Today we are featuring our very favorite easy art projects and art ideas for kids of all ages. Because they are easy art ideas, they are often used as art activities for preschoolers or preschool art projects. We believe that art ideas don’t have an age limit and find process art to be the best art prompts around even for older kids. These art projects work great at home or in the classroom.
You Will Love These Preschool Art Projects
I love these preschool art ideas because they are incredibly hands on which is why they are called process art projects.
What Is Process Art?
Process art is all about the journey of the art project, not the destination. What appears as the end result artwork is not what is important, but instead the creativity of the child.
Art is important to allow children to express themselves and helps with fine motor skills and problem solving. Process art is the process involved in creating art which is more valuable than the actual masterpiece. I like this description:
Process art emphasizes the “process” of making art (rather than any predetermined composition or plan) and the concepts of change and transience.
–Guggenheim
Why Is Process Art Important?
Process art will look different and never look the same another person’s art piece. This is because it allows each child to use a different creative process to make the art.
- Process art helps develop self-control and self-regulation when kids are focused on their art.
- Kids are able to take chances and risks, make decisions, and in the end feeling successful with those choices.
- Process art is also a great way to practice fine motor skills for kids of all ages, but particularly young children.
- Preschool art projects are a great way to introduce creative activities that help with child development by allowing them to solve problems, practice hand-eye coordination skills, but in a fun way that doesn’t really feel like tedious learning.
Favorite Simple Art Ideas for Kids
Get ready for hours of fun with these 11 process art ideas that are easy art projects for kids of all ages. Younger kids like toddlers and preschoolers can get hands-on art experience and Kindergartners and older kids can create their own artistic expression with these art prompts. All these kids art projects are great to modify for older kids as well.
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1. Preschool Block Printing
Block Printing – Give your kiddos some old wooden blocks, paint and paper and let them use the blocks as stamps to create. Watch as fun ideas come through on the paper as they make abstract or even realistic art.
2. Outdoor Wonderland Mural
Outdoor Wonderland – Bring some of nature inside and let your kids use things like leaves on their mural. You can use acrylic paint, or watercolor paints, but I’d probably stay away from food coloring. Using watercolor paper would be ideal, that way paints won’t bleed through, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
3. Outer Space Mural
Outer Space Mural – Offer foam paint (or puffy paint), tissue paper, felt and any other ingredients you think might make a neat solar system. This perfectly combines science and art!
4. Wood & Paint Process Art for 3 & 4 Year Olds
Wooden Ride – Use wooden pieces and old blocks to design and create a theme park ride!
5. Black and White Art for Preschoolers
Black and White – Let your kids explore black and white by giving them a cup of paint and construction paper in each shade.
6. Winter Preschool Process Art Project
Winter Salt Painting – Create a gorgeous winter wonderland collage with salt painting and tape resist. Your talented artist can make winter themed fun art projects.
7. Preschool Melted Crayon Art
Melted Crayon Art – Perfect for Easter, use crayons on warm, hard boiled eggs to create some fun designs. Creating melted crayon art is a simple process, but one much better suited to older kids. These craft activities are so great, maybe not for younger kids, and kids may need a bit of help with this one.
8. Artistic Wood Working with Preschoolers
Wood Working – An activity that involves engaging materials, decision making and outside the box thinking. This is one of my favorite kids’ art projects. Not only is it fun projects your great little favorite artist can do, but it is a way to make their toys their own.
9. Invitations to Process Art for Preschoolers
Invitations to Process Art – Here are five amazing invitations for toddlers and preschoolers to begin process art. Just set out the supplies and let them create! It is like a little artistic prompt.
10. Preschool Process Pasta Art
Pasta Art – Use different types of noodles to create art by dipping them in paint and getting messy. This is a creative to teach colors and let them make amazing art without paint brushes. This would be a great introduction to process art. Love this art idea. Plus it can double as a sensory art idea as well.
11. Preschool Mirror Art
Mirror Art – Get an old mirror no longer being used and let your kids draw on it with markers. This is perfect for younger children as mirrors usually fascinate them to begin with. This is such a fun project and an easy project.
Process Art Ideas for Preschool
Whether it is preschool teachers or parents who are concerned with early childhood education, these preschool art projects are the perfect way to get your child problem solving and being creative.
- Each easy arts and crafts project is different and they use a wide variety of materials which is a creative way to get your little one to try new things.
- Don’t be afraid to substitute with art supplies you might have on hand.
Process Art Projects for Kids: Preschoolers and Beyond
Simply give your young children an art inspiration and the materials and let them explore and form however they’d like.
You’ll be surprised at how many great ideas young kids tend to come up with and the most important thing about process art is they they has as much fun as they can while they explore.
Modifications for Process Art Projects Perfect For Toddlers
While all these projects are great for preschoolers, they work great for toddler art projects because process art is simple and doesn’t require a lot of finesse. Things to consider when doing process art with toddlers:
- Look for the simplest art projects without an expected result – toddlers require more patience as their art and fine motor skills are not as developed as bigger kids.
- Don’t shy away from process art with toddlers because it is a perfect time to practice fine motor skills and the best part is…they’ll still have a lot of fun.
Modifications For These Easy Art Ideas to Make Them Great For Kindergarteners
From the preschool classroom to the kindergarten classroom these art lessons are the perfect art activity for older kids.
All these projects are suited for preschoolers, however, these ones do require a little more skill and could also be great for older kids who are in kindergarten.
Process Art Ideas FAQ
Art supplies for preschoolers doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it shouldn’t be complicated or expensive but have variety. Here are some of the basics that are always in my preschool art area:
1. Paper — white, black and colored paper — I like construction paper best for this age group because it is tougher and works well for little hands
2. Crayons, Markers, Paint
3. Age-appropriate scissors
4. Glue and tape
Early childhood art projects are great for kids to develop coordination and fine motor skills while practicing trying to produce something that is in their head or follow a sample. It is a hands on way to see positive cause-effect. Since many art projects are open-ended, it can also encourage kids to express themselves non-verbally in a safe way.
More Easy Art Projects We Love From Kids Activities Blog
- Break out the paints and tape so your preschooler can make one of these awesome tape art paintings. This is another great preschool art project.
- Have balls laying around? Then you have to try out this messy canvas painting. This is perfect for toddlers and older.
- Looking for creative ways to teach animals? Then these animal paper crafts are just for you!
- I always have extra coffee filters laying around which is perfect because you won’t want to miss out on these coffee filter crafts.
- Don’t throw out that egg carton! Instead turn it into this awesome caterpillar craft.
- Want some more preschool art? Then you need to check out these felt crafts for kids!
- Want more process art, activities, and crafts for preschoolers? Then look no further! We have over 1000 preschool crafts to choose from.
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Leave a comment – Which of these art ideas are you going to try first as art activities for kids?
I just stumbled onto your website and I’m so glad I did! I have a 2 and a 3 year old. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas! Thanks so much.
We’re big fans of process art over here too! Love this round-up – off to pin some of my favorites! 🙂
Thanks for this great round up!! So grateful to be included with so many ideas. Thanks guys! We love process art!