If you’re looking for fun, free spring & summer art activities, we have the perfect kids’ art lessons and projects for your family. Today we’ll look at ways to transform humble cardboard into your child’s next magical and memorable masterpiece.
Why Cardboard Is Great for Making Art With Kids
When it comes to art projects that kids can do at home with everyday materials, cardboard is great for its versatility and ease of use. Because cardboard comes in varied sizes and thicknesses, it can easily be changed into whatever a child’s imagination dreams.
When kids encounter problems while creating their art or make perceived “mistakes,” know that cardboard is a very forgiving material. Finding ways to work through those challenges develops a child’s problem-solving skills. Creating art with such an everyday material is seen as simple fun, not as an obstacle, and this is one of the ways that children engage in educational practices without feeling pressure.
Cardboard is readily found in most homes in the form of delivered packages and old moving and storage boxes. Using it to make art for kids also incorporates the lessons of recycling and caring for the environment, and art that considers the environment is part of what we teach and encourage at Golden Road Arts.
While many components of crafting and creativity projects are produced by various industries, it’s nice to know that something as simple as cardboard is useful in both developing children’s imaginations and keeping them healthily entertained. Let’s look at how to make art with cardboard.
Ideas for Kids’ Art Projects Using Cardboard
There are multiple ways to transform cardboard into art projects for children. Here are three that you can try—and let us know how it turns out. We’d love to see your kids’ creations!
Project 1 – Picture Frames
Kids still like to display their art, and making frames with cardboard is an opportunity to make the art and its new home. Younger children can use crayons and markers to decorate the edges, while older kids may want to create a collage or experiment with adding elements like origami to their frames.
Project 2 – Coloring Books and Journals
An adult cuts the cardboard to the desired shape for the front and back covers. Children can then glue construction paper (or another art paper) to provide a clean surface on which to design their personalized covers. Next they’ll choose the paper to fill their books. An adult will use a hole punch on the interior paper and the cardboard, then children can use yarn, hoops, twine, or another material to bind their books.
Project 3 – Dollhouses and Forts
Another great project for the family is to design and build dollhouses, castles, forts and ships. This project will truly let children express themselves. Often, whole cardboard boxes can be used with minimal cutting. Kids can use paints, markers, crayons, colored and patterned paper and more to cover the outside areas of their new safe haven. Adults can help children cut and connect pieces together.
As you can see, cardboard can be used as a low-cost, fun and creative material to make kids’ art projects at home.
Learn How to Support Free Art Lessons for Kids in Hillsboro
Together let’s build children’s passion for the arts in Hillsboro. Check out our free online art lessons or donate via our art gallery today to support our work.
