Instead of using concentric circles, this kids’ art activity incorporates fall leaves. Not real leaves, but a few leaf shapes that your child will create.
This art exploration doesn’t just cover crafting. It also includes math, science and fine motor skill-building. Your child will:
- Learn about shapes
- Create patterns
- Compare sizes
- Understand the part-to-whole relationship
- Problem-solve
- Connect to this lesson the fall season, weather and plants (leaves). Take a look outside (or go on a nature walk) and talk about what your child sees. Discuss the fall colors and the shapes of the leaves as they fall from the trees.
- Fine motor abilities - improve dexterity and eye-hand coordination though cutting and painting.
Kandinsky for Kids
Before beginning the actual art-making, take a look at Kandinsky’s concentric circles. Kandinsky created a variety of art during his life-time. This includes woodcuts, landscapes, portraits and
abstract shape-types of art.
Ask your child to tell you what she sees when she looks at the circles. Use open-ended questions such as, “What’s going on in this painting?” or, “Why do you think the artist painted this way?”
Here is a great book for kids on Kadinsky and some Kadinsky stickers to enhance your unit:
Kadinsky Art Project for Kids
Now it’s your child’s turn to create her own artwork! You'll need:
- card stock paper (white and fall colors)
- scissors
- tempera paint (fall colors)
- paint brush
- clear-drying school glue
Pour the paint onto a palette. Or, use wax paper as an inexpensive alternative. Choose fall colors, such as red, yellow, orange and brown.
Paint a piece of white card stock paper, creating squares. Your child should fill the entire piece of paper with paint. Avoid sizing the squares too small. It will become a challenge for your child to fit
the leaves into the squares later on.
Cut leaves from the paper. Your child can create oval shapes in different sizes.
Glue a leaf down onto each square.
Paint another leaf onto each paper leaf. Your child can pick other colors, to give the artwork some contrast.
Now glue another smaller leaf on top of the leaf making concentric leaves. Your child can stop there or she can keep going. She can add as many leaves (as they get progressively smaller in size) as she can fit on the paper!
More Leaf Projects for Kids
- Fall Leaf Printing with Markers
- Fall Leaf Scavenger Hunt (free printable)
- 26 Leaf Crafts for Kids
- Leaf Coloring Pages (free printable)
- Why Do Leaves Change Color - Awesome Science Experiment
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.
