Art Activity Ideas
A. Paint on and Paint with
1. Epsom Salt paint Snow picture
Mix ¼ cup hot water with 4 TBL Epsom salt (table salt or rock salt can also be used) and stir until it
dissolves. Using a paint brush, brush the mixture on dark construction paper. Let the picture dry.
Variation: Color a picture a first and then fill in areas with the salt mixture.
2. Dot Picture
Using water colors and a Q-tip, paint a picture using only dots. Draw the picture first and then fill it
in or create a picture from scratch. Notice how the more or less water used in the water paints will
create a different look.
3. Magic painting
a. Draw on paper with white crayon. Brush water colors over the paper to reveal the picture.
b. Mix 4 Tbl baking soda and 4 Tbl water. Use a cotton swab to paint a picture on white paper.
Let it dry. Brush water color paints over it to reveal the picture.
4. Homemade Watercolor Paint Cakes
3 TBL baking soda, 3 TBL cornstarch, 3 TBL white vinegar, 1 ½ TBL lt corn syrup, coloring
Mix all together except the food coloring. Divide into small containers ie: jar lids and then add food
coloring. Use the paint as it is or let it dry like watercolor cakes. Wet your brush first to use the
hard paint cakes.
5. Scratch and Sniff
2 TBL warm water
5-7 drops of food coloring
2 TBL powdered drink mix
Mix together in various colors. Allow the scratch and sniff to dry before scratching and sniffing.
6. Tissue Color Mix
Tear or cut pieces of tissue paper in the 3 primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). Use glue or
liquid starch to attach the tissue paper to paper. Overlap the tissue paper so that the secondary
colors (orange, green, and purple) appear.
7. Shaving cream puff paint
Mix equal parts glue and shaving cream. Add food coloring, if desired. Mold or smear and let dry.
Once dry draw or paint on the design.
8. Ice Cube paint
Fill an ice cube tray with paint OR water with food coloring in it. Place a stick or yarn in the liquid
and let it freeze. Remove from the freezer and paint.
9. String (worm) painting
Put a blob of paint on paper. Attach yarn to a clothespin and drag the yarn through the paint. Can
also fold a piece of paper in half and place the yarn in between it. Hold onto the end of the yarn,
pull it out.
10. Chlorox Paint
Paint with chlorox bleach on a dark piece of construction paper. CHLOROX WILL RUIN CLOTHES!
11. Paint on Foil or saran wrap for a different kind of canvas.
12. Salad spinner paint
Use small squares of paper that fit in the bottom of a salad spinner. Place the paper in the salad
spinner. Drip blobs of paint onto the paper. Snap the salad spinner lid closed and spin. Open the
lid to reveal the painting.
13. Transparent Art
Color a picture. Turn the picture over and smear oil all over the back. Hang it up to dry. Your
picture will show through.
14. Spray bottle Painting and stenciling
Pour liquid water color paints or food coloring water or tempera paint and water into a squirt
bottle. Spray outside areas with it like snow. For stenciling, place an item on a piece of paper and
spray around it. Remove the item to reveal the stencil.
15. Rain Art
a. Place dry tempera paint, dry kool aid, blobs of paint, or food coloring drops on paper. Take it
out in the rain or spritz it with water.
b. Use eye droppers and watery paint to make droplets of water color on a paper.
16. Chalk art
a. Wet down paper or the sidewalk and then draw on it with the chalk. It will turn to paint.
b. Draw with chalk on a dry piece of paper. Take a tissue and smudge the edges out away from
the picture.
17. Straw art Place a blob of paint on the paper and then blow it around with a straw.
18. Homemade Finger Paints
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
6-8 drops of food coloring
Mix together until blended
¼ cup liquid starch
1 TBL tempera paint
Pour liquid starch and paint into a bowl and mix
until well blended. Can store if kept covered.
½ c cornstarch
2 c water food coloring /
tempera paint
Mix together in a saucepan and bring to a boil
until mixture thickens. Allow to cool before
adding food coloring.
1 c flour 1 c water 1 ½ tsp salt coloring
Combine flour and salt, add water. Add coloring
and mix together. A grainy quality for a different
sensory experience.
¼ c soap flakes, food coloring, and ½ cup water.
Mix with a hand mixer.
½ c tempera paint
soap liquid
1 ½ tsp dishwashing
1 ½ c flour
½ water 1 TBL liquid detergent
coloring Mix until it forms a smooth paste.
19. Reverse painting or stamping
Paint a picture and then place a blank piece of paper over it to stamp capture the image. Lift the
paper to see the image.
20. Salt or glitter Paint
Mix salt with powdered tempera paint and place in a salt shaker. Draw a picture with glue. Shake
the salt mixture or glitter over top. Shake off extra salt or glitter and let the design dry. Thin out
the glue with water and you can use a paint brush to paint the glue on.
Various Painting Mediums to use: Fingers, q-tips, toilet paper tubes, toothbrush, rubber band, sponges,
straw blowing and stamping, toy car tires, eyedropper, forks, potato stamps, feathers, bubble wrap,
string, paint bomb (nylon stocking with ½ c sand), fly swatter, flyswatter, strawberry baskets……
B. Draw / Color On or and With
1. Rubbing Plates:
Place a piece of paper over the rubbing plates or any rough surface or items and using any drawing
medium to rub over the paper.
2. Leaf ART
Find a colorful or green leaf. Place the leaf on light colored paper. Cover the leaf with muslin
fabric. Pound it with a hammer and color on the paper and fabric with the leaf dye.
3. Sandpaper Color
Color on sandpaper. Place muslin fabric over it and iron it. The colors will imprint on the muslin.
4. 3-D art
½ c glue ¼ c sand 2 TBL liquid paint
Mix in a baggie. Cut the tip off the baggie and draw with it.
5. Draw a picture or a letter with glue. Let it dry. Use water color paints over it to see it appear.
C. Mold and Construct
1. Crazy Critters
½ c quick setting plaster of Paris
5 TBL water
Balloon
Funnel
1 TBL tempera paint or 5-7 drops of food coloring
Supplies to decorate critter
Blow up the balloon as large as possible a couple of times without tying it off. Allow it to stretch out.
Deflate and place a funnel – like item into the opening of the balloon. Mix ingredients until smooth
and pour them into the balloon. Remove the funnel and tie off the balloon. Stretch the balloon into
any shape and hold until the plaster firms. Let the balloon sit for at least 1 hour before tearing off the
balloon. Paint and decorate your critter.
2. Homemade Playdough
Rubbery Playdough:
2 cups baking soda
1/½ cups water
1 cup cornstarch
Mix with fork until smooth. Boil over medium
heat until thick. Spoon dough onto plate or wax
paper until cool.
Play Dough
In a sauce pan mix: 1 c water, 2 TBL oil, and food
coloring
Add: 1 c flour, ½ c salt, and 2 tsp cream of tartar
Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until
not sticky. Let cool and store in a ziplock bag.
No cook salt dough
3 c flour ¼ c salt
1 c water 1 TBL oil
Mix flour with salt. Add water, food coloring,
and salt slowly. If mixture is too stiff, add more
water . If too sticky, add more flour.
INDIVIDUAL: ¼ c flour, 2 TBL salt, 2 ½ TBL
Kool-Aid Playdough:
2 cups flour
2 packages Kool-Aid
½ cup salt
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons oil
Mix dry ingredients. Add boiling water and
knead. Add oil. Add flour to desired consistency.
Soap dough
Mix together 2 C soap flakes, ½ c water, and food
coloring. Beat with a mixer. Shape and let dry.
Use it as a bar of soap.
Perfect Dough
2 cups flour
1 c salt
2 c water
2 TBL oil
2 TBL cream of tartar
food coloring
Combine dry ingredients. Add water and oil.
Stir well. Microwave high for 4-5 minutes. Stir
again. Microwave another minute. Stir until
water
Optional: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp cream of tartar
Peanut Butter clay
1 c creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl honey 1 ½ c
powdered milk
Mix together and knead until dough is smooth.
Decorate creation with other food items like
raisins and chocolate chips.
dough is consistency of mashed potatoes. Knead
in food coloring. Store in zip-lock.
Chocolate Play clay
16 oz ready to spread chocolate frosting
1 c creamy peanut butter
1½c
powdered sugar
Combine all ingredients.
D. Create
1. Chain Loop
Make a chain of different colors and attach it together to make a rainbow or other item.
2. Chain loop picture
Create different colors and sizes of paper strips. Lay the 2 ends of the paper strips flat on paper so
that the loop is sticking off the paper. Staple the 2 ends to the paper to create a loop picture.
3. Magazine (bracelet) String
Cut out long triangle strips from a magazine – make the tips come to a point. Roll triangles
around a pencil/pen and glue down the points. String it together and tie off.
4. Crayon Melt Shavings
Layout a square of wax paper. Gather crayon shavings from a rubbed against a cheese grater (less
is more) onto the wax paper. Fold the wax paper in half. Place the wax paper in between
newspaper or a towel and iron over the top of the towel to melt the crayon.
5. Paper Tear Collage
Tear pieces of various colored paper or magazine pages. Glue it down to create a picture, word, a
number…
6. Bean and Macaroni collage:
Glue down the various collage supplies to create a collage, word, picture…..
Variation: Color 1 cup macaroni by soaking it in a mixture of 1 tsp rubbing alcohol and food coloring.
7. Rainbow Fish Share
Give each child a copy of a fish. Give each child the choice between a piece of foil, and various
squares of colored construction paper. Ask the children how they can make this a rainbow fish if
they only have 1 color. Guide them towards tearing off pieces of their paper or foil and sharing
with each other. Once the children have shared enough, the can create a tear art fish collage.
8. Crayon melt
Hot glue a row of crayons onto a canvas or other surface. Use a blow dryer and melt the wax
crayon so the wax drips and runs down and over the page. Leave the crayons attached to the page.
9. Magazine Butterfly or other creation
Find 2 colorful pictures in a magazine. Cut them to the size you want. On a diagonal, fold them
like a fan. Place the 2 pieces together on a criss cross and tie together with a pipe cleaner. Spread
the wings out to reveal a butterfly.
10. Toilet Paper Tube Jewelry
Cut a toilet paper tube down the middle so it is split open. Cut ends to a slight point and decorate
the tube with, jewels, foil, color, etc…