Whether you're big basketball fans like we are or you're just simply looking for a fun new way to paint, then this art project might be a fun option for you.
Inspired by the whole March Madness season, this simple basketball process art for kids is perfect for kids who don't mind getting a bit messy while exploring with paint. Not only that, but it's a really unique way to paint. After all, we're ditching the paint brushes and skipping the finger painting here and using a mini basketball instead...
Plus, your kids will also get a chance to practice their dribbling and ball handing skills along the way, which may be something you're interested in too.
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
What You'll Need for this Basketball Process Art for Kids
To do some dribble painting of your own, you will need:
- Washable paint - We used liquid watercolors for this project. The brand we use is from Michael's.
- Small basketball toy - Any small ball will work though if you don't have a mini basketball.
- Large sheet of white craft paper - You'll want to tape this piece of paper into place since we're going to be dribbling a basketball on it.
- Painter's tape or masking tape - To make sure the paper doesn't move while the kids are painting. I actually just used scotch tape since it sticks fine enough to our kitchen floor.
For set up, you'll have to tape a large piece of paper to a flat surface that is washable. Since we did this project in our kitchen, I simply taped the paper to our kitchen floor.
However, you could take this project outside and tape the paper to a deck, driveway, or sidewalk. Or, skip the paper and just use washable paint right on your driveway, if you want. You could also opt for a larger basketball if you're doing this outside on your driveway or sidewalk.
Once you have your paper taped down to a flat surface, put small dots or squeezes of paint randomly around the paper. Be sure to use a variety of colors too. It should look something like this when you're done:
Now it's time to dribble and paint!
Basketball Process Art in Action
To get painting, simply encourage your kids to start bouncing and dribbling the basketball onto the paint on the paper.
As the ball hits the paint, it shoots out and streaks across the paper, leaving really cool paint splatters. The dimply texture of the basketball makes for some really neat prints too, as you can see.
Your kids might have fun experimenting with dropping the ball from different heights to see if it can make bigger splats of paint. Or they might experiment by stamping the basketball. Maybe they want to roll the ball across the paints versus dribbling it. Anything goes!
However, they choose to paint using the basketball, the end result is pretty cool. Look at all of those different splotches and textures.
When the kids are done painting, let everything dry completely. Then hang up and display it, if you'd like. But, if not, remember, art projects like this one are more about the process than the end product.
We hope you have fun with this dribble painting basketball process art for kids.
