Canvas Art Kid's Craft

-This post sponsored by The Genius of Play-

Today I am partnering with The Genius of Play, an organization that focuses on the importance of play in a child's life, and I have a fun kid's craft to share to help get kids out from in front of the tv and doing something creative.

I know in our family I truly believe that it is so important for kids to play, to use their imaginations, to make things and be creative. However, it is so easy for technology to become the focus. whether it is tv, computers, phones, tablets, or video games. Sometimes it seems like my kids would rather sit in front of a screen watching kids on YouTube play with toys instead of playing with toys themselves. I really don't understand it but having talked to other parents I know my kids are not the only ones. Also, I know that when my kids get to much screen time they get grouchy, mean, and lazy. They fight more with each other and don't help out

Play can be beneficial to the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development of children, as well as helping them communication skills and creativity. You can learn more about the benefits of play on The Genius of Play's website. I wanted to focus on the creativity aspect because I feel very passionately about the importance of kids developing creativity. I think it is because I am a creative person and I can see the benefits that has had in my life. I also believe that everyone can be creative, maybe not in the same way as me, but in their own way. Being creative allows you to dream, to use your imagination, come up with new ideas, and think outside the box, skills that are important for children to develop no matter what career they choose when they grow up or where their life takes them.

My kids, and especially my girls, love to make things with me. It is hard sometimes because I am working on a project for my blog and want it to be nice for pictures so I don't want them to help, or I don't want them to use supplies that I bought for a specific project. Sometimes the messiness of crafting with kids can be a little overwhelming. A few weeks ago I made a painted canvas project. Paint is my kids favorite, so when they saw me painting they all wanted to paint too. That is where I got the idea for this project.

This is a simplified version of the hot mess canvas I posted a few weeks ago, instead of using a vinyl cutout I just used stickers. I figured that way you don't need any special equipment and it really gives the kids control over their project. All you need is a small canvas, a few colors of paint, some stickers, and paintbrushes. I did it with my 5 year old while the other kids were in school and she loved it. I stayed with her and supervised but she was able to do most of it herself. I really tried to just step back and let her make it the way she wanted to.

How to Make Canvas Art for Kids

You will need:

• a small canvas (I used a thin 6" x 6" canvas that I picked up in a 3 pack from Walmart)
• acrylic paint in a variety of colors (I used an assortment of craft paint that I had on hand)
• white acrylic paint or another color that will be high contrast to the other colors you are using
• paintbrushes (I used both a round brush and a foam brush)
• a palette or a paper plate to put the paint on
• a variety of stickers in simple shapes (hearts, stars, circles, letters, etc.)

Instructions:

Begin by filling the palette or plate with a few different colors of paint. We used 4 colors, pink, purple, light blue, and a teal color. Give the child a paintbrush, we used just a normal round brush for this, and let them paint until the entire canvas is filled. I didn't bother having her rinse out the brush between colors because everything kind of mixes together, but if you want to make sure you have a cup of water and paper towel nearby. 

Once the entire surface is covered set the painting aside to dry. 

After the paint dries give the child some stickers and let them stick them on the canvas. you will be painting over the stickers so all that matters is the shape of the sticker. Once they have as many stickers on the canvas as they want make sure they are stuck down really well and you are ready to move on to the next step. 

Put some white paint on you palette and using the foam brush cover everything with a coat of white paint. 

Let the white paint dry slightly but not all the way. Carefully lift the edges of the stickers and pull off the canvas. 

You will be left with spots in the shapes of the stickers where you can see the colors your child painted in the first step. Let it dry completely and enjoy your child's one of a kind work of art.