9 Fun Art Activities For Kids

Art is an absolutely wonderful way for your boys and girls to express themselves. For younger children, art can also help to enhance their ability to analyze and problem-solve, practice their fine motor skills and even learn the basics of math as they count pieces and colours. And in addition to promoting positive skills in older kids and teens such as collaboration, creative thinking, problem solving, and motivation, art has also shown to be a therapeutic benefit to help combat mental health issues.

So whether you have toddlers or teens, beginners or budding artists who are quite familiar with the paintbrush, these art activities for kids are a perfect outlet for your children to use their imagination and develop their creativity.

Creative Activities for Kids

1. Shaving Cream Marble Art

Image: artfulparent.com

Abstract art doesn't get cooler than this. Super simple and super fun, this art activity will have your kiddos wanting do endless combinations.

--WHAT YOU'LL NEED--

Shaving foam
Shallow baking dish, such as a pie plate
Liquid watercolour paint (or watered-down food colouring)
Droppers
Stir stick, such as a chopstick or the bottom of a paintbrush
Card stock (or poster board cut into smaller pieces)
A scraper, such as a square piece of cardboard

--STEP 1--

First, spray a layer of shaving cream to cover the bottom of your baking dish. Then, use a dropper to add drops of liquid watercolour paint on top of the shaving cream. (If you don’t have liquid watercolours, you can use watered-down food colouring).

--STEP 2--

Use a stick (a chopstick, the end of a paintbrush, or even the dropper) to swirl the paint around for a marbled effect.

--STEP 3--

Press a piece of card stock into the paint covered shaving cream.

--STEP 4--

Lift up the card stock then use a piece of cardboard to scrape off the shaving cream.

2. Build A Robot Friend

Art comes in all shapes and forms - this time in the form of a robot! Have your kids use their imagination and try it out as little toymakers as they build their very own wooden, robot friend. The wooden blocks come blank so the robot can become anything from a pirate to your child's favourite cartoon character.

All materials and tools needed are included in the kit. Only AED 45 on Kidzapp.

3. Shadow Drawing For Kids

Image: PlayTivities (Facebook)

Use the sun for a fun art activity that will get your kids to practice their drawing skills. If your child has some favourite toys, bring them out and see their excitement as they try to trace their shapes.

--WHAT YOU'LL NEED--
 

Normal paper
Pencils or markers
Toy animals/action figures/other objects

--STEP 1--

Line up your chosen objects next to your window (choose simpler objects for younger kids) - then lay down a piece of paper next to each of them.

--STEP 2--

Get your pencils, colouring pens or markers out and start tracing the shadows that the objects create

4. Paint with Nature

Image: leftbraincraftbrain.com

Creating beautiful pieces of art can be as simple as finding tools from nature. Give your child a tray and tell them to pick a few things to paint with. They can also grab a few sticks for paint handles. This fun activity is all about experimenting and figuring out what you and the kiddos like best.

Remember to tell them what’s off-limits if you don’t want them to pick your beloved heirloom dahlias to paint with.

5. The Kidz Crate Activity Boxes

If you don't have any art materials at home but still want to get your kiddies' creative juices flowing, Kidz Factory delivers some awesome DIY activity boxes that will get your kids to imagine, build, paint or bake. From painting your own ceramic coin banks and magnets to decorating cookies and cupcakes, your kids are going to love it!

Get 10% with Kidzapp, delivery throughout the UAE, boxes starting from AED 49

6. Draw with Rob

Image: Rob Biddulph (YouTube)

Join #DrawWithRob, a series of twice-weekly draw-along videos designed to edutain you and your kids while you're stuck at home. Learn the art of drawing as you try to create a unicorn, monster, superhero bear, rainbow peacock and so much more!

7. Kandinsky for Kids: Process Art

Image: leftbraincraftbrain.com

Get inspired by the Russian born artist Kandinsky, in this fun activity. The best part about Kandinsky inspired art is that you can pretty much use whatever you have at home; spaghetti, cotton balls, and foam shapes would all be great things to use here. Gather unique finds around your house and create a mixed media compilation using paper shapes, wood BBQ skewers, toothpicks, foam stamps, glue and watercolours and incorporate a bit of geometry in there too.

8. Bubble Painting

Image: sciencekiddo.com

Bubble painting produces bright, brilliant prints that are immediately frame-worthy, plus it’s the perfect balance between an exciting dry ice experiment and a creative art project, which makes an awesome STEAM activity for your littles.

--WHAT YOU'LL NEED--

Bowl full of warm water
Baking sheet
Dry ice
Liquid dish soap
Food colouring
White paper
Paper towels

--STEP 1--

Place the bowl of water on top of a baking sheet to catch the mess that I knew was coming. Use gloves to place a plum-sized chunk of dry ice into the bowl full of water. The interaction between dry ice and water is always fascinating to watch!

--STEP 2--

Squeeze a generous amount of liquid dish soap into the water. Like magic, cloud-filled bubbles will to grow out from the bowl (this will be super exciting for your little ones).

--STEP 3--

Squeeze one drop of food colouring onto the bubbles that are pouring out of the bowl. Before those bubbles can go anywhere, press a piece of white paper onto the coloured bubbles, pull it away, and voila! Bubble prints.

9. Draw Dubai's City Skyline

Image: Art For All (YouTube)

Watch a step-by-step video that will teach you how to draw Dubai's City Skyline. Just follow the steps to re-create the image and remember to colour it in to make it your own beautiful piece of art. You can even have a go at the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Dubai Frame.

--- Want more ideas for art activities for kids? Get Kidzapp now!