These interactive and playful collaborative art projects for preschoolers engage children in quick activities that build their people skills.

They’ll be cooperating and playing alongside each other and naturally building their people skills, and begin to cooperate. Simple, process art collaborative art for preschoolers is highly impactful: Check out these three collaborative art ideas that your preschoolers will love!

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – ‘Mia’s Rose’

This pink, blue and white process art abstract piece was created socially by a preschooler and her mum (me and my daughter!) using brushwork, stamping with balloons, sponges, objects, stencilling, scraping, collage, marble painting and gravity. We used a limited colour scheme as you can see, only one colour per session, and sessions were only as long as she needed, as she was about 18 months when we started it. It hangs on her wall, and is actually about door-sized, so a big surface to play with.

Reflection:

This was a fun project, I encourage you to do it too. All my kids have one (and they change over time). We got large printed canvases from a budget shop, and simply painted over them. We added a cat stencil to them all which represent our pet cat. See if you can spot her.

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – Our Playgroup People Painting

This large canvas artwork was created with 30+ layers of process art techniques done weekly with around 20 preschoolers, their parents and carers. Paints, collage, stickers, chalk, gems, nail polish, paint pens and more can be seen. Preschoolers build skills easily by repetition and observation of each other – artists learn by copying, and modelling techniques works great. Simply say “Do this” and demonstrate, then hand it over and encourage ANY attempt with “Wow, you did it!”

Reflection:

Parents often don’t want endless bits of paper with art on them, and as our playgroup was in a shared space it was ineffective to leave paper around drying – so instead I did this – pulled out a large canvas each week and offered a technique to play around with one colour. This is the result!

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – Another Playgroup People Painting

This Playgroup People Painting was also created with many layers of process art techniques done weekly with around 20 preschoolers, their parents and carers. Paints, collage, stickers, gems, nail polish, stencils and more can be seen. Periodically I’d add some circles and spirals for structure – it gives the kids something to paint around and inside, something simple to interact with. An odd number, 3 – 5 works well.

Reflection:

We essentially used a random colour each week and explored a process art technique as needed to engage the kids that were there – one toddler for example ran a toy car through paint all over the artwork as that was what got him engaged and excited to do the activity. It’s all about the process – next week they do something else, and glimpses show through, building up the visual sophistication! I have also used a big box for this type of collaborative art – we pulled it out, played on it each week, then put it away. At the end of the year it was taken by someone in the school for a display then never seen again – so after that I did canvases that could be hung on the wall.

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – Conclusion:

Creating collaborative art for preschoolers is simple – add layers of process art techniques on a large canvas so there is plenty of space to play. Building confidence and bravery to experiment and play while cooperating with others on a singular artwork confers essential skills for preschool learning. Try it!

Discover more tips about how to create collaborative art for preschoolers: Join my Inner Circle email list to receive “Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home”, my free 7 page step by step guide making it effortless for you to paint a unique artwork using my three fun stages with a group of people in your life. I love collaborative social art and want to share it with you!

Let’s Chat:

Creating collaborative art for preschoolers generally terrifies people. Some people won’t even begin as they are scared of the potential mess. Never fear, the layers will save you. A splodgy area of colour gives the next child an area to draw on. Every mark adds to the whole. Variation is the spice of collaborative art! But add that variation one colour at a time, one technique, medium or process at a time, for ease.

After seeing the collaborative art examples above, what is the key takeaway you’ll be remembering for creating art with preschoolers?