Fifty Accessible Art Activities for Children's Creative Development
Welcome to our curated list of captivating art projects tailor-made for children, perfect for both home and classroom settings. These hands-on activities celebrate creativity, artistic development, and various art techniques or in-depth explorations of art history. Additionally, we offer a seven-day printable art challenge to kickstart your endeavors.
Easy Art Activities to Try
Our suggested art projects cater to busy parents and educators who might only have time for one, two, or three art pursuits. These simple yet engaging activities are among our most popular choices, making them suitable for children of all age groups. Take inspiration from the following easy art activities and adapt them to your needs.
1. Coffee Filter Flowers
Create a harmonious blend of art and science by crafting coffee filter flowers. Start with the magic of colorful world exploration and end your journey with a coffee filter rainbow.
2. Pop Art Movement
Discover the influential Pop Art movement, pioneered by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and more, and learn to create your pop art-inspired masterpieces.
3. Homemade Flour Paint
Experiment with homemade paint, made with flour, one of our most commonly used paint recipes. Combine this with printable templates and your creativity will flourish.
4. Salt Painting (STEAM Project)
Incorporate salt and glue into a watercolor painting to witness the mesmerizing transformation. You can also explore the snowflake salt painting.
5. Frida Kahlo Art Projects
Delve into the rich life and style of Frida Kahlo through engaging art activities. These projects pay tribute to Kahlo's vibrant use of color and embrace themes of identity, emotion, and culture.
6. Starry Night Art Project
Stimulate mixed media art curiosity with children by recreating the iconic "Starry Night" scene inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's masterpiece. For a twist, design a starry night or scary night painting for Halloween.
7. Self-Portrait Ideas
This versatile collection includes seven self-portrait ideas for children, suitable for mixed-media art for all ages. Basic self-portraits to advanced, these ideas cater to beginners, too.
8. Watercolor Art Ideas for Kids
Develop watercolor art skills with various techniques suited for kids. Create watercolor galaxy art, black glue jellyfish, ocean scenes, and more, encouraging artistic growth.
9. Kandinsky Trees Art Project
Create Kandinsky trees for each season with a free printable template, showcasing the distinctive circle art inspired by Kandinsky's style. Choose colors based on the season, such as blues and greys for winter.
Helpful Art Lesson Resources
The following art resources make for fantastic lessons, quick activities, and creative art projects suitable for home or classroom use. Even if you aren't an art teacher, these free printables can greatly enhance your art experiences.
- Color Wheel Printable Pack
- Color Mixing Activity
- 7 Elements of Art
- Set Up an Art Cart for Kids
- Drawing Prompts
Free Printable Mini Art Activity Packs
- Famous Artist Portraits
- Famous Artwork Coloring Book
- Artist Word Search Puzzles
- Would You Rather Art Questions
- Artist Study Worksheets
- Artists Coloring Book
- Picasso Faces Collage Pack
Fun Art Project Ideas
- Silhouette Art Project
- Texture Art Project
- Strawberry Art with Mixed Media
- Ice Cream Art with Famous Artists
- Heart Art with Heart Template
- Line Art for Kids
Famous Artists Projects for Kids
Engage your children with artist-inspired projects that introduce them to various famous artists from diverse backgrounds. This is an excellent way to learn about art history and appreciation. Many projects come with free templates!
- Hokusai: Recreate The Great Wave, inspired by Hokusai's iconic works.
- Jean-Michel Basquiat: Create funky self-portraits with oil pastels or experiment with tape resist art.
- Salvador Dali: Inspired by Dali's surrealist work, have fun creating a face sculpture using simple dough.
- Frida Kahlo: Explore Frida Kahlo's life, style, and diverse topics through various projects.
- Hilma Af Klint: Create abstract art in the style of Hilma Af Klint.
- Gustav Klimt: Make a "Woman of Gold" zentangle art project inspired by Klimt's work.
- Yayoi Kusama: Try a tulip art activity inspired by one of Kusama's well-known polka-dotted paintings, or explore this watermelon art activity.
- Roy Lichtenstein: Create comic strip art inspired by Easter Bunny Art or Halloween Pop Art in the style of Roy Lichtenstein.
- Henri Matisse: Create drawings with shapes inspired by Matisse's masterpieces.
- Piet Mondrian: Create abstract art using squares and rectangles in Mondrian's style.
- Claude Monet: Try creating your own Monet-inspired impressionist art with a Water Lilly Bridge project.
- Grandma Moses: Create primitive winter art inspired by Grandma Moses' style.
- Bronwyn Bancroft: Paint a colorful landscape.
- Kenojuak Ashevak: Create an owl art project, inspired by Ashevak's Preening Owl.
- Leonardo da Vinci: Use a printable Mona Lisa to make your own mixed-media art.
- Vincent Van Gogh: Create a lemon still-life inspired by Van Gogh's style, or try this dream bedroom project.
- Georgia O'Keeffe: Blend colors with pastels to create skull, flower, or leaf art.
- Pablo Picasso: Create cubist art with a Picasso Faces project.
- Edvard Munch: Recreate "The Scream" with textiles or mixed media.
- Lorna Simpson: Create a fun and unique collage inspired by Lorna Simpson's art.
- Jackson Pollock: Go wild with splatter painting.
- Henri Rousseau: Create jungle art inspired by Rousseau's vibrant landscapes.
Handprint Art Ideas
- Handprint Flower Bouquet: Craft a fresh handmade flower bouquet for any occasion.
- Handprint Wreath for Diversity & Hope: Create a personalized handprint wreath symbolizing diversity and hope, perfect for celebrating Black History Month.
- Sun Handprint Craft: Try this easy summer-themed handprint craft for fun and warm winter days.
- Handprint Keepsake in Air Dry Clay: Stamp your handprint in air-dry clay for a long-lasting, unique keepsake.
- Handprint Collage: Make a beautiful handprint collage with family or class members, creating a lasting keepsake.
- Winter Handprint Art: Create easy winter-themed handprint tree art and easy-to-make puffy paint.
- New Year's Handprint Keepsake: Construct a memorable handprint keepsake to welcome the New Year, a lovely way to celebrate fresh beginnings.
- Witch's Handprint Broom: For Halloween, craft a Witch's handprint broom or spooky Halloween handprint art to celebrate the occasion.
- Salt Painting Handprint: Combine art and science with salt painting and create handprint art.
- Marie Curie X Ray Art Project: Use your handprint to explore science with Marie Curie and learn about X-rays.
- Halloween Handprint Art Prompts: Use your handprint to create fun Halloween monsters like Frankenstein!
Painting Projects for Kids
Whether you have an aspiring Picasso lurking in the classroom or a curious toddler at home eager to learn, painting is an excellent, sensory-rich activity for kids of all ages. From experimenting with new techniques to creating vibrant masterpieces, painting encourages creativity and fun.
- Blow Painting: Skip traditional paintbrushes, use straws to blow paint for an abstract experience.
- Bubble Painting: Mix bubbles with paint for a unique, fizzy experience.
- Potato Masher Prints: Create textured prints using a potato masher for a new and exciting twist.
- Tape Resist Painting: Try tape resist for colorful rainbow-effect paintings.
- Dinosaur Printing: Use toy dinosaurs as paintbrushes for tactile learning.
- Leaf & Apple Painting in a Bag: Engage in mess-free painting in a bag, making natural-inspired designs.
- Magnet Painting: Discover magnetism while painting, using a magnet to move objects for unique, abstract art.
- Rain Painting: Venture outdoors on a rainy day, paint, and watch Mother Nature take part in your creations.
- Air Dry Clay Painting: Create 3D art from scratch, paint and air-dry clay, finding endless possibilities.
- Water Gun Painting: Create art using water guns to add a dynamic and hilarious twist.
- Dot Painting: Develop fine motor skills with dot painting, encouraging precision and excellence.
- String Painting: Create string art, pulling strings through paint to reveal a chaotic beauty.
- Scented Spice Painting: Explore your senses with scented spice painting, blending the joy of fragrance with art.
- Baking Soda Fizzy Paint: Bring science into painting by creating fizzing art with baking soda.
- Flower Painting: Create abstract art using real flowers for a colorful, tactile experience.
- Fireworks Painting: Paint vibrant bursts using toilet paper roll fireworks for a festive touch.
- Start your coffee filter flowers art project to blend science and art as you create a harmonious rainbow.
- Delve into the Pop Art movement, and learn how to create pop art-inspired masterpieces reminiscent of legends such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring.
- Embark on the experiment of homemade paint, made from flour, ideal for printable templates that will let your creativity soar.
- Utilize salt in a watercolor painting experiment, witness a mesmerizing transformation during the STEAM project, or discover the snowflake salt painting.
- Spend time on Frida Kahlo art projects to pay tribute to her vibrant use of color while exploring themes of identity, emotion, and culture.
- Design a starry night or scary night painting masterpiece using mixed media art, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's iconic work.
- Explore seven versatile self-portrait ideas for children, suitable for mixed-media art for all ages.
- Develop watercolor art skills using various techniques, suitable for kids, and create watercolor galaxy art, black glue jellyfish, ocean scenes, and more.
- Craft Kandinsky trees for each season, showcasing the distinctive circle art inspired by Kandinsky's style while choosing colors based on seasons.
- Discover the Color Wheel Printable Pack, and other valuable art resources to help you design your children's captivating future projects.
- Consider the Color Mixing Activity or the set-up of an Art Cart for Kids to enhance your art experiences effectively.
- Use printable templates for engaging art projects that introduce kids to famous artists like Hokusai, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali, and many others, for a fun experience with art history.
- Engage children with physics education through the Marie Curie X-ray art project, allowing them to learn about X-rays while creating unique handprint artwork.
