Crafts for kids can be fun AND educational. Here are some tips for creating art based on famous artists and ideas for inspiration!
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How To Incorporate Famous Artists into Preschool Art
- First, pick a famous artist. Get to know the basics about that artist. (i.e. Do a web search on them and look at some of their artwork or grab a kids’ art book from the library and see which artist or art piece stands out to you.)
- Second, find a picture book about that artist (or about something that stands out to you about their art). For example, there weren’t any picture books I liked about Damien Hirst, so I found Butterfly, Butterfly by Peter Horacek because Hirst is known for the piece he did with butterfly wings. Some picture books about artists are on the longer side and not great for antsy three year olds. In that case, the illustrations of those books are a great resource! Summarize the book to your kids as you all look at the pictures! There’s nothing wrong with skipping the long paragraphs if necessary.
- Finally, craft away! By this point, you’ve seen tons of examples of the artist’s work. Did something you saw remind you of a craft you saw on Pinterest? Did a piece make you think of something in nature? Think of the colors that artist uses; does it stir up any ideas? It’s okay if it doesn’t because…………Pinterest! Instagram! Craft books!
More on finding famous artists projects:
Pinterest, Instagram, and how-to craft books etc. are my main ways for inspiration and ideas. People have already thought of amazing and creative ways on how to incorporate famous artists into toddler and preschool crafts. So, if you’re stuck, no worries. Try searching for general posts about a bunch of different artists and craft ideas or search for art for specific artists. Don’t forget to credit who you get your ideas from!
For starters, here are some famous artists projects I’ve done with my toddlers and preschoolers. I hope the examples are helpful to you!
Famous Artists Crafts and Activities
Claude Monet
WATER LILY FINGER PAINTING
*Thanks to The Crafty Classroom for this beautiful idea! This is one of my absolute favorite process art activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers because 1) it’s an awesome experience for the kids because they LOVE to finger paint and 2) the parents get to go home with artwork that feels professional! It’s a win-win! Plus – finger painting is the best! Find out the details on how to turn your kids into Monet’s here.
Vincent van Gogh
PAINT WITH PLANTS
Use plants as paintbrushes to create incredible works of art! We love this simple, inexpensive, and educational idea inspired by “Almond Blossoms” by van Gogh! Find out the instructions here.
Henry Matisse
CUT AND PAINT COLLAGE
The kids had a lot of fun with this Henry Matisse project. You can “paint” with scissors and you can paint with paint!
CLASSIC PAPER CUTTING
*Mentor Public Library did this craft with older kids. Thanks for sharing the great idea! For some classic paper cutting practice, try this really fun, really simple Henri Matisse project!
Coco Chanel
FABRIC EXPLORATION
*Thanks What Can We Do With Paper and Glue for the fabric boards idea! We added the Coco Chanel aspect ourselves. Yes, Coco Chanel was an artist! Instead of paint, she worked primarily with fabric. Introduce this interesting artist to kids by giving them fabric to create art with! Here are the details and some great books about Coco!
Piet Mondrian
SHAPE STUDY
*Thanks to Learning and Exploring Through Play for the inspiration for this idea! Explore shapes and colors with this fun project inspired by Piet Mondrian.
Damien Hirst
BUTTERFLY COLLAGE
Since I used this one as an example above, I figured I’d throw it on here. We did it in the spring alongside a butterfly lesson (butterflies and art – killed two birds with one stone!). It’s so simple and so educational. Here are the instructions!
And here’s a video tutorial:
Georges Seurat
PAINT WITH DOTS
*Thanks to Raising Little Super Heroes for the inspiration to use plastic bricks as paintbrushes. We added the Seurat element. Seurat used a method called pointillism when creating his famous paintings. Pointillism is a technique that uses lots of little dots to make a picture. Toddlers and preschoolers can use pointillism and learn about circles too! Here are the details!
Michelangelo
CLAY SCULPTURE
Michelangelo is just one of many artists who made sculptures. You can focus on any one of them or a variety of artists at one time! These beautiful clay sculptures are easy to make and are a great process art activity for kids.
Paul Klee
BLOCK PAINTING
*Thanks to The Pinterested Parent for the idea for this fun and educational craft! We used a really fun “paintbrush” for this Paul Klee-inspired art project – toy building blocks! Check it out here.
Henri Rousseau
MONKEY COLLAGE
We had so much fun with this multi-media art project. The kids loved working with the paint and the glue – both paint and glue are the messiest kind of fun!
Pablo Picasso
MIXED MEDIA ART
*Thanks to MollyMoo Crafts for the mixed media art project idea. We modified it to add the Pablo Picasso element. Kids can explore mixed media art, just like Picasso did, with paint, glue, stickers, and pictures. Simple and fun!
PAPER COLLAGE
*This project came from Meri Cherry‘s wonderful idea for Picasso inspired guitar collages. Inspired by Pablo Picasso, this process art collage is perfect for kids who are learning about art and practicing their creativity.
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Process art: What is it and why is it important?
