Drop Painting Process Art Tutorial for Preschoolers

Drop Painting Preschool Process Art

Drop painting is a fun way for children to explore and create a unique piece of art.
This project supports children as they learn they can combine ideas and materials to create any design they can imagine. ​

Materials

• Knee-high nylons (regular nylons will work too, just cut off at the knee) 1 per child
• Sand
• Washable tempera paint (variety of colors)
• Card stock or poster board
• Container for paint (a cookie sheet works well for this)
• *Optional: drop cloth

This fun activity is one of 200 hands on preschool activities featured in our Pre-K Play Ideas eBook! Purchase our eBook to have all of these activity pages at your fingertips.

Setup:

• Choose a location where messiness is of little concern and/or lay down a barrier such as a drop cloth.  The project does not make a significant mess, however there will be paint on the ground if not covered. 

Pour sand into the nylons, about a cup of sand works well. Tie a knot in the nylon near the top of the sand to keep the sand from falling out. 

• Squirt paint into your dish, a cookie sheet or tray works well for this project. Be sure to supply children with a variety of colors to choose from. 

• Prepare at least two pieces of paper for each child, they will want to repeat this process! In this case we chose both black poster board and white card stock. 
• Place the paper, a marker (in case children want to create even more pieces), and nylons in a container to bring to the creation station.
• *Optional- Paint will very likely get on their shoes. You might give them the option of removing them or placing booties over top. 
• Clear some wall space because the textures and patterns that result, beg to be put on display!

Process:

Before getting started invite children to explore the nylon sock. Questions to consider: How does the nylon sock feel? What do you notice about the sock? What do you know about sand? What do you think will happen during the art process? Have you ever created with any of these materials?

You're ready to invite the children to create! Give children a very brief explanation of the process, and then let them explore for themselves! ​

Children begin by dropping the nylon sock into the paint and then dropping it onto the paper. As the children create talk about the patterns and textures. Some of the sand drops out of the nylons and sticks to the paper adding to the complexity of the design.

Open exploration encourages children to experience the process through touch, smell, and sight.

Allow to dry and put on display!

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Beyond the Fun

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Having fun and getting children engaged is a key component in any preschool learning invitation.
Tying the fun to a learning standard or outcome is also important for being able to track what is being taught and balancing activities to reach all learning domains.
Here are some of the Pre-K Printable Fun Early Learning Standards that this experience ties to:

• Art and Creativity: Notices and describes visual and textural qualities
• Science and Discovery: Describes properties of rocks, soil & sand
• Physical Development: Moves whole body in a variety of ways
• Language & Literacy: Follows multiple step directions

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​Buy the eBook!

Save time planning your hands on preschool activities! Find detailed directions for this activity + 199 more in our Pre-K Play Ideas eBook! Print each activity page, or access them digitally!

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