The spring flower print art activity requires minimal materials and fits in well with many different themes. Examples of themes that can be connected to this project are spring, art and artists, colors, plants, the environment, and shapes.
Spring Flower Print Art Lesson Objectives
- Increase fine motor skills
- Develop aesthetic awareness
- Explore print making as an artistic process
- Increase color recognition skills
- Increase shape recognition skills
- Discover and explore the season of spring
- Develop awareness of the environment/nature
Grade/Age Level
Ages three through six.
Materials Needed to Create Spring Flower Prints
- Construction paper
- Sponges: Look for, or make, sponges in a variety of shapes (these can be purchased from most school supply catalogs or arts and crafts stores).
- Tempera paint
- Thin paint brushes
Steps to Create Spring Flower Prints
Before starting this activity discuss flowers, spring, plants, and nature with the class. Try taking the children outside to view different types of flowers that are found in their environment. If this is not possible bring in a potted plant/flower or silk flowers.
Additionally, it may be helpful to read books (both fiction and non-fiction) about flowers and the growing cycle. Ask the children to pay special attention to how the flower looks. Ask questions such as, "What colors can you find in this flower?" or, "What shapes do you see?".
Process Steps:
- Have the children use a paint brush and green tempera paint to create a line on the construction paper. This will be the stem.
- Provide the children with a variety of small shape sponges. These will be the flower petals.
- Invite the children to create the flower petals through a print making process. Ask the children to dip the sponges into the tempera paints, then press the sponge onto the paper around the green stem.
- Have the children continue until they feel that the flower is complete.
- Set aside to dry.
Spring Flower Print Lesson Wrap Up
After the flower prints have dried, display them on a wall for the children to view. Ask the children to recall and discuss what they have created. This can cover color choice, art process, and type of flower. Specific questions may include:
- Why did you choose to use red and blue (or any other color used)?
- Does your flower look like something that you saw outside?
- What kind of flower did you make (this works well if you have read non-fiction flower books before the activity)?
- What shapes can you find in your flower?
- What type of art process is this project called?
- How did you make a print?
Enrichment Activities for the Spring Flower Print
There are many different ways to utilize this activity within the framework of your specific lesson plans. The following list provides some suggested examples:
- Create a class art garden: Make a wall display that features the children's print artwork within a class garden. Ask the children to create other plants or objects that might be found in a garden. Include weather elements such as sun or rain.
- Color mixing: Instead of giving the children a large selection of colors, add in a color lesson. Give the children the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and white as paint colors. Explain how to mix the colors (yellow and blue make green, blue and red make purple, red and yellow make orange, and adding white can make lighter colors such as pink).
- Science and nature: Create a class garden outdoors or grow small plants indoors. Discuss the growing cycle.
Creating spring flower prints in the preschool classroom is a simple, yet fun, way to engage the young child in a creative activity. Using minimal materials, this lesson plan can be easily replicated and used as a part of multiple curricular themes.
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