Pumpkin Paint Print Art Lesson for Preschool
An Early Childhood Classroom Fall Season Theme Activity
Aug 17, 2009
Creating fall pumpkin prints is a great way to greet for preschool aged children to greet the new season. Printing is a fun art process that can easily be used in many early childhood classrooms. This lesson plan requires very few materials, and can be extended or integrated into other projects or content areas. Make one simple pumpkin or try dozens for a patchwork of patterned pumpkin fun.
Lesson Objectives for the Pumpkin Paint Print
- Experiment with art materials and process.
- Build shape recognition skills.
- Increase color recognition.
- Learn about the seasons/environment.
- Develop fine motor skills.
- Explore pattern and texture.
- Gain letter and sound recognition (the letter P).
- Build art vocabulary skills.
Grade/Age Level
This art lesson can be used with children ages three and up.
Materials Needed to Create Pumpkin Paint Prints
- Paper
- Tempera paint in orange and green
- A reused cardboard tube (this can be a paper towel roll)
- Small paint brushes
Steps to Create a Pumpkin Paint Print
Before beginning this activity, discuss the art process and subject matter with the class. Describe print making to the children. It may be helpful to reference stampers and ink pads as an everyday comparison. Explain that in printing allows the artist to create multiple pictures of the same image; therefore each child may make more than one pumpkin. Additionally, talk about what shapes and colors can be found in a pumpkin.
Pre-planning Steps
- Gather enough paper tubes for each child to have one. Ask the parents for help in doing this. Write a brief note or post a sign stating that used cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls are needed and appreciated.
- Place the paint on trays or other flat surface.
- Make sure that the paint is in pools large enough for the children to dip the tubes into.
Process Steps
- Invite the children to dip the cardboard tubes, end first, into the orange paint. Remind the class that pumpkins are circle shapes, thus it is important to find the circle shape at the end of the tube.
- Once the end of the tube is covered in orange paint, ask the children to firmly press the painted tube onto the paper. If nothing or very little shows up, instruct the children to use more paint.
- Repeat as many times as desired.
- Have the children fill in the orange pumpkin circles with paint. Brushes or finger paints may be used.
- Use small paint brushes and green paint to make stems for the pumpkins.
Pumpkin Paint Print Lesson Wrap Up
Display the pumpkin prints on a prominent space. Ask the children to discuss what they made and how they created it. Conversation starters include:
- What is printing?
- How was a print made?
- What colors were used?
- What shape is a pumpkin?
Classroom Enrichment Activities for the Pumpkin Paint Print Project
- Pattern Play: Try asking the children to create patterns with the pumpkin prints. Use additional paint colors for a colorful pattern.
- Color Mixing: Instead of giving the children orange and green, only use the primary colors. Ask the class to mix the red and yellow to create orange, and blue and yellow to create green. Add in white for lighter hues.
- Letter and Sound Recognition: use this lesson in conjunction with a unit on the letter P. Ask the class what the letter sounds like. Invite the children to discover what words from this activity begin with the letter P (pumpkin, paint, print).
The Pumpkin Paint Print lesson is a simple way to introduce printing techniques to very young children. Try this fall themed art lesson at the beginning of the season for a fun activity that will also build letter, color, shape, and pattern recognition skills.
 |
 |
