Do something creative
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Just because schools are closed for a bit, doesn't mean you have to miss art and being creative. I have compiled a list of creative tasks you can do with simple materials around your house. With so many companies offering online programs for free during this time, here is another way to avoid screen time and use your imagination! Complete them in any order, skip the ones you don't like, but most importantly, create! It is intended for elementary age, but older kids may enjoy many of the activities as well! I will add more activities each week schools are closed. Join the Facebook Group to share pictures and receive feedback about anything your child creates!
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1. Candy design
Materials: any paper, pencil, (optional: your favorite coloring material)
Imagine you just invented the newest candy! You have been tasked with designing the wrapper for it! What shape is it - round like a peppermint patty or rectangle like a chocolate bar? What would you name it? What designs or pictures would be in the wrapper? Draw a wrapper, plan how you will write the letters (this is called the font), and anything else that makes your candy special! What colors would it be?
Imagine you just invented the newest candy! You have been tasked with designing the wrapper for it! What shape is it - round like a peppermint patty or rectangle like a chocolate bar? What would you name it? What designs or pictures would be in the wrapper? Draw a wrapper, plan how you will write the letters (this is called the font), and anything else that makes your candy special! What colors would it be?
2. Kindness shirt
Materials: any paper, pencil, (optional: your favorite coloring material)
Who doesn't love wearing a t-shirt with a message that makes someone smile?! Now is your chance to be a graphic designer and create your own. Start by drawing a t-shirt (or tank top, hoodie, etc.). Then think of your message. It could be something simple like "Be Kind" or something longer. A quick shirt search on google can give you some inspiration. Try to make your lettering fancy and not just how you would write your name. What pictures will go with your words? What colors will it be?
Who doesn't love wearing a t-shirt with a message that makes someone smile?! Now is your chance to be a graphic designer and create your own. Start by drawing a t-shirt (or tank top, hoodie, etc.). Then think of your message. It could be something simple like "Be Kind" or something longer. A quick shirt search on google can give you some inspiration. Try to make your lettering fancy and not just how you would write your name. What pictures will go with your words? What colors will it be?
3. Cardboard sculpture
Materials: pencil, scissors, white glue (like Elmer's), cardboard (so save that next box from Amazon), paper scraps, (optional: craft paint and brushes)
Create a sculpture out of cardboard by cutting out different shapes. My favorite thing to make is a dinosaur, but you could make anything you want like a robot, house, any animal, whatever you can think up! To make the dinosaur, you need 1 semicircle, 1 rectangle, 1 oval, 1 skinny triangle, and 4 squares. Artistic choices: will the tail point up, down, or out? Which way is the head facing? Use white glue to assemble. When it's dry you can cut out triangles for the spikes with anything from newspaper, magazines, construction paper, or more cardboard. If you have access to paint you can paint it too! |
Don't have paint? If you're worried about a mess, I recommend Crayola washable paint. If you have access to a craft store like Michael's, I like the FolkArt craft paints and other similar brands (Apple Barrel is another). They are less than $1 a color. You can also get them on Amazon but have to buy a larger set.
4. Board Game Designer
Materials: any paper (the larger the better) or poster board, pencil, dice and game pieces borrowed from another game, (optional: your favorite coloring material)
Design a new board game! What will the theme be? Will it be based on a movie or book? Your favorite animals? Draw the track that your game pieces will move along. What shapes and lines will you use? Will there be spaces that let you move ahead or back? Will your game make people do wacky things like quack like a chicken if you land on certain spaces? Add colors if you want and then use dice and game pieces from a game you have. Don't have any game pieces? Draw and cut out your own or use small objects around your house! For younger kids there are lots of great free printable templates available.
Design a new board game! What will the theme be? Will it be based on a movie or book? Your favorite animals? Draw the track that your game pieces will move along. What shapes and lines will you use? Will there be spaces that let you move ahead or back? Will your game make people do wacky things like quack like a chicken if you land on certain spaces? Add colors if you want and then use dice and game pieces from a game you have. Don't have any game pieces? Draw and cut out your own or use small objects around your house! For younger kids there are lots of great free printable templates available.
5. Circles
Materials: any paper, pencil, (optional: your favorite coloring material)
Trace different small circles on a piece of paper (coins, bottle caps). What can you turn your circle into? How many circle ideas can you come up with? Leave them in just pencil, or trace with a pen for more contrast (making things stand out), or color with your favorite coloring material. This is an activity you can start one day and add to little by little each day. |
6. Produce in space
7. Designer Band-aids
Materials: any paper, pencil, (optional: your favorite coloring material)
Design your own fancy band-aids with fun designs! If you need help drawing the band-aid shape, find a real band-aid in your home and trace it. Try doing more than one that have a theme. What might your theme be?
Design your own fancy band-aids with fun designs! If you need help drawing the band-aid shape, find a real band-aid in your home and trace it. Try doing more than one that have a theme. What might your theme be?
8. Make cards
Materials: any paper, coloring materials, (optional: stickers, glitter glue, scrapbook paper)
Make homemade cards for upcoming birthdays or other people that have celebrations. Cards don't always have to be for an occasion; make one to send someone for no reason but to brighten their day! Consider this: many hospitals and senior living centers are not allowing visitors currently because they don't want the residents to risk getting sick. Not being able to see your family would make you feel sad so consider brightening the day of a stranger. There is no wrong way to make a card!
Another option that was shared with me is to check out Operation Home (MD) to make cards for returning troops!
Make homemade cards for upcoming birthdays or other people that have celebrations. Cards don't always have to be for an occasion; make one to send someone for no reason but to brighten their day! Consider this: many hospitals and senior living centers are not allowing visitors currently because they don't want the residents to risk getting sick. Not being able to see your family would make you feel sad so consider brightening the day of a stranger. There is no wrong way to make a card!
Another option that was shared with me is to check out Operation Home (MD) to make cards for returning troops!
9. Magazine Collages
Materials: any paper, scissors, glue stick or tape, pencil, page from a magazine (or maybe from junk mail ads!)
Cut out a small part of a picture in a magazine (cutting out part of a picture is called cropping, similar to how you crop a photo you take on your phone). Attach it someone on a piece of paper and continue the picture by drawing. In my opinion, the wackier, the better! More than one kid at home? Have the kids challenge each other by finding the cropped picture for the other kid. |
10. Build a Fort
Yup, exactly what you think it means. Drag out the kitchen chairs, drape a sheet over them, and throw down some pillows inside. There are endless possibilities of what you can do inside a fort including reading, free drawing, or writing stories!
11. Food Truck Design
Materials: any paper, pencil, coloring materials
This is based off a project I did with my 5th graders this year for an art show centered around food. Who doesn't love a good food truck? Start by brainstorming food that is important to you:
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12. Emoji Designer
Materials: any paper, pencil, coloring materials
Have you ever really wanted to use an emoji of something but it didn't exist? Draw your own ideas for emojis you think we should have. For example, I have always wanted an emoji of a s'more and flamingo. Colored pencils will allow you to color with the most detail, but use what you have!
Have you ever really wanted to use an emoji of something but it didn't exist? Draw your own ideas for emojis you think we should have. For example, I have always wanted an emoji of a s'more and flamingo. Colored pencils will allow you to color with the most detail, but use what you have!
13. Chalk
Materials: sidewalk chalk (Crayola is my favorite because of the variety of colors they come in)
Get some sidewalk chalk and get outside on a nice day. You could have a different theme each day: under the sea, monsters, food, design a zoo and add the animals, or just doodle! |
14. Wacky socks
Materials: any paper, pencil, coloring materials, a sock (just for tracing!)
Who doesn't love a fun pair of socks?! Trace your sock on a piece of paper using a pencil. Now make it wacky and as detailed as possible! Last, color! Design socks for everyone in your family.
Fun Fact! Did you know that March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day? One way people recognize and celebrate those with DS on this day is to wear mismatched socks, showing it's cool to be different!
Who doesn't love a fun pair of socks?! Trace your sock on a piece of paper using a pencil. Now make it wacky and as detailed as possible! Last, color! Design socks for everyone in your family.
Fun Fact! Did you know that March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day? One way people recognize and celebrate those with DS on this day is to wear mismatched socks, showing it's cool to be different!
15. State Flag Butterflies
Materials: any paper, pencil, coloring materials
This activity is based off a ceramic unit I have done, however it can easily be done as a drawing! The Maryland flag has a lot of pride surrounding it. You can find it turned into a crab on the back of cars, on shirts, and all over the place. Maryland also has lots of types of butterflies that love our state. In Howard County, 2nd graders learn all about butterflies so this is a great connection between the science of butterflies, the social studies of how the MD flag is a combination of two family crests, and art! Use the fantastic website to select a butterfly to draw from reference. Start with the body shape, then add the wings. Really try to get the shape to be right; not all butterflies look the same! Using the colors of the MD flag as inspiration, color your butterfly with detailed patterns. |
16. Beautiful Oops
Materials: any paper, pencil, coloring materials
This is my first day lesson with 1st graders every year but it's a great creativity challenge for anyone, including the whole family. I always start by reading the book Beautiful Oops, which is a very cool book. I then give my students all a piece of copy paper that I ripped a hole in and they draw to turn it into something. |
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17. Hand Lettering
Materials: any paper, pencil (or my favorite a black ink pen)
Hand lettering is very relaxing and super easy! You can choose to include pictures with your words or just do words. Think of a theme that ties everything together (my examples are all based on funny things my toddler said or things we did during that month. Start by writing one word. Now try to make your letters fancier than just your handwriting. |
18. Rock painting
Materials: rocks, paint (must be acrylic paint), paintbrushes, kindness
The Kindness Rocks Project is such a wonderful activity and movement and it connects to social emotional learning. Some awesome teachers at my school started a rock garden of painted rocks and the kids love painting them. There are endless possibilities! After checking out the ideas on that website, get to work painting your rocks! Smooth rocks work the best (I got a huge bag for around $10 at Home Depot at the best part is they are in the outdoor garden center area so you can keep your social distancing!). It's also a great excuse to get out into nature and find your own rocks. My daughter, husband, and I love going hiking and let our daughter pick a rock to bring home on each hike to paint. You could paint it to look like something specific, paint a message on it, designs, etc. If you want them to stand the test of weather better, I recommend painting a coat of modge podge on top.
The Kindness Rocks Project is such a wonderful activity and movement and it connects to social emotional learning. Some awesome teachers at my school started a rock garden of painted rocks and the kids love painting them. There are endless possibilities! After checking out the ideas on that website, get to work painting your rocks! Smooth rocks work the best (I got a huge bag for around $10 at Home Depot at the best part is they are in the outdoor garden center area so you can keep your social distancing!). It's also a great excuse to get out into nature and find your own rocks. My daughter, husband, and I love going hiking and let our daughter pick a rock to bring home on each hike to paint. You could paint it to look like something specific, paint a message on it, designs, etc. If you want them to stand the test of weather better, I recommend painting a coat of modge podge on top.
19. Toy drawings
Materials: any paper, pencil, your favorite toys
Observational drawing is so important because it forces you to slow down and really study what you are drawing. Your drawing will be more realistic if you are looking at the real thing! What's your favorite toy? Do you love legos? Build something and try to draw it. Draw one toy or a combo of several. Love dolls? Draw your doll. Have a favorite game? Draw your game including the game pieces.
Observational drawing is so important because it forces you to slow down and really study what you are drawing. Your drawing will be more realistic if you are looking at the real thing! What's your favorite toy? Do you love legos? Build something and try to draw it. Draw one toy or a combo of several. Love dolls? Draw your doll. Have a favorite game? Draw your game including the game pieces.
20. Name Zentangles
Materials: any paper, pencil (or my favorite a black ink pen)
Zentangles are one of my favorite ways to doodle. A zentangle is simply shapes filled with patterns. The more intricate a pattern, the better. Start by talking with your family to learn more about your name. Why do you have your name? I named my daughter Sydney because I lived in Sydney, Australia until I was 2 1/2 and my husband and I love to travel. Now write your name in block or bubble letters so you are able to fill them with patterns. Bonus points for writing your full name (first, middle, and last) and also including your birthdate! Now fill each letter or number with an intricate pattern. How do you make a pattern fancier? What makes something a pattern? Lines, shapes, or colors that are repeated make a pattern. If you draw shapes, can you add shapes or lines inside those shapes?
Zentangle pattern ideas: My Modern Met, Craftwhack,
Zentangles are one of my favorite ways to doodle. A zentangle is simply shapes filled with patterns. The more intricate a pattern, the better. Start by talking with your family to learn more about your name. Why do you have your name? I named my daughter Sydney because I lived in Sydney, Australia until I was 2 1/2 and my husband and I love to travel. Now write your name in block or bubble letters so you are able to fill them with patterns. Bonus points for writing your full name (first, middle, and last) and also including your birthdate! Now fill each letter or number with an intricate pattern. How do you make a pattern fancier? What makes something a pattern? Lines, shapes, or colors that are repeated make a pattern. If you draw shapes, can you add shapes or lines inside those shapes?
Zentangle pattern ideas: My Modern Met, Craftwhack,
Hi! I'm Avery McClelland, an elementary art teacher in Howard County, MD. I love what I do by helping children develop creative thinking skills. I have a BFA in Illustration and a masters in Educational Technology, as well as a certification and past teacher of special ed. I was very grateful this year to win MAEA Career Elementary Art Teacher of the Year. I love doing art projects at home with my daughter too and I realize thinking of creative activities can be intimidating so I hope this helps keep your children entertained while they are stuck at home in social distancing. I have no affiliation to any companies mentioned and make no money off this - just my suggestions and opinions!
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