Make collages using oil pastels and watercolors with toddlers and preschoolers. It’s simple process art activity that teaches kids basic art concepts.
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Supplies:
- Watercolor palette and paintbrush (We bought these in bulk, but go ahead and use any type of watercolor palette for kids.)
- Cups of water
- Watercolor paper (I cut the big sheets of paper in half for this project.)
- Oil pastels (I use Crayola oil pastels and always get a ton of great comments on them! I heard “these are better than crayons” multiple times doing this project.)
- Pictures from magazines
Directions:
We did this project in three steps. First, the kids each picked out one picture from a variety that I had previously cut out from magazines. (If you only have a couple of kids working on the project, feel free to let them look through magazines and pick their own pictures!) They glued those pictures onto their watercolor paper.
Second, the kids used the Crayola oil pastels to add color to the watercolor paper, around the picture. Preschoolers and older kids can “complete” their magazine picture. (For example, if they choose a photo of a tiger for their image, have them draw the grass around the tiger, another tiger friend, the sky, etc. to show what is missing from their images.) Younger kids can draw/color whatever they want!
Third, and finally, the kids can use watercolors to add more color to their collages. (Make sure you point out who cool it is that the watercolors will not cover up their oil pastel drawings!)
I was excited to try this mixed media art project with the toddlers and preschoolers, and it was a hit! They loved the different steps, and I think they would’ve drawn with the oil pastels for much longer if we had the time. I will definitely be doing more mixed media art projects in the future!
Looking for more process art projects? Try these!
Tell me about some process art projects you’ve made with your toddlers and preschoolers!
