5 Art Activities Using Household Items
Oct 22, 2022The warmer weather is on its way, the ring of steel has lifted in Melbourne and suddenly we have way too many options to keep the kids busy. But I must admit, I've really enjoyed the 'down time' at home! One thing lockdown has taught us parents - is that we really can use whatever is at our fingertips to purposefully engage with creative play at home. We've been doing it now for over 6 months, you might just be a pro!
Just because we can go to the art supply store, doesn't mean we have to rush there now! Does the thought of adding more art supplies to your craft cupboard make you go 'ugh!'. Or maybe you just don't know what to buy for a fun crafty-noon activity with your kids.
Well I have some fun art activities you can do using house hold items. No shops needed!
There are plenty of creativity activities using household items that are both fun and facilitate active, engaged learning.
Use what you have is a mantra worth listening to. There is no need to make a trip to the already overcrowded shops for art supply panic buying. In fact, using household materials to create artwork is teaching you child to think outside the box and tap into that natural born curiosity and imagination.
Here 5 fail safe creative activities to do with your young children at home using every day items.
PASTA ART
You’ll need to spare a couple of cups of pasta for this fun activity. Any and all types of pasta is perfect, and once you go looking, you’ll be surprised at home many different shapes you will find. From pasta bows, alphabets, macaroni, shells, spirals and the simple penne – the variety makes pasta art options endless. Find a couple of varieties, or just one will do. First off dye your pasta. Place a cup or so in a zip lock bag with some food dye and a tsp of vinegar. This is your child’s que to shake, shake, shake the bag to their favourite song. Leave to dry while you gather some thick paper (maybe a cereal box) and glue. Our favourite pasta art scenes include; houses, mosaics, our pets, and words. Provide your little one with some direction and a ‘how to glue’ demo, and then leave the creating to them.
PAINTING WITH UTENSILS
Painting does not have to mean you need a typical paint brush. In fact using other tools to paint with creates the most beautiful textures and patterns. Dive into the utensil draw to see what you can find. A fork could make stripes! A spatula could make shapes! Include your child in the selection of utensils and then set up a station with some paint and paper. Using a paper plate as a paint tray allows the utensil to be covered in colour easily.
Exploring the different textures each utensil makes on the page is a great place to start. And then move onto painting a scene. As you can see the results are gorgeous!
RAISED SALT ART
All you need is salt, glue and watercolours (aka DIY food dye + water) to create these beautiful kaleidoscope style artworks. This is an all-time favourite activity loved by all ages from toddlers and up. Draw any design you like with glue – scribbles, faces, words, animals. If your stuck and need a prompt, find a favourite children’s book for inspiration. Sprinkle salt over your design and shake the excess off. Next is the fun part – dip your paint brush (you can also use syringes) into the watercolour paint and drip it onto the design. Children are amazed at how quickly the colours travel along the salt glue line.
TIN FOIL PRINTS
Possibly the best printmaking art that will never let you down! The bright and beautiful prints that come from using tin foil always take children by surprise and have them wanting to try again and again and again. All you need to make it happen is foil, tape, paper, markers and a squirty water bottle. Tape the tin foil to a sheet of newspaper or the table. Children colour the tin foil with markers the finish with a spray of water on top. Next place another piece of paper over the top, gentle press, then pull back. Watch your child’s expression when they reveal the rainbow, blended design!
TOILET ROLL SCRIBBLER
Toilet roll scribblers are easy to do at a moment notice and is a great process art activity for kids. There is no pressure on a final outcome here – just let them experiment with patterns, words and colourful designs. Using big pieces of paper, such as butchers paper, will keep your child busy with scribbling for quite some time. To create these scribblers; lay a piece of duct tape facing sticky side up. Place your markers along the tape making sure the tips line up (using a ruler can help here). Wrap the tape around the toilet roll so that the markers are beyond the edge. Happing scribbling!
