Mixed Media Collages

Ages/Grades

Toddler, Preschool, Early Elementary

 

Learning Domains

Language, Fine Motor, Math

 

Materials

• Tagboard or canvas panels

• Paint

• Shallow bowls

• Variety of brushes; floppy brushes or textured brushes

• Glue

• Collage materials, such as pom poms, feathers, buttons, wiggle eyes, fabric squares

 

Ready, Set, Create!

Set out your canvas panels or tagboard, paint in dishes, and brushes. Encourage children to paint all over their surface.

 

 

 

When the paint is dry, set out the glue and collage materials. If you’d like to spread this activity out over a number of days, try setting out one new collage material per day.

 

Encourage children to add the available collage materials onto their surface with glue.

 

 

As children add one new collage material each day, collages will evolve as new layers, textures, and colors are added.

 

 

 

Engage Children in Conversation

Comment on what you observe, such as “You are using only blue paint. I’m curious if you’ll use another color too.”

Ask children open ended questions that encourage critical thinking, such as:

Today we have pom poms to add to our collage. I see you are gluing red pom poms in a circle. Will you add other colors or stick with red?

 

Extensions

Invite children from other classrooms to add to your collage. You may wish to invite them into your classroom, or perhaps they have previously made art work that your children could add to the mural. Example: children in another classroom have created a painting together. This painting could be cut into small pieces and children in your room could glue these onto your collage.

 

Modifications

Children can use brushes in a variety of sizes, depending upon their fine motor abilities and the size of the canvas.

Larger loose parts can be used if those are easier for some children to place on the glue.

This project can also be collaborative and children of different ages and abilities can work together.