Color and shape abstract art activity

In this art activity, your child explores different shapes to create abstract art.

Help your child use her knowledge of color and shape to create an abstract art composition.

What you’ll need for this art activity

Crayons
Drawing paper
Different colored construction paper
Scissors
Paste or glue

Here’s how to do this art activity

Ask your child what shapes she can name and draw: circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. Challenge her to draw the shapes in different ways. For example, a long thin rectangle, a small circle, a big circle, a large triangle. Invite your child to cut out shapes in different colored construction paper.

Explain that she will experiment with the placement of the shapes on the drawing paper before gluing them down. Suggest putting one shape high, one low, touching one side of the paper, overlapping another shape, putting one shape in the middle of another shape. Then have your child glue the shapes to the paper.

Discuss the mood that the artwork conveys. Does it seem energetic or peaceful? Happy or sad? Explain that abstract art uses colors and shapes to express a feeling or mood. It doesn’t have to look like anything we recognize.