative activities. Now you just need to find time in your schedule. HAVE FUN.
Many of these boxes can be used for Literacy activities, and I will share those ideas below as well.
Some art supplies can be put in individual pencil boxes so that each child can have their own center in the classroom or you can send these home to distance learners. Label each box with the children’s names. Five pencil boxes with fit in one bin for storage.
In this mini art center, I put a glue bottle, sequins, and wood craft sticks in a pencil box. I put a few sequins in a small shallow box I got from a dollar store. Children can glue the sequins onto paper or onto the sticks. It’s a great fine motor activity as well!
This shows the same sequin center in a bin. I added the basic art supply pencil box to the bin with glue, sequins, and wooden sticks. I was able to put the sequins in a plastic baby food box, but this box is too tall for the pencil box above.
In this pencil box, I added two coffee filters, a water dropper, and washable markers*. The cup for water does not fit in the pencil box, so will have to be separate. Children can draw on the coffee filters with washable markers and then drop water using the water dropper. I’d also recommend adding a couple of paper towels to the box.
*Markers must be washable for this activity.
This is the same activity in a bin instead of pencil box. The water cup fits in the bin with the other materials.
This pencil box has paper, scissors, colored pencils, and colored masking tape. Children love to create with tape. You could also add craft sticks to this box. Normally, I would put the full rolls of all of the tape in my Art Center and children will pull it off the roll and tear or cut it. For pandemic times, if you are required to create these individual centers, you can cut off pieces of the tape and stick them onto a laminated piece of card stock.
This is a piece of card stock that I cut to fit inside the pencil box and laminated. I stuck pieces of colored masking tape to the card. I folded down one corner of each piece so children can grip it easily to pull off.
In this mini art center, I added dot stickers (from the dollar store), paper, and markers.
This mini art center has crayons, paper, and foamie stickers.
In this mini art center, I have paper, scissors, glue stick, and pieces of paint chips. You can collect paint chips from hardware stores. I cut them into square, rectangle, and triangle pieces. You could also just add the whole paint chips to the box and have the children cut them.
In this box, I added Rock Crayons with paper. Children love the novelty of drawing with rock crayons and they are great for fine motor and proper grasp.
This mini art center has scissors, paper, glue stick, and 1-inch wide paper strips. I like to start the year having children practice snipping 1-inch paper strips when they are learning how to hold scissors correctly and cut. These are great for all year, as well, and you can choose colors that match the seasons. Children cut the strips into squares and make a mosaic on their paper.
This art box has paper, glue stick, and tissue squares. These are from a set of pre-cut tissue squares I bought from a craft store, but you can also get a set of rainbow colored tissue paper and cut through many layers to cut a lot of squares.
For this mini art center, I pulled off about 2 feet of yarn and wrapped it around a craft stick. You can quickly wrap it around a craft stick by getting it started around the stick, then holding one end of the yarn and twirling the stick quickly to wrap it. I added scissors, paper, and a glue bottle.
For this art box, I cut of some lengths of crepe paper streamer, added craft sticks, scissors, glue stick, and paper. This is the crepe party streamer, and it’s very inexpensive. You can find it at dollar stores and craft stores.
In normal times, I just add the rolls of crepe paper to the Art Center for children to use.
These mini paper plates don’t fit in a pencil box unless you fold them in half (which you could do). I put two in this bin with markers and crayons. Children can decorate the plate however they like. You could also add the larger craft sticks and some masking tape so that children could make stick puppets.
Some of these Mini Art Boxes could also be used for Literacy Kits. Use the items to have children decorate letters. Children can:
Glue sequins on a letter
Stick dot stickers on a letter
Rainbow write a letter with rock crayons
Cut 1-inch squares of paper to glue on a letter
Glue tissue squares on a letter
Glue yarn on a letter
Cut pieces of crepe paper to glue on a letter
Find Letter Printables here to use with these activities.
Here are Amazon affiliate links to the materials above:
You can create a basic art supply kit for each child in a pencil box with crayons, markers, scissors, and a glue stick.
You can also create a basic art supply kit for each child in these bins if you have room to store a bin per child. The bins will hold more supplies than the pencil boxes. In this bin, there are crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue stick, glue bottle, and a watercolor set.
I used clear plastic punch cups to organize supplies. These are great for supplies because they are inexpensive and they don’t crack easily.
Another way to organize each child’s supplies is in a caddy. You can use the clear punch cups in the caddy as well to organize supplies.
Washi tape comes in all kind of prints. (I happen to have a large collection of Washi tape.) You can have a different print for each child to label their individual supplies. This is especially helpful to prevent children from getting their supplies mixed up when you’re trying to cut down on sharing of germs.
I labeled the cup, glue bottle, paint, each individual crayon and marker. Pretty much anything can be labeled. For a class, it would be helpful to buy a large boxed set of Washi tape, or ask parents to provide a roll for their child (add it to your supply list).
Take a look at these terrific crafts that are both fun and mess-free! Which one do you plan on making first?
Finger painting is lots of fun, but sometimes you may not want to deal with the mess. Try no-mess finger painting instead. This activity from Kids Activities Blog is great for keeping toddlers and preschoolers busy and engaged, especially for children who don’t enjoy getting their hands messy. Instead, they can squish, trace letters, and draw shapes right on the bag to see the print in the paint. Plus, you can create some colorful and fun art this way.
Add some fun and color to your playroom or any room with this colorful window art idea from Teaching 2 and 3-Year-Olds. This activity strengthens fine motor skills and just looks stunning when the light shines through! Plus, it’s really easy to set up using sticky contact paper and tissue paper cut into circles, squares, and other shapes.
When fall comes around, try this beautiful mess-free sensory autumn leaf painting from Kids’ Craft Room. It’s a fun way to explore the changing colors of the seasons, especially with blending and mixing those colors.
Instead of the high chair, set your baby or toddler up on the floor with this cool shoe box easel and mess-free painting activity from Hello, Wonderful. The paint and paper are contained in a big zip-top bag to prevent any spills. Plus, the easel gives baby a different perspective than “painting” on the tabletop.
Did you know you can create watercolor art without paint? It’s really easy, too! Just grab washable markers, some paper, and a spray bottle filled with water. By spraying your design with water, the colors fade and spread, creating a watercolor effect. Plus, you can put it all in a bag, as you see at Team Cartwright, to eliminate any water mess.
Kwik Stix are paint markers that are much easier (and less messy) than using a paint and paintbrush. Make a design on the paper using masking tape first, and then let your toddler color over the page with the paint sticks. When you peel the tape off, the design will be nice and clean underneath. This tape resist monogram from The Soccer Mom Blog is great for making a fun piece of décor for your child’s room.
This mess-free bubble wrap painting follows a similar idea. This time, your child will push down on the air bubbles within the bubble wrap, creating a dotted print with the paint underneath. What a fun activity from Hello, Wonderful!
Use a rainbow of colors to make some no-mess rainbow art with your kiddo. Use the beautiful rainbow prints to create handmade cards like these from Messy Little Monster to send to your family and friends. The heart cards are gorgeous and are perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day you’d like to show a little extra love.
Nothing is prettier than pretty pink colors for Valentine’s Day. Add a lacy heart doily to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect base for a gorgeous valentine. The paint is smeared all over paper inside a bag, and the heart doily is applied to the front, along with some gold stickers. Isn’t this mess-free valentine from Glitter Inc. lovely?
No zip-top bags on hand? No problem! Just try shake it up painting instead. This activity from Sunny Day Family is a fun way to both get the kids moving and create some colorful art.
Add a few paint splats to a large zip-top bag, and tape it to a window for a new art experience. Kids will love mixing the colors and drawing designs in the paint while they can look outside with this mess-free window painting idea from Laughing Kids Learn.
Life is just more fun with marshmallows! Kids will have a blast squishing and rolling them around inside the bag for this cool marshmallow squish activity from Steam Powered Family. It’s especially important to keep the bag sealed well so your little one doesn’t taste one! If this is a concern for you, though, instead of paint, add chocolate syrup or something edible to the bag instead.
You’ll love this shark window art from Buggy and Buddy for summer, especially during Shark Week or after a fun trip to the beach. You’ll need various shades of blue tissue paper, contact paper, and black construction paper to set it up. It only takes a few minutes and looks super cool!
Here’s another terrific toddler art project for fall! This no-mess pumpkin painting by Life Over C’s involves making a pumpkin cutout and applying it over the bag with a bit of orange paint inside. When your child works and smears the paint, the pumpkin gets filled in with color.
Celebrate spring or summer with a no-mess painted butterfly craft from Kids Activities Blog. You don’t even need to pull paint-covered paper from the bag—the paint-filled bag serves as the butterfly’s wings with a simple pipe cleaner to create the body and antennae.
Turn cling film art into the backdrop for some silhouette cutouts. The sunset project from Arty Crafty Kids is our favorite, but the ocean backdrop for the fish is pretty neat, too.
Finally, this project works well for spring, summer, and fall. Go for a walk (or to your backyard) to gather materials like flower petals, leaves, or grass to add to a nature suncatcher made with contact paper and popsicle sticks. This activity from Messy Little Monster is a wonderful way to preserve some memories together!
These 17 mess-free crafts are perfect for little hands. Plus, they’re super cute. What’s not to love?
Here are a few of the things that Hope liked to use as stamps: Balloons, bubble wrap, play dough tools, toilet paper rolls, rubber bands or string on wood blocks, water bottles, celery, pencil erasers, string beans and other veggies, citrus fruit, peppers, carrots, potatoes, pasta/spaghetti, yarn, seashells, golf balls, plants, Q-tips and cotton balls attached to a clothespin were readily available.
There is a sequence of development in their hand eye coordination with any artistic learning which begins with exploration and sensory play. The rhythmic stamping of a bottle top, a cookie cutter, a lid, or a potato is very important to the learning sequence. At this stage, there is not much consideration of where the bottle top might be placed can be expected, nor is there generally a planned choice of color.
For the beginner, printmaking can be organized with plastic containers lined with sponge or rag. These serve as ideal bowls for paint and are not messy. Sponge-filled containers and a variety of objects for printing make for many successful combinations. Younger artists may like these simple encounters with print-making but we must consider how a sequence of learning develops from here. What steps can we take to push development well beyond that of uniqueness and entertainment?
How to make Potato Stamps
Cut a small potato in half. Press the cookie cutter into the center of the potato. Then, leaving the cookie cutter in the potato, slice a rather thick slice around the pattern of the cookie cutter. Remove the outer layer of potato and then the cookie cutter from the shape.
Potato print hints: Use a separate potato stamp for each color, unless you want the colors to mix.
Any type of potato will work, even sweet potatoes if you want larger prints.
Hold the stamp on the paper or cloth for a few seconds to get the best effect and blot off excess paint on a separate sheet of paper or clean plate before you start (paper plates work great).
Once you have mastered this technique on paper, why not try fabrics? Start with a cheap plain T-Shirt or simply a piece of plain cloth. The dress in the center was decorated only using a triangle! Plain skirts and pants instantly receive a whole new dimension with a few creatively placed prints.
11 more simple potato stamping ideas can be found at:
https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/kids-craft-ideas-11-ways-to-make-stamp-art-with-potatoes_n_9256528
Providing Hours of Fun
Google Search “Household Stamping Projects” in images for the tutorials
