This painting exploration focuses on learning letters and looking at lines. Along with these skills, your child is also building her fine motor abilities and learning a lesson in recycling (we’ll get to that soon). The great thing about this activity is that you can reuse it – and, that’s not even the major recycling part of the project.
Start by throwing in some of the scientific process, and ask your child to predict what will happen if she tries to ‘draw’ on top of paint with a pipe cleaner. She may give you a curious look, but she’ll also give you an awesome answer. If she isn’t sure, ask her to guess (you can prompt her to think of similar painting experiences – maybe during finger painting). Now it’s time to put her theory to the test and try out some art-making.
Alphabet Painting Project
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Tempera Paints
- White Construction Paper
- Pipe Cleaners
- Paintbrush
Pour a few dollops (quarter-sized pools) of the paint onto the paper.
Have your child spread the paint out with the brush. She can mix colors or make stripes of different hues (in other words, paint a rainbow). Keep the paint thick. If you see her spreading it super-thin (or at least, thin enough so that you can see the paper underneath) add more paint to the paper,
Pick a letter to draw. If she’s mastered writing the A,B,C’s, you can choose a simple word.
Draw the letter in the paint. Your child will use the edge of a pipe cleaner. Show her how she’s reusing and recycling her old art materials, making them new again.
Repeat the art activity. You can add more paint onto the paper, and spread it out again. You may still see the letters underneath, but it should be thick enough to draw in again. Your child can try lines this time. Talk about horizontal and vertical lines (giving her some new vocabulary words). She can also create zig-zags, curves and squiggles.
If your child prefers, make individual artworks each time she wants to explore a new letter or line (instead of adding paint). You can also hand over another pieces of paper (after your child has drawn in the paint), press it down and peel it off to reveal a print. Keep in mind, the letters will be a mirror image – so, this is better done with lines.
Famous Artists Projects for Kids
- Matisse Valentine's Day Art Project
- Hidden Mickey Inspired Pointilism Melted Crayon Art
- Van Gogh Starry Night Project
Erica Loop is a mom, parenting writer and educator with an MS in child development. When she's not teaching, she's busy writing kids' activities for her blog Mini Monets and Mommies. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.
