This collection of the best printmaking projects for kids is pure joy, fun, and creativity! All of these activities use simple, inexpensive supplies for HOURS of art fun. Trust me, once you try printmaking, you’ll be hooked.
I am utterly obsessed with printmaking projects for kids
Obessed, I tell you.
I have always known that I love doing printmaking projects with kids, but it wasn’t until I was teaching at a conference recently where I caught myself saying “printmaking” 100x in each class that I realized I am, indeed, utterly obsessed.
Once you enter the glorious world of printmaking, you’ll be hooked, too.
As a preschool teacher who LOVES process art AND beautiful final pieces, this is everything and more.
Related: Speaking of process art, kids love, love, love our giant 10-foot coloring banners and no two ever look exactly the same.
What is printmaking?
After having explained printmaking many times, I think the easiest way to understand it is by thinking of stamps.
On a stamp is a design. Once the stamp gets some color on it from things like a stamp pad or paint, it’s then pressed onto paper and the design transfers to the paper. It makes prints.
You can stamp over and over and over again, exploring different colors, sizes, amounts, and media. Every time you stamp your design, you are printmaking.
Now, instead of always using the kind of stamps that you find on the stamp aisle in a craft store, we’re going to make our own creative “stamps” using things like foam shapes, bubble wrap, balloons, baking sheets, and even BUBBLES!
The best printmaking projects for kids:
Baking Sheet Printmaking
Kids use their fingers to “draw” designs onto the bottom of painted baking sheets and the sky is truly the limit. These are also fun to do for theme and holiday art projects.
Easy Rainbow Painting for Kids
Excuse me while I try to pick my jaw up off of the ground over how GORGEOUS THESE ARE! They’re beyond perfect. And. it’s a “blotter” style project where you only paint half of a rainbow to make a full rainbow. Check it out!
Bubble Prints
Water, dish soap, coloring, and a straw make for such a fun, creative printmaking activity. Don’t miss the straw trick that keeps kids from sucking up your colorful, soapy solution!
Foam Shape Collagraphs
This is one of the first activities that led to my printmaking obsession. Use regular or sticker foam shapes to make reusable collagraphs (you’re going to want to make a ton of these).
Foam Shape Heart Collagraphs
These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or absolutely any day of the year. Plus, you can save your “plate” to use again and again.
Snowflake Printmaking
Another fun way to use your foam shapes! Foam shapes are such a limitless supply and these snowflakes are truly gorgeous.
Oil and Food Coloring Marbling
This printmaking dream is not only an art project, but it’s also a science project. We love any opportunity we have to connect the art and science worlds with one another. Two birds, one stone!
Lemon Stamps
I joke that I pick my friends based off whether or not they have lemon trees. This project is not only a lovely printmaking project, but it’s also a sensory art projects and it SMELLS SO GOOD!
Apple Stamps
I also pick my friends based off of who has apple trees. 😉 This printmaking project can easily be turned into a five-senses activity where kids can taste, smell, touch, listen to, and feel apples.
DIY Printmaking Rollers
Save your empty paper towel tubes and turn them into DIY printmaking rollers. Using materials like hot glue, bubble wrap, stickers, and rubber bands, these custom rollers are a printmaking dream.
DIY Heart Stamps
Turn foam shapes from simple art supplies into creative stamps! How fun are these (and also how fun would these be with all kinds of different seasonal and holiday shapes)?
Muffin Tin Printmaking
We make these for just about every holiday and season imaginable. A muffin tin is an adorable printmaking tool for making ladybugs, bees, spiders, pumpkins…there’s no end in sight.
Marker and Foil Prints
These. Are. Addicting. To. Make. And the best part? They use materials that you likely already have on hand, including markers, water, and aluminum foil. Cannot love these more.
DIY Heart Stamps
You can turn cut-up pieces of paper towel tubes into heart stamps in just seconds. We have done this activity on white paper before, but there’s something extra fun about doing this technique on black paper, too.
Preschool Portrait Printmaking
We’re face painting without getting any paint on your face. It’s so fun and you’ve got to see how we make these.
Fall Tree Art
Another fun way to transform an ordinary paper towel tube into an extraordinary piece of art! This activity went viral when shared and it’s easy to see why.
Balloon Printing
My favorite part about balloon printmaking is how your “stamp” bounces! These are energetic, fun, creative, gross- and fine-motor prints that your kids won’t be able to get enough of.
Bubble Wrap Heart Art
The next time you get a piece of bubble wrap in a package, save it to make these darling bubble wrap hearts (you can even cut your paper into different shapes, too).
Bubble Wrap Christmas Trees
See how fun one piece of bubble wrap can be? I love how endless this can be with the size, color, and shape of Christmas trees that you can add. Truly so beautiful.
Christmas Bow Stamping
We call these “Christmas bows” but you can easily do this activity at any time of the year. How fun would these be using “birthday bows” at a birthday party, too?
Painting with Peeps Easter Printmaking
Absolutely and completely in love with these. While Peeps might not be my favorite for eating, they sure are my favorite for stamping! Such an easy, festive project.
Finger Print Apple Trees
No list of printmaking activities could be complete without fingerprints! We love not only how adorably each of these come out, but also how much fun kids have making art with their fingers. So fun.
Symmetrical Smoosh Haunted House
I invented this one as I went and it was a blast from beginning to end. I made this full haunted house by only making half of a haunted house. Check out how!
Jack-o-Lantern Printmaking
We made these using pizza trays from the Dollar Tree! This activity connects painting and drawing and there’s absolutely nothing not to love.
Foam Block Haunted House Art
Grab your foam blocks and invite kis to “build” their very own haunted houses. These are especially fun with some eyeball stickers, too.
Floating Chalk Prints
I cannot oversell just how much fun these are to make. Kids scrape pieces of chalk over a shallow container of water and watching the colors mix and float is dazzling. Plus, you can use any kind of chalk that you have on hand.
Marbled Shaving Cream Earth
This activity uses simple supplies and connects art + sensory play in the dreamiest of ways. These Earths are so, so fun to make.
Window Cling Printmaking
You know those fun gel window clings that you can often find for $1 in the Target Dollar Spot or at craft stores? These are PERFECT for printmaking. Just wipe in between uses and you can use these 100 times.
“The Tiny Seed” Flower Art
We made these gorgeous, swirled, Eric Carle-inspired flowers by using the underside of a cup. How easy is that?!
Rainbow Leaf Prints
These are goooorgeous AND they use the simplest materials (leaves, markers, and water). What a fun opportunity to go outside to collect leaves and make this a STEAM activity.
Printmaking projects for kids use simple materials
It’s remarkable just how much you can make with simple supplies like
- Paint
- Markers
- Chalk
- Paper
- Liquid Watercolors
So many of these materials can be used for multiple printmaking project, stretching your art supplies for lots of fun and creativity.
Printmaking Projects for Kids FAQs
This collection is the perfect place to start. Printmaking has various levels and there are many printmaking projects that use pricier, speciality tools, but these simple areas are perfect for kids.
Remember the example about the stamp? Stamping is printmaking, and kids of all ages can try stamping in some fashion. As long as kids can safely use the materials, printmaking is wonderful for kids of many ages (and adults, too).
These ideas are all very easy, helping kids of all ages to feel confident and successful.
LEAVE A COMMENT