Process Art Ornament for Toddlers
Even toddlers can join in on the ornament-making fun! This Process Art Ornament for Toddlers offers your little one the chance to make a super simple Christmas ornament while moving and shaking!
It’s Day 4 of our #HandsOnChristmas series with Toddler Approved! I am the first to admit that it can be exhausting to craft with a toddler. I remember when my oldest was not even two years old, I wanted so badly for him to create his first “homemade” ornament, but my attempts ended in major frustration for both of us.
When it comes to “crafting” with toddlers, I’ve learned to always err on the side of simplicity! And this activity is simple and includes ACTION! This brilliant method of process art is not original to me, it comes from my children’s amazing former preschool teacher. I was helping in their class one day and observed the kids were making art using this ingenious mess-free method! We tried making our own mess-free process art a few years ago and my daughter LOVED it! So last week we invited my 2-year old nephew over to create these fun ornaments!
Materials Needed:
- Printable Blank Ornaments
- Empty oatmeal container (or similarly sized container)
- Paint
- Coil from a blender shaker bottle (or you can use a scrub sponge, bouncy ball, etc)
- Hole Punch
- Yarn or String
Instructions for this Process Art Ornament for Toddlers:
1. Print out out our printable blank ornaments.
2. Place the printable inside the oatmeal canister. Squirt just ONE color of paint into the bottom of the canister and put the blender bottle coil in the bottom (or the bouncy ball, scrub sponge, etc.). Place the top on the canister (and add a little tape to keep it secure, if you choose).
3. Then give your child the canister and encourage him to SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE. Wait about an hour or so and then add the second color of paint to the canister and repeat!
Pro tip: Don’t try to do two colors at once unless you are teaching a lesson on color mixing. Our first attempt ended in brown globs of paint all over our ornaments from the red and green mixing together. It’s best to use just one color OR give the first color some time to dry first.
4. Remove the piece of paper from the canister and let it dry completely.
5. Punch a hole in the top of each ornament and add some string or yarn to ensure it is ready for the Christmas tree!
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