Art. It’s the word that strikes joy into the heart of every child- and fear into the heart of every parent. So what are some open ended art activities for preschoolers- and kids of all ages- that won’t make you crazy?
The answer comes in two parts. First, there’s the fact that repeated exposure to art will make kids less likely to create a mess in the first place. But secondly? It’s one of those things that we just have to pull on our big girl panties and try.
I get it as much as the next parent. I mean, after all, I’m the moron that painted my living room walls with MATTE PAINT. I live in fear of the day one of our art projects makes an unremovable stain on our walls.
But still. I do them anyways.
Open ended art projects for preschoolers give them the chance to experiment, not only creatively but with risk taking as well. Process art for kids helps with improved focus, choice making, self regulation, and even early literacy skills (Source). It’s CRUCIAL that we get art into the hands of our kids- even when it makes us uncomfortable.
So whether you’re looking to play it safe (like with our wet chalk art or collage ideas), or are willing to take a little more risk yourself (like with our baking soda drop art or cork painting), we’ve got the open ended art projects your preschoolers, toddlers, and kids are craving.
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No-Mess Open Ended Art Activities for Preschoolers
Now, I’m not promising that these projects will create no mess. But the potential for paint-in-hair level disasters is a lot easier with these less messy process art activities.
Wet Chalk on Black Paper
This open ended art project is a study in contrast, but plays on something kids usually know how to use already- chalk!
Set up a shallow bowl full of water in the center of the table. Set a few pieces of sidewalk chalk in the water (if they’re pointy, make sure the pointy part is touching the water). Set out black pieces of paper and allow kids to experiment with the chalk on their own.
Your kids probably know what sidewalk chalk looks like on cement, but they might be surprised at how wet chalk behaves on paper! It goes on much smoother, and the colors really pop against the black paper.
Collages
Collages are another less-messy open ended art project for toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond. Supply kids with blank paper and glue sticks, and then decide what media you’d like them to use.
There are LOTS of options, so choose the one(s) you’re most comfortable with:
- Pictures cut out of magazines
- Shapes cut from construction paper
- Glitter glue (I’d grab this at the Dollar Store)
- Feathers
- Tissue Paper
- String, yarn, or ribbon
- Sequins or gems
- Dyed Pasta
Finish-the-Picture Art Prompts
Challenge your child’s drawing skills by giving them some open ended drawing prompts. You can find some online (we like these finish-the-picture designs and this “draw the face” printable), or you can simply make a mark on a paper and allow your child to turn the mark into something new.
We used to do these in school when I was a kid. My teacher called them “Squiggle Stories”- you would turn the squiggle into a picture, and then write a story about what you’d made. It’s a fun twist on some drawing fun, and gets kids to use their imagination in the process.
What’s for Lunch?
This is one of my kids’ favorite FREE activities, and doesn’t require a ton of prep. Use the grocery ads that come in the mail to make some lunch-themed art!
Give kids a paper plate and ask them what might go on the paper. It won’t take them long to realize that they can “build a meal” with the pictures in the ads.
Kwik Sticks
If you haven’t tried Kwik Sticks with your kids yet, you are seriously missing out. They look and act like glue sticks, but are actually made of semi-solid tempera paint, meaning kids can color to their heart’s content without fear of spills.
We particularly like Kwik Sticks for decorating cardboard (think recycled materials or decorating cardboard boxes), but they work just as well on paper or even coloring books.
Contrast Coloring
Remember how in the baby years, they told us that kids would be fascinated by black and white colors? The contrast between the two is appealing to tiny people, as they study the place where black and white meet. We had mobiles, and books, and toys that all came in this two-tone style.
Well that fascination with contrast doesn’t go away just because kids get older. You can set up a no mess art activity focusing on contrast, and we bet your kids would STILL be just as enthralled.
It can be as simple as putting out black and white construction paper and black and white crayons. The simplicity will help kids focus on the other aspects of art production- like line, movement, and contrast- and not lose themselves in a world of color.
Contact Paper Suncatchers
No time for sticky glue? We don’t blame you. Have kids create suncatchers with already-sticky contact paper instead!
Cut a length of contact paper from a roll that about the width of a piece of paper. With the backing still on, fold the contact paper in half and cut a shape. We like to keep it simple with simple shapes, like diamonds or hearts, but you could get fancier (think sun, clouds, or even an ice cream cone shape).
You should now have two identical contact paper shapes. Remove the backing and provide kids with tissue paper squares to decorate with (you can cut them yourself or buy them pre-cut).
Messy(er) Open Ended Art Activities
Sculpting with Clay
Look, only you know your kids well enough to know if this is gonna be messy or not. But if your kids are used to playing with playdough, we don’t think clay is going to be too big of a stretch.
We like this air dry clay from Crayola. It’s the easiest to get started with and grabbing a bucket of white helps extend the activity as they can paint it later.
The key to making this a process art activity for preschoolers is don’t give them a lot of prompting or direction right off the bat. Sure, you may need to explain what clay is and what can be done with that.
But what they make- whether a pot, an animal, or a self portrait- should be totally up to them.
Watercolors on Paper
This is like paint for beginners. We know it sounds messy in theory, but the beauty about starting with watercolors is that the paint is already diluted by the time it reaches your kid’s brush. Plus, the only thing they’re likely to spill is the water cup you give them (rather than a whole pot of paint).
This is one of those things where brand matters- make sure you grab Crayola watercolors. That’s the good stuff! I also recommend splurging for watercolor paper as it does make a difference.
Kids don’t inherently understand watercolors, though. They’ll likely need you to show them how to make the paint wet enough to spread onto paper. I like to show kids how to wet the brush, recommend that they go from light colors to dark colors, and then watch them paint.
When the brush starts to fray and the paint scratches against the paper, tell them that their brush is “thirsty,” and that they’ll need to add more water to the brush to get the color to spread smoothly.
Do a Dot Marker Art
We’re borderline obsessed with dot markers over here. Sometimes I’ll give my kids more structured activities to practice their fine motor skills, but other times I let them go to town with the dot markers on their own.
There’s no brushes, and these “paints” can’t spill. But be warned that the harder kids press, the more “splatter” will occur. And I can’t promise they won’t try and Do-a-Dot their arms. But with adequate supervision, these markers are like a safer gateway to messier projects.
Messy Process Art for Toddlers and Kids
Baking Soda and Vinegar Drop Art
It doesn’t get more process-based than this impermanent art project for kids. It’s all about the process here, as they won’t end up with any product at all.
First, you’ll want to gather your supplies- vinegar, food coloring, baking soda, eye droppers, and a shallow tray.
Use the food coloring to tint small amounts of vinegar, and spread baking soda across a shallow tray.
Using eyedroppers, kids will drop small amounts of colored vinegar onto the baking soda. It’s an experiment with color, art, and even science, as the vinegar reacts with the baking soda for extra fizzy fun.
Cork Painting
Need an excuse to justify cracking open a bottle of wine? Mama, we’ve got you covered.
Pour small amounts of paint into a pallete (grab our favorites on Amazon, or pick some up at the Dollar Store or Michaels). Give your kiddos a cork “stamp” and let them create art of their own.
We like to theme this activity based on the season or holidays, or even the colors we’re working on learning. It adds a little extra structure to the project without ruining its process art potential.
Puffy Shaving Cream Paint
Change up your paint by adding an extra fluffy and extra fun ingredient- shaving cream!
Simply mix equal parts paint and shaving cream in a small bowl (we love the take and toss bowls for this purpose) and provide kids with a paintbrush. It’s a great way to add more texture to their art play.
Want to give them a little more structure? Give them additional prompts, such as “you know what this reminds me off? Ice cream! Could we make art that reminds us of ice cream?” In the winter, you can also use white paint to make fluffy “snow” paint (get the instructions for making a puffy paint snowman here).
Food Print Stamps
Cut up some extra fruit from snack time and let kids go to town! Apples make great stamps when cut in half.
Celery prints also come out pretty adorable– after cutting the stalks off a bunch of celery, you might notice that the end resembles a flower. Pour some paint in a shallow dish (this time in the lids of those take and toss bowls we talked about) and let your little one stamp away.
Got a birthday or holiday coming up? Give your kids a little more structure, and you’ll end up with a pretty darn cute card for grandma.
Free Painting
We feel a lot of pressure to go full-Pinterest when it comes to our kids’ art projects. But when’s the last time you just let them paint, without prompts or agenda?
Give your kids a few colors (or even just white paint on black paper) in a pallete, and see what they create. They might go abstract, or they may draw a family portrait. Whatever they choose, it’ll be a great chance for themto experiment and practice their creativity.
Painting Things (Other Than Paper)
Is your kiddo intimidated by open ended art projects? You might find that you can reduce their fear by presenting them with objects to paint instead of paper.
Here are some odd, non-paper open ended process art activities to consider:
- Leaves or sticks
- Toys! Toy dinosaurs or cars
- Outdoor Toys (slides, for example)
- Egg cartons
- Pinecones
- Big cardboard boxes
Paint with Things (Other Than Paintbrushes!)
Kids LOVE to “paint outside the box!” Give them some non-traditional painting tools and watch them shine.
Here are some non-traditional “paintbrush” ideas:
- Scrub brushes (like for washing dishes or scrubbing clothes)
- Spoons or forks (great stamps!)
- Leftover Bunch O Balloon Fillers
- The balloons themselves can be great stamps (We’ve even used water balloons to paint with!)
- Little skateboards or monster trucks (roll in paint and then across a paper- get full instructions here!)
- Use Q-tips or cotton balls as paintbrushes
- Let them use their fingers!
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When it comes to open ended art projects for preschoolers, we think you’ll find out what we have- less is more. Kids really do enjoy creating, just for creations sake. We’d love to hear about which activities they loved in the comments!