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    Home » Crafts

    Art Activity: Square Collage

    Modified: May 4, 2022 · Published: Jul 22, 2013 by Vicky · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    810 shares
    • 8

    We love open ended art projects here at Mess For Less. It's so much fun for a child to sit down and create without any pressure or expectation of how something will turn out. I wanted to share a simple art activity that uses supplies most of you probably already have at home. We made a colorful square collage using construction paper and glue. If you are looking for more fun art ideas, you might enjoy this Watercolor Art Tape Resist.

    Open ended art activity - Children create a collage using paper squares and glue.

    You will need:

    • Construction paper
    • Ruler
    • Glue
    • Q-tips
    • Small cup
    • Scissors
    • Pencil

    You can cut whatever size squares you want. We did 1" x 1" inch squares. I used 9" x 12" paper and cut it in half and then drew a grid of 1 x 1 squares on it using a ruler and pencil. I just cup the paper in half to make it easier to cut. You can certainly make your grid on the full size paper. Cut out the squares.

    supplies for art activity

    Once you have the squares cut out, provide an assortment of them to your child along with a cup of glue and a q-tip. If you have an older child who can squeeze glue out of a bottle, you can just use that.

    I used black construction paper as the background since I think all the colors really pop off of it.

    tray, glue and paper squares

    Now your child can let their creativity shine.

    gluing squares

    You can see how my daughter is getting in some fine motor practice while she carefully applies glue to her square.

    practicing fine motor skills through art

    My youngest experimented with a different method of applying glue. She spread some glue on the black paper first and then stuck her squares on top.

    child doing art activity

    I loved watching the different ways my kids approached making art with the squares. My daughter made one piece where she glued the squares in a straight line.

    child gluing squares onto black paper

    For her second piece, she decided to try and use the squares to make a picture.

    kids artwork

    You can see how she made a flower with some green grass on the bottom, the blue sky, and a yellow sun. Notice how she turned her green and yellow squares to make a diamond when creating the sun and grass. Such a great detail!

    square art

    One of my girls was determined to cover every square inch (pun intended) of her paper with colorful squares. She kept running out of squares and I had to keep cutting more.

    learning about squares

    No matter what kind of artwork your child creates, there is much to be learned in the process. In this square collage activity, kids will work on the following skills - fine motor, sensory, spatial relations, sequencing, and problem solving. This would be a great project to work on if you are learning about shapes.

    Open ended art activity - Children create a collage using paper squares and glue.

    What are some of your favorite simple ways to be creative with your kids?

    For more fun art activities check out:

    Black Glue and Salt Watercolor Rainbow

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    1. hey says

      July 23, 2013 at 7:09 pm

      I also like open ended art projects that allow children to express themselves. Great fine motor skill development with this square collage.

      Going to tweet it out for indoor fun on a hot day!

      jeannine: waddleeahchaa.com

      Reply
    2. P is for Preschooler says

      July 23, 2013 at 6:39 pm

      Saw this in the morning, when I first got up, then looked out the window at a rainy day. So this was our activity! Thank you for the timely idea:)

      Reply
    3. Anna says

      July 23, 2013 at 3:28 pm

      Love these simple crafts! Thanks!

      Reply
    Vicky from Mess for Less

    I'm Vicky, the founder of Mess For Less, which I started in 2011 to share easy, family-friendly recipes. With over a decade of experience as a home chef and recipe developer, I love creating meals that bring people together. I also design play and learning activities for kids, using my background as a former teacher with a Master’s degree in education. Learn more about me.

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