Mosaic art includes fixing items onto a base surface using glue or other bonding agent. Although most common mosaics use stone or glass as decorative material, this project for preschoolers relies on the more suitable substances of yarn and non-toxic glue. This activity will help your preschooler boost her fine motor skills, improve color recognition, and explore art materials. Also, by allowing your child to apply the glue with minimal adult help, you can assist her in building valuable self-regulation abilities.
Make this colorful yarn mosaic by reusing items from around the house. Try cutting out the back of a used cereal box for a base. For a larger family project, cut a piece of card board from a moving box, electronics box, or other medium sized box.
What You Need:
- Cardboard
- Yarn in many colors
- Scissors
- Clear-drying non-toxic glue
What You Do:
- Ask your child for help in cutting the yarn as scissor skills are an important part of kindergarten and first grade. Take turns cutting pieces of different colored yarn with your child. Cut many different sizes short and long and everything in between.
- Now it's time to make some designs with your glue. Allow your child to create lines and patterns on the cardboard with the glue however she likes.
- Ask your child to cover the glue lines with the yarn, following along the designs she's made using the different sized pieces of yarn in any combination. If some of the glue has dried, more can be added at this time.
- Repeat until your child feels that the mosaic is complete.
- Set aside to dry.
This art activity works well for preschoolers in need of experience manipulating small objects to develop fine motor skills.
By Erica Loop
Erica Loop has a MS in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pinttsburgh's School of Education. She has many years of teaching experience working in early childhood education, and as an arts educator at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
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