Discover Why Collaborative Art for Preschoolers is Essential for Early Learning.

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers - pink, blue and white process art abstract piece created socially by a preschooler and her mum using brushwork, stamping, stencilling, scraping, collage, marble painting and gravity.

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers - Our Playgroup People Painting with 30+ layers of process art techniques done weekly with around 20 preschoolers and their parents and carers.

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 practicing cooperation. Simple, process art is highly effective for preschoolers. 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 collaborative project 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 was used per session. The sessions were only as long as she needed. 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 was built up over time with more than 30 joyful layers of process art techniques. Each week, a small group of preschoolers, parents, and carers added something new—paint, collage, stickers, chalk, gems, nail polish, paint pens, and more. Across the year, around 20 different painters contributed.

Preschoolers build skills naturally through repetition and by watching each other, and you. Artists learn by copying—so modelling is magic. Simply say, “Do this,” as you make a mark, then pass the tool and celebrate any attempt:
✨ “Wow, you did it!”
✨ “You made some dots! Dot, dot, dot!”
✨ “You’re painting! Do more—add some over here too!” (Point to a random spot.)

Then help them reflect by asking, “Which is your favourite part?” Agree with their choice and share your own. It gently shifts focus away from perfection and helps even shy children feel confident enough to contribute.

Reflection:

Parents often don’t want endless bits of paper with art on them. Our playgroup was in a shared space, making it ineffective to leave paper around drying. So instead, I pulled out a large canvas each week. I offered a technique to play around with one colour. These artworks are the result!

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers: Playgroup Painting

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – Another Playgroup People Painting

This Playgroup People Painting was created with many layers of process art techniques. These techniques were done weekly with around 20 preschoolers, their parents and carers. Paints, collage, stickers, gems, nail polish, stencils and more can be seen.

Add Visual Prompts to Spark New Interaction

Pro Tip: Drop in a few large shapes to reset the rhythm—kids will naturally interact with them.

If the artwork starts to feel flat or too uniform, just drop in some bold, simple shapes to shake things up. I like to add an odd number of large visual prompts—three to five circles, arches, or spirals work brilliantly. These shapes instantly invite interaction: kids can paint around them, trace them, colour inside or outside them, or even create more of them. It’s a gentle way to guide the next layer without telling anyone what to do.

Spirals are my favourite—I often tuck them off to the side rather than in the centre. Arches that come in from the edge or sweep across a corner are great too. These marks create structure without taking over, giving young artists something familiar to respond to in their own way.

Reflection:

We used a random colour each week. We explored a process art technique as needed. This helped engage the kids that were there. For example, one toddler ran a toy car through paint all over the artwork. This got him engaged and excited to do the activity. It’s all about the process. Next week, they will do something else. Glimpses show through and build up the visual sophistication! I have also used a big box for this type of collaborative art. We pulled it out each week. We played on it and then put it away. At the end of the year, someone in the school took it for a show. It was never seen again. So after that, I created canvases that can be hung on the wall.

Messy But Meaningful: How Layers Turn Preschooler Paintings into Collaborative Treasures

Creating collaborative art for preschoolers often feels intimidating—especially when you imagine the mess. But here’s the secret: the mess is part of the magic. One child’s splodge becomes the next child’s inspiration. A colourful blob becomes a perfect spot for pattern play. Every mark adds to the whole. Let variation build slowly: one colour, one technique, or one material at a time. The result? Beautiful, layered artworks filled with joyful collaboration.

Collaborative Art for Preschoolers – Conclusion:

Creating collaborative art for preschoolers is simple. Use a large canvas and add layers of process art techniques. This ensures there is plenty of space to play. Building confidence and bravery to experiment and play is important. Cooperating with others on a singular artwork provides essential skills for preschool learning.

I URGE you to try it!

Happy Painting,

Charndra,
Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

Discover more tips about how to create collaborative art for preschoolers. Join my Inner Circle email list to get “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Method”. This is my free 7-page step-by-step guide. You can easily paint a unique artwork. Use 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:

Pattern Play Collaborative Art makes it easy to create something beautiful—together. No fancy skills needed—just a few simple group art resources and a willingness to play.

If you’re thinking of starting a project, I’d love to cheer you on!
Reply to one of my emails or get in touch via the Contact page and tell me what you’re dreaming up.

Collaborative art resources for preschoolers including Pattern Play Cards and a Colour Schemes Guide—Creative Starter Pack — Everything you need to get started with collaborative art for preschoolers—includes Pattern Play Cards and Colour Schemes Guide.

Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home - a simple step by step guide to creating your unique and beautiful artwork!

Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home: A Guide to Starting Your First Social Artwork

Have you ever dreamed of creating a beautiful piece of art with your family? Or with friends? You can do this right in the comfort of your home. Imagine a vibrant and unique canvas. It is filled with the creativity of everyone involved. The canvas features warm colours like red, yellow, pink, orange, coral, and white. This dream can become a reality with my free eBook, “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Method.” This 10-step guide makes the process simple and enjoyable, no matter your experience level.

Let’s dive into what you can expect from this exciting journey into collaborative creativity.

Join my Email List to receive this free guide.

Your Step-by-Step Guidance to Artistic Fun

This introductory, quick guide offers a straightforward, step-by-step approach to creating a collaborative artwork at home. It is designed to be accessible and fun for small groups, making it perfect for family gatherings or friendly get-togethers. The process is broken down into three main stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling!

Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home – Messy Playing:

This stage is all about letting go and having fun. You start by covering the table, laying out your supplies, and getting comfortable. The aim is to add clusters of marks. Paint simple circles, spirals, and arches using various colours and brush sizes. Don’t worry about making it perfect—this stage is about expression and spontaneity.

Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home: Exploration Stage - this image shows a thick brushwork marks in circles, swirls, dots and arrow shapes of acrylic paint in pinks, reds, yellows, corals and oranges in many overlapping layers. — Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home: Exploring Stage

Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home – Exploring:

Here, you begin to add more structure to your artwork. This is where my “Pattern Play” resources come into play. Each of you can use the simple patterns provided in the eBook to add layers. Focus on overlapping to build visual interest. The patterns are designed to be accessible to all ages and abilities. This ensures everyone can contribute meaningfully. Simply copy the patterns in different colours, sizes and clusters. People gain confidence through this strategy and start, well, exploring!

Creating Collaborative Artworks at Home – Bling!:

The final stage is where the magic happens. Using the pattern ideas, you’ll add embellishments with paint pens, sharpies, glitter glue, and dot stickers. This is the time to make the artwork sparkle and shine. It brings out the individuality and creativity of the artwork. Everyone loves this fun stage!

Unique Resources to Inspire Creativity

When you sign up for my email list to receive the guide. As a member you’ll get access to unique “Pattern Play” resources. These are hand-drawn examples from my other projects, designed to inspire and guide you. You can copy the patterns directly. You can also repeat them in different sizes and colours. Alternatively, use them as inspiration to create your own designs. This ensures that each artwork is unique and personalised, reflecting the collective creativity of the group.

Why Warm Colours?

Using a limited colour scheme, like warm colours, helps to create a cohesive and harmonious artwork. Warm colours like red, yellow, pink, orange and white are vibrant and inviting, encouraging a joyful and energetic atmosphere. They blend well together. This makes it easier for everyone to contribute. You don’t have to worry about colour clashes or mixing the wrong colours into a muddy mess! Of course, you could choose cool colours. I’d definitely suggest a harmonious set of colours for your first project.

Encouraging Creativity for All Ages and All Abilities

Creating collaborative artworks at home is wonderful. It includes and is accessible to all ages and abilities. The simple, guided steps guarantee that even those with no prior art experience can join in. Participants can feel proud of their contributions. It’s a wonderful way to bond with family and friends. It creates lasting memories and results in a beautiful piece of art to cherish.

How to Get Started With Your First Collaborative Artwork at Home!

To start your first social artwork at home, you should download my free eBook. The title is “How to Start Your First Social Artwork at Home.” It is a simple step by step guide to creating your unique and beautiful collaborative artwork. Sign up for my email list to receive the guide and unique “Pattern Play” resources. Gather your supplies. You will need a 30cm square canvas, a selection of warm-coloured paints, a few brushes, and some embellishments. Invite your family or friends to join you. Follow the 10 simple steps outlined in the eBook. Watch as your collaborative artwork comes to life over several sessions of painting together.

Creating collaborative artworks at home is more than just painting; it’s about connecting, exploring, and celebrating creativity together. Whether you’re searching for a fun activity for a family gathering, this guide will help you. If you want a unique way to spend time with friends, try creating something truly special.

Happy painting!

Charndra, Your Social Art Guide

P.S. To help you along your creative journey, you will get weekly emails. These emails contain further tips and encouragement for each stage of the creation process. These emails are designed to support and motivate anyone who feels the need for a little extra guidance. Sign up today and start your collaborative art adventure!

Let’s chat:

Are you keen to try this form of collaborative social art? It’s called ‘Pattern Play Collaborative Art’ because we layer approachable and accessible patterns from my ‘Pattern Play’ visual resources. These resources are tools. They help you create unique and beautiful collaborative art projects. You can paint with groups of people in your life!

The Power of Unity: Successful Collaborative Art Work Projects…

A collaborative art work called "Find Your Confidence" created by teenage girls as part of a social mural and social artwork project, showing swirling pinks, reds, peaches and yellows over a blue and aqua background.

Collaborative Art Work Project created by Primary School Children - Swirling blues, greens and aquas called "Aspiring to Success"

A collaborative art work painted by adult women who are carers of children with special educational needs, showing multi coloured circles, spirals and dots in overlapping patterns, called "Parents Time Out" Social artwork.

Discover the Thrill of Creating Collaborative Art Work!

Collaborative art work is awesome. Creating a painting with a group of people unites you in a shared creative experience. You grow in confidence as you paint with others. You move from place to place and interact with what each other is doing. You layer and overlap. You build your skills and confidence without comparison anxiety. You also avoid the performance pressure that we all feel painting our own individual artwork.

Let’s have a look at three collaborative art works from my own collection of social art projects:

Find Your Confidence in Creating the Layers of a Vibrant School Mural!

This collaborative art work, “Find Your Confidence”, was the ‘mobile mural’ of a public mural at their school. Aberfoyle Park High School is located in South Australia. It takes the mural inside on a canvas. It was painted alongside the large wall mural. This collaborative art work was created in a freeform style. The process involved a guided spontaneous form. The girls were directed to start painting circles, spirals, and dots of different sizes and colors. They then added to each other’s elements, layering patterns and marks. This process built on the visual complexity over several weeks.

Reflection:

This collaborative art work was created by a group of teenage girls. They painted out in public and built their confidence. They realised they can do more than they thought possible. People walking past who watched them paint were ‘zoned out’. In fact, those people were highly complimentary about what they were creating!

Aspire to Success by Using the ‘Success Strategies’ of Collaborative Art Projects.

This collaborative art work “Aspire to Success” was created by 120 junior primary students over three sessions. It connects to the school logo of IQRA College in South Australia. The kids had a great time in several rotating groups. Each level of kids did a different stage. The reception kids did ‘Messy Playing’ with sponging, stencilling, and scraping. The grade ones did ‘Exploring’ with medium and small brushes. The grade twos did ‘Bling!’ with paint pens, stickers, and glitter glue. SO many kids! This is a detail from 2 collaborative art projects created over three sessions.

Reflection:

This is one of two large canvases – needed with this many children, that’s for sure! The teachers told me some children accomplished more in this novel situation than they would in the regular classroom. It’s the novelty and the ‘group painting’ that allow shy children to be more adventurous. They can hide in some ways as they create with each other, moving around and being free to explore. They build their creative confidence and can then feel more capable to create in their individual art.

In this collaborative artwork, created in only one session, we used brushwork, stamping, layering and overlapping. It has a mixed colour palette. These days I would have a coloured background (the underpainting) and then layer cool then warm colours. Really, a background that is not stark white is a game changer! There are many ways to approach this. You can use one colour, an ombre, spray paint, or blotches of colours. All these techniques impact the final artwork. Most importantly, an underpainting frees people to start! That white canvas is very much a visual block.

Reflection:

This was my first collaborative art work. I worked with a group of fellow parent carers. This was part of our “Parents Time Out” activity for Mums of children with special educational needs. This is when I first felt the thrill of collaborative art. It led to the hundreds of artworks created with over two thousand people so far.

3 Collaborative Art Works – Conclusion:

These three collaborative art works show how different groups collaborate in art creation. Young children, teenagers, and adults enjoy creating together. In doing so, they paint truly unique artworks. These are developed from the dynamics of their group. This may involve ten ladies. It might also include 120 little kids just starting school. They have fun!

Discover how to create collaborative art works like these. Join my Inner Circle email list. I will give you “Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home”. It is my free 7-page step-by-step guide. You can easily paint a unique artwork. Use my three fun stages. Do this with a group of people in your life.

– Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

Let’s Chat:

I love spirals. Circles turn into spirals. Big, small, open or tight spirals look great on an artwork – they are my favourite shape.

Want to join the conversation? Head to my Facebook | Instagram | Threads to find the featured image. Share your thoughts on collaborative art.

Our Autumn Banner – an Exciting Collaborative Art Project for Primary Schools.

A collaborative art project for primary schools: ‘Our Autumn Banner’

This painted canvas banner was created with children in a vacation or holiday care program. It was my first circle painting project with kids. I Loved it. I’d done many murals and other group projects when I was a high school art teacher, but this type of collaborative art was just so terribly exciting for me – I love the energy I get from watching the thrill, enjoyment and peace of the kids when creating this way. There’s nothing like it!

Start with a circle, or three

The canvas banner had a russet colour, so we used pre-mixed autumn colours for our limited colour scheme. Limited colour schemes are key! Colours such as dusky pinks, browns, oranges, warm reds, ochres, golds, as well as silver and some black. Far more options than I would use at any one time these days, with so many projects completed. To create this collaborative art project the primary school aged kids began with a circle, as this is how all circle painting begins. We add another circle, perhaps a bigger one, then another. We go from there, outlining someone else’s circle, changing to a different colour, doing some dots or interesting patterns around a circle. We move to the other side of the canvas and see where our circles might be needed. We add some dots. Dots are found in the earliest art of so many cultures around the world. We used glitter paint for our BLING stage!

Embracing overlap

One focus of creating this artwork was to accept layering – that partially covering the work of each other really builds up the richness of the surface and looks GREAT! It gives interesting shapes, new shapes to interact with, new ideas to repeat. A little bit of the layer below always shows through, giving us glimpses of the earlier layers as we become more confident in playing with the paint and the shapes.

No mistakes – Just differences…

Another focus was that there are no mistakes – just differences that will look great as a whole. The first hour was almost silent as the kids focused so intently on exploring their visual creativity while ‘in the zone’… Then they got to chatting as they moved around, experimented, trying different colours, brushes and shapes as I encouraged them to overlap, copy each other and try ideas from the set of colourful circle- based artworks we looked over before starting to paint.

A collaborative art project for primary schools – Conclusion:

This project resulted in a beautifully autumn flavoured banner that still catches the eye of anyone entering the OSHC space. It’s warm and busy and has so many areas for your eyes to wander around. This was my first collaborative art project in a primary school. It is quite simple. I have now done over 60 projects with more than 2000 people. WOW. Today, I would add more layers – in fact at my next visit to the school we will be doing that, adding a new layer with the mostly different collection of children, and calling the project “Autumn Banner Redux”. I’ll be sure to show the results in a future post.

Our collaborative art project was a success!

Discover how to create collaborative art projects like these for your primary school – Join my Inner Circle email list so I can give you “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Collaborative Art Method”, 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!

Happy Painting!
Charndra – Your Inclusive Social Art Guide

Ready to try group art that connects people? Start with Pattern Play resources!

Whether you’re a teacher, a facilitator, or simply someone who loves the idea of bringing people together through art, I’ve got everything you need to start:

Shop for Pattern Play Resources

Let’s chat:

Four Inspiring Collaborative Art Projects to Spark Your Creativity (Created with Groups) from Painting Around is Fun!

Exploring Collaborative Art Projects for All Ages

Let’s check out these four inspiring collaborative art projects. They were created with a range of people, including kids, children and teens. Adults and people living with disabilities also participated. Everyone is creative and always enjoy the thrill of painting around each other! All these social artworks were painted by groups of people.

The Magic of Collaborative Art Projects

Collaborative art has a unique energy. When many people (even a couple of us) come together, each brings their own flair and creativity. The outcome is a rich, layered blend of ideas. It extends beyond what one person achieves alone. This process fosters a unique shared vision. I call my form of collaborative art inclusive social art.

In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to four examples of these collaborative art projects. These artworks were created with myself as the social art guide. They were collectively painted by more than 450 people.

“Growing Together” – A Collaborative Art Project Created With Children.

This collaborative art project involved 30 primary school children aged 4-13. They participated in a summer holiday or vacation care program over three sessions. This was he first time they had done such a project, and wow, were they proud of the result!

A collaborative art project showing a swirling artwork of cool blues, greens and purples. — “Growing Together’ Collaborative Art Projects are Fun to Create!

Reflection: This painting taught us the importance of sharing space together. Thirty kids painted around each other during the sessions called Messy Playing, Exploring, and BLING! It all came together in this beautiful cooperative piece of art.

“Mia’s Rose” – One of the Collaborative Art Projects Created with My Daughter.

This collaborative art project was created by my daughter and I from when she was about 18 months old. Each 5 minute session we used either a blue or a pink, with some white. I’d offer her different sized brushes and stamps like balloons and other items to transfer paint on the canvas. Ten years later, this door-sized canvas hangs on her bedroom wall. We periodically add new layers. Purple is her new favourite colour, so that will be added next. We’ve painted through toddler, to preschooler, to primary school!

An abstract collaborative art project with blues and pinks created by a mother and daughter team. — “Mia’s Rose” a 2 person collaborative art project

Reflection: This artwork showcases how much fun collaborative art projects are for children. Even a five minute session was enough for a toddler. She enjoyed the creative control of choosing the colour each time, the equipment used (balloons, stencils, stamps, brushes…) Can you see our cat?

“Safety” – One Of A Set Of Two Collaborative Art Projects Created With Teenagers.

"Safety', an artwork of swirling light and dark blues, greens and purples. — “Safety” An inclusive Social Artwork created by teenagers.

Reflection: This artwork showcases how a group of teenagers who had never met each other can create something extraordinary. They did this in only a few hours. They key is a limited colour scheme and closed choices – simple “Pattern Play” ideas to copy. I have MANY Pattern Play visual resources to help you create beautiful layers!

“Community” – From A Set of Three Collaborative Art Projects Created With Members of the Public.

During the inaugural Art Story Artist in Residence program at Westfield Marion in 2022, I engaged with the public. I spent two weeks painting with over 600 members. We worked on three collaborative art projects. We worked on this one every day. One was in cool colours and another in warm colours. This one had both. On any day, we added layers of patterns in either warm or cool colours. This ensured that we had no muddy colours blotching up our artworks.

Colourful collaborative art project created by a large group of people — ‘Community’, an inclusive social art project

Reflection: This project was a testament to the power of community, with everybody working together to create something beautiful. Hundreds of people added their marks to this piece over the two week program.

Conclusion:

Collaborative art projects are fun and look best when they turn out well. No one wants to end up with muddy colors. To keep it eye-catching, use a limited color palette. Layer warm and cool colors separately when dry to avoid mixing them. This way, everyone can be proud of their unique creation and eager to share it!

Discover how to create collaborative art projects like these. Join my Inner Circle email list to get “Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home”. This is my free 7 page step by step guide. Creating a unique artwork is effortless. Use 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!

Trends in colour palettes change all the time. My favourite is called “Utopia”. I’ve based it on the series of that name. This inspired a series of collaborative artworks. I’m painting these artworks with my kids.

Want to join the conversation? Head to my Facebook | Instagram | Threads to find the featured image. Share your thoughts on collaborative art!

Discover how to do collaborative art. Welcome to Painting Around is Fun!

Hello World! Welcome to Painting Around is FUN!

Painting Around is Fun is where I share my collaborative, inclusive social art projects created with groups of people. Anyone, of any age or ability, can join in—like YOU!

Here’s how Pattern Play Collaborative Art works:

Messy Playing:

Start with a coloured canvas. Use big brushes to create circles, spirals, and arches along the edges. Add clusters of marks like dots, dashes, and simple swirls.

Exploring:

Use medium, then smaller brushes to layer patterns from my unique ‘Pattern Play’ resources over the artwork. You’ll interact with what other painters are adding, embracing overlapping and building up the piece together.

Bling!:

Add the finishing touches with patterns and decorative elements using paint pens. You can add some sparkle with gems. Glitter works great too. Use gold leaf to finish the artwork with a touch of bling.

Here are several of the many collaborative group artworks I have created since 2017. I did my first collaborative art project, Our Autumn Banner, with a group of twelve primary school kids. I was hooked!

My Name is Charndra. (Like ‘Sandra’ with a ‘Ch’)

I’m a high school art teacher, and I’m also a behaviour therapist for my son, who has special needs. As a parent and carer, I now focus on being an Inclusive Social Artist. I share the fun of making art together in groups. This is done one project at a time. All my experiences have led to developing a style of collaborative art. I call this style ‘Pattern Play Collaborative Art’ based on the inclusive patterns we layer.

You’ll love my unique way of creating art together!

Painting with a group of friends is so much fun. You can watch the artwork grow as everyone adds their touch. My ‘Pattern Play’ resources make it easy to be creative. Just enjoy the process—no pressure. Don’t worry about comparing your work to others. You’ll be amazed at what a group can achieve together, and the approach I’ve developed always leads to success!

The artworks start out blank, but they will turn out GREAT!

I have an email group called my ‘Inner Circle’ because we always start with circles in our projects. Each week, I share a peek into the 60+ projects I’ve created with over 2,200 people across South Australia.

I invite you to join my Inner Circle today! You’ll get “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Collaborative Art Method” It’s a free 7-page step-by-step guide. It makes it easy to create a unique artwork with a group of friends or family, students, team mates or clients. I’m passionate about collaborative social art and excited to share this experience with you!

Free downloadable guide titled “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Collaborative Art Method” with vibrant abstract patterns and paintbrushes in background.

– Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

Let’s Chat.

Are you keen to try this form of collaborative social art? It’s called ‘Pattern Play Collaborative Art’ because we layer approachable and accessible patterns from my ‘Pattern Play’ Creative Resources. These resources are tools. They help you create unique and beautiful collaborative art projects. You can collaborate with groups of people in your life!

Tap ‘Reply’ to one of my emails and say “Hi!” or send me a line via my Contact Page, I love talking about collaborative group artwork ideas!

Collaborative Art Projects for All Ages

Easy, Fun & Connected: Art Projects for Every Group

community art