Polar Themed Process Art for Kids

Process art not only opens doors for kids' creativity but it really allows me the chance to step back and relinquish control as an adult, too. This art project took a totally different turn than what I had expected once the kids had a say in the process which is exactly the beauty in process art invitations. They saw a polar animal setting in their work so that's what it became.

Polar animal themed process art activity for kids

This post contains affiliate links.

This month's process art material is tissue paper. My set up for the kids was a tray of recycled tissue paper from gifts in shades and patterns of blue, absorbent yet sturdy paper, scissors, a paintbrush, and water.

I told the kids that they could cut or rip the paper. Either way they were both working on fine motor skills in a fun and engaging way without even realizing it!

When the paper was cut or ripped into small pieces, I showed the kids how to lay the blues on top of the white paper. Next we applied water.

You can add water with a spray bottle,or by dipping the tissue paper in the water bowl first, or you can paint the water on with a brush as we did. This snuck in a bit of pencil grasp practice for them, too!

Before we began, my daughter asked for her own sheet of paper but I explained that we were going to share one piece at first. It ended up being the perfect collaborative project as we all chatted together and took turns as we worked.

Now my plan had been for us to cut paper snowflakes from the blue and white paper once it dried but since we were working on process art the process steered us differently. The kids began to chat about how the paper was looking like an icy sea. The went to grab some ocean animals to join in the fun!

The dark blue became the deep sea while the lighter blues and whites turned into icebergs and glaciers. Our oldest had just read about penguins in Antarctica so these polar animals were fresh in her mind.