7 Sensory Art Activities to Delight Your Preschool Artist

There’s something about slimy, sticky art messes that brings about polar opposites in you and your preschooler. He giggles away while you stand in disbelief and try to mentally add how many paper towels this particular cleanup will require.

And yet, there’s nothing quite like the joyous laughter that takes over your child when you observe him partaking in a rousing bit of sensory art. So, what gives? Is all that mess and ruckus really necessary?

In a word, yes. The sensory element, cites PBS kids, has the benefit of improving his linguistic, cognitive and problem-solving skills.

Um… if the trade-off is a little bit of mess to give my kid a whole host of life skills, then bring on the ooey gooey preschool art!

But hey, don’t give up your dream of a tidy home. Make cleanup a part of process. This has added benefits as well. The sensory exploration continues and your sanity remains intact.

Sanity, my personal experience has shown, is ultra important in child rearing.

Bottom line: when art can delight as many of his senses as possible, the fun truly begins for your mini Monet. Here are 7 sensory art activities for preschoolers that will bring about a case of delighted smiles as your child creates away.

1. Marble painting

Painting involves enough senses, but as you’ve learned when your child approaches anything, more is best! Add some rumble and roar to your painting by bringing in marbles.

Marble Shoe Box Painting

1. Grab some marbles, a shoebox and paint.
2. Squirt some paint near the four corners of your shoebox.
3. Place a marble anywhere in your shoe box and tilt that thing back and forth and side to side to get your painting going. Add more marbles and repeat as desired.

2. Shaving cream and glue art

When you hand over one —or two— more cookies to your child during snack time, you feel like a rule-breaking rebel. Sure you’ll pay a sugar high price, but once in a while won’t hurt.

With your shaving cream and glue creations, you’ll be letting your preschool artist temporarily kick the “dot-dot, not a lot” glue rule to the curb.

The coolest (shaving cream) puffy paint

1. Squirt out ½ cup of shaving cream into a bowl.
2. Get your child to rebelliously squirt out ¼ cup washable school glue into said bowl and mix away. Your paint is ready.
3. Grab the heaviest paper you can find. Card stock performs best, but construction paper works in a pinch.
4. Grab a paintbrush and get to it!
   

   Photo by Doug McCaughan / CC

Be a super parent and add food coloring to make different paint colors. I mean, that’s cool. I, for one, have no issue with my child painting nothing but clouds, bubbles, snowmen and snowflakes.

3. Salt sough creations

Salt dough is a marvelous 3-ingredient medium that allows your child to create long-lasting works of art. Bonus: you’ll get a great exfoliating session all for the price of being artsy alongside your child.

Salt Dough How-to

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 1-cup salt with 2 cups of flour.
2. Slowly incorporate ¾ cup of water until thoroughly combined.
3. Get to creating! Use this dough as you would use play dough. Your child can create anything from shapes, to homes, to toy food etc.
4. Leave your creations out to dry for a day or so. Alternatively, you can bake them in your oven at the lowest temperature until they have thoroughly hardened.*

After your creations are rock-hard, you can have your child paint them for added “wow.”

Pro parent tip: when you sit down to create alongside your little one, respect the process and the product.

I once challenged my small sculptor to build a home (envisioning, the stereotypical triangle shape supported by a square base) and was instead presented with a circular mound. “It’s a home!”

Smile and say, “Heck yeah, it is!”

*Baking time depends on the thickness of your creation. 

4. Sand pictures

Want to bring the beach experience home (minus the sunburns and the I-don’t-want-to-go-home-yet tantrums)? Here’s your answer.

Sand Art

1. Grab a bottle of washable school glue. This will be your writing and drawing medium.
2. Have your little one draw a sand castle on a piece of paper. Alternatively, you can just have your darling squeeze out pictures or designs to her hearts content.
3. Sprinkle sand over the completed product to add that unique rough element to her work. Shake off excess sand.
4. Let the sand art dry.
   

   Photo by Emma Craig / CC

No sand on hand? Use salt. The point is to add a 3-D element and unique feel to your child’s work.

Definitely do NOT use sugar. After a failed sugar cube building project, I vowed that sugar is not for art. Unless the sensory experience you want involves a kitchen teeming with ants just waiting to make you itch.

5. Paper bag puppets

Create a piece of art that can do more than just hang out on your kitchen fridge collecting dust and rogue bits of leftovers.

With a paper bag puppet, your child can let his creativity run wild all while making a purposeful keepsake.

First, have your child plan his puppet. Will it be a crab, a snowman or a person? Then, grab a paper bag and whatever you have stowed away in your box of random art bits. Finally, bring that puppet to life!

6. Tissue paper lanterns

This one requires a bit more effort than the other preschool art activities, but the end result is worth it.

1. Get one or two balloons (trust me, you’ll want to get in on the fun as well), a bottle of washable school glue, different-colored tissue paper pieces (2 inches in length), a paintbrush and a cereal bowl.
2. Blow up your balloon.
3. Place your balloon on your bowl, narrow side down.
4. Squirt out ¼ of glue into a plastic cup and slowly add water until the glue is thin enough to spread about with a brush.
5. Use your paintbrush to spread the glue and water solution onto your balloon and place tissue paper pieces on your balloon accordingly. Use the paintbrush to smooth out any paper bunches or wrinkles.
6. Repeat until your balloon (except the bowl-trapped part) is finished.
7. Let that thing dry on its bowl stand.
8. Pop your balloon. Or if is has withered away, lament that it’s youth is going the way of yours and move on.

Your lantern is ready. Place a battery-powered tea light at the bottom of your finished lantern to watch the colors dance.

7. Painting on different textures

The thing that makes preschool art so great is that there is no wrong way to use materials or to approach activities. There’s the messy way and there’s the super messy way.

Hunt down the most unconventional bits that you’re willing to part with —because preschoolers, that’s why– and make up your own sensory art.

For example, try having your child paint coffee filters, bubble wrap, palm fronds, dried leaves and paper bags.

Unique textures (that often make cool sounds) when being painted are waiting to be uncovered around your home.

Find them quickly before your child beats you to it!