Snowman Art Project for Preschoolers
Winter Themed Visual Arts for the Early Childhood Classroom
Jan 8, 2009
Making snowmen in the classroom can be a simple, yet developmentally beneficial project for the young children. Using materials such as paper and glue through collage processes can help children to increase fine motor skills, improve aesthetic development, and gain awareness about their environment.
Snowman Lesson Objectives
- Explore collage as an artistic process
- Improve fine motor skills (i.e., manipulating objects such as scissors, tearing paper, and glueing small materials)
- Increase aesthetic awareness
- Develop a basic understanding for weather patterns and seasons
- Follow a specific process sequence
- Shape and size recognition
Grade Level for the Snowman Project
Preschool: Suggested ages are older three's through five years.
Snowman Art Materials
- Construction paper (white)
- Tissue paper (white plus any additional colors)
- Glue/ glue sticks
- Crayons
Snowman Art Process Steps
- Each child should begin with three different sized circles (one for the bottom, middle, and top of the snowman). These should be made out of the white construction paper and can be pre-cut by an adult or made by the children. If the children are making the circles, it may be helpful to provide a circle shaped template to trace first.
- Invite the children to sort the circles based on size. Have the children glue three circles together with the biggest on the bottom, mid sized in the middle, and the smallest on top. Allow the children to place the circles independently. Demonstrate and explain how to overlap each circle when placing them together. This may be done with an additional sheet of construction paper used as a backing or a base.
- Using crayons, allow each child to mark specific features of their snowmen. For example, buttons, a scarf, eyes, nose, and mouth. These marks will later be covered with different colors of tissue paper.
- The children will then glue white tissue paper onto the snowman form (leaving space where the crayon marks have been made). The tissue paper can be cut or torn, and overlapped or crumpled and glued. Crumpling or scrunching the paper first will give a highly textured effect.
- Give the children additional colors of tissue paper and invite them to tear or cut small pieces that can be glued over the crayon marks.
Snowman Art Project Lesson Wrap Up
After the snowmen have dried have a mini-art show and share. Ask the children to talk about the process that they used. For example, "What was easy?", " What was difficult?", " What steps did you take?", or "What shapes/ colors did you use, and why?".
Following a simple collage based step process young children can readily make this wintery art project. Place the snowmen on on a class wall, and utilize this child made display when talking about the winter season and snowy weather.
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