Resource File of Process Art Ideas

1. Splat Painting
Materials: many colors of washable paint, cotton balls, large white paper, and container to dip
hold paint in.
Procedure: Tack the white paper against a wall or upright surface. Pour paint into a pie plate or
shallow container. Cover paint balls completely until fully soaked through. Have the children
throw the balls at the paper.
2. Nature Collage
Materials: Leaves, grass, sticks, dirt, flowers etc. Glue, paper, scissors.
Procedure: Go on a walk outside and ask the children to pick up materials they would like to
work with to create a picture. Offer many colors of paper and scissors. Offer the glue and tell
them to create a picture with the materials they chose outside.
3. Bubble Painting
Materials: Big sheet of paper, bubbles, food coloring, mixing bowls to mix bubbles and food
coloring. Enough bubbles for class.
Procedure: Spread the large piece of paper on the floor. Give the children the bubbles and let
them see what happens as the bubbles land on the paper and leave a print.
4. Paper Collage Wrapping Paper
Materials: A large assortment of paper scraps, shiny paper, wrapping paper bits, different
textured papers. Glue. Scissors. Glitter.
Procedure: Tell the children youre creating wrapping paper, perhaps to wrap a gift or craft the
kids created for their parent during a holiday season. Give them each a piece of paper, scissors,
and glue. Have the children cut and paste as many scraps onto the paper as they want. Offer
glitter if they want to use it.
5. Printing with household items
Materials: An assortment of household items the kids could use to make prints with. For
example, paper towel rolls with the bottoms cut into a design, pop bottle ends, forks, cans, hair
rollers, rolling pins scrubbing brushes, tin foil, balloons etc. Paint and paper.
Offer the kids the paper and a bin of painting supplies and several colors of paint.
6. Milk Art
Materials: A plate, 2 % milk or higher, dish soap and food coloring.
Procedures: Pour a thin layer of milk into the plate. Put several drops of different food color
into the milk. Pour some soap into the middle of the plate and watch what happens.
7. Colored Glue Sun Catchers
Materials: Colored glue, wax paper, cookie cutters.
Procedure: Lay out the wax paper. If the kids want to use the cookie cutters they can fill them
to create a pre-done design or they can create their own. Let the glue figures dry for about 24
hours. Punch a hole in them and hang them in a window.
8. Sidewalk Chalk Art
Materials: Side walk chalk, sidewalk
Procedure: Give the child a general topic like their pet at home or animal, etc., unless they have
their own idea and give them the chalk.
9. Yarn Glue Balls
Materials: Watery glue, colored yarn, container for the glue, balloons.
Procedure: Water down the glue so it isnt so thick. Dip the yarn into the glue. Blow up the
balloons to your desired size. Wrap the gluey yarn around the balloon. Hang up and let dry
completely. Pop the balloon when the yarn is dry.
10. Salt Painting
Materials: Salt, water paints, paper, glue, paint brushes.
Procedure: Draw a design on the paper with glue and sprinkle salt onto the wet glue. Shake off
excess and let glue dry. Once dry take paint brush with paint and lightly touch the salt. The
paint will spread along the salt path.
11. Bubble Stomp Painting
Materials: Bubble wrap, large sheets of paper, paint and tape.
Procedure: Tape the bubble wrap around the childs foot to create a boot. Dip boot into paint
and stomp on the paper.
12. Human Spirograph
Materials: Big pieces of paper and crayons.
Procedure: Lay out the paper. Take a crayon in each hand and either get on your stomach or
knees on the paper. If youre on your stomach, spread your arms out wide with the crayons
touching the paper, rotate using your feet, move your arms back and forth as you rotate. This
process would be best explained with a real time demonstration.
13. Paper Plate Drawings
Materials: Paper plates, paint, paper.
Procedure: Squeeze several spots of paint onto the paper plate. Flip the paper plate over onto
the paper and twist a few times and lift up to reveal your creation.
14. Dandelion and flower prints
Materials: Dandelions, flowers, paper, paint.
Procedure: Pick desires dandelions and flowers. Dip flower heads into paint and stamp onto
paper.
15. Play Dough Creations
Materials: Play dough, sculpting tools found around the house.
Procedures: Lay out the play dough and tools.
16. Beading
Materials: Multi colored beads, buttons, macaroni, and thick string.
Procedure: Lay out the string and beading materials and assist when necessary.
17. Vegetable Scrap Paintings:
Materials: Celery tops and ends, carrot ends and tops, lettuce leaves, radishes, cucumber
wedges. If you have a garden with extra produce it is a great way to use the ends. Paint. Paper.
This could also be done outside with sidewalk paint.
Procedure: Dip the vegetables in the paint ad apply to paper.
18. Mirror Drawing
Materials: An old mirror safely mounted in place. Dry erase markers.
Procedure: Tell the kids to draw a picture or trace items or themselves in the mirror.
19. Scrap Wood Creations
Materials: Gather scrap wood (make sure it is free of sharp edges, you might want to give it a
quick sand to decrease the likelihood of slivers). Wood glue (this requires supervision to use).
This would be for an older child. Paint.
Procedure: Lay out the wood and glue and offer a general subject to the child of what to build if
they need ideas. After the glue dries the child could then paint their structure.
20. Tape Artwork
Materials: Colored tape, paper.
Procedure: Rip off or cut pieces of tape in many colors and let the child make a picture with the
tape.
21. Simple Crayon Activity
Materials: Paper, crayons, strong tape.
Procedures: Tape bunched of crayons together. This is great for toddlers. Let them color at will.
22. Fabric Collage
Materials: Squares of different textures fabric, fabric glue, and sheet.
Procedure: Lay out the fabric squares and let the children glue them to the sheet. The sheet
could then be cut into a cape for each child. If the child wants a cape you might want to
reinforce the squares if some arent glued securely. This, of course, would be done after the
child goes home.
23. Weaving with yarn
Materials: Many colors of chunky yarn, pom poms.
Procedure: Let the child pick out the yarn they want to use. Show them how to weave with the
yarn and start them off. They could then glue beads or pom poms to it if they wished.
24. Finger Painting
Materials: Finger paints, paper, rice, sand, flour, cornmeal, dirt.
Procedure: Squeeze finger paints onto dishes and different substances to add to their paintings.
25. Upside-Down Drawing:
Materials: Table low enough for child to easily reach the underside of while laying down, paper,
tape, crayons, markers.
Procedure: Tape a piece of paper to the underside of a desk or table. Instruct the child to lay on
their back and draw on the paper above them.
26. Shoe Paintings
Materials: Go to a thrift store or goodwill and buy different types of shoes, paints, paper.
Procedure: Squirt paint in dishes big enough for the kids to dip their shoes in and let them
paint with the shoes on the paper.
27. Make Your Own Maraca
Materials: Plastic containers with lids, insides of maraca: beans, rice, small rocks, dry macaroni,
hot glue gun.
Procedure: Give each child a container and let them decide what to put in their maraca. Explain
that their maraca will have a unique sound depending on what they put inside and the size of
their container. Teacher only: seal lid with hot glue.
28. Spin Art
Materials: salad spinner, squirt bottle, paper, paint.
Procedure: Place large piece of paper under the salad spinner. Squirt different colored paints
into the salad spinner. Spin!
29. Water Color Painting and Easel Painting
Materials: Water colors, or other paint, a variety of paint brushes, easel, paper
Procedure: Set out paint and paint brushes and paper on easel. Let the child paint.
30. Card Board Art
Materials: Card board boxes, paint, a variety of paint brushes.
Procedure: Provide a variety of sizes of card board boxes. Set them out on a large sheet of
paper and set out paints with paintbrushes. Let the kids paint with the brushes or hands or
their body. They can then play with the boxes after the paint dries.
31. Foot and Hands Collage
Materials: Large paper, paints, glitter and glue, container.
Procedure: Mix a little glue into the paint and glitter in a container. Have the kids paint with
their hands and feet.
32. Tissue Paper Collage
Materials: Wet paper, squares of colored tissue paper, easel or equivalent.
Procedure: Wet paper thoroughly, stick tissue paper squares to the paper and watch the colors
blend,
33. Aluminum Foil Painting
Materials: Aluminum foil, finger paint
Procedure: Crumple up a sheet of foil and apply paint.
34. Snow Painting
Materials: Snow, paint, paint brushes
Procedure: Paint the snow using water thinned washable paint.
35. Decorate Cookies
Materials: Baked sugar cookies, frosting of different colors, sprinkles, chocolate chips, pretzel
bits, marshmallows and anything else that might be fun.
Procedure: Bake cookies ahead of time and let cool. Mix up frosting and color it in different
shades. Let the kids frost and decorate their cookies with different toppings provided.
36. Foam and Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
Materials: Foam block, pipe cleaners, scissors, tape, beads
Procedure: Give each child a foam block and place the pipe cleaners, tape and beads in the
middle of the table.
37. Painting with Spinning Tops
Materials: Washable paint, tray, paper, spinning tops and paint.
Procedures: Place paper in the shallow tray, dip the bottom of the top in paint and spin on the
paper. A good outside activity as paint flies everywhere.
38. Painting on Textures
Materials: Squares of textures surfaces i.e. sand paper, cardboard, foil, bubble wrap, wax paper,
plastic bags, fabric, etc. Paint
Procedure: Have the children explore painting on different surfaces
39. Wood Block Painting
Materials: Wooden blocks with and without patterns, paper, paint.
Procedure: Set out paint, paper and wooden blocks
40. Soft and Hard Collage
Materials: Soft materials like cotton balls, marshmallows, stuffing. Hard materials like wood
chips, paper clips, beds, beans, etc. Glue, scissors, paper.
Procedure: Have the children make a collage of soft and hard objects on the paper using glue.