How to Create Montessori Art Collaging Lessons

Collaging is the process of selecting, assembling, and pasting materials down into a unique arrangement. It’s a way for artists to take many different ideas and art mediums and put them together into a beautiful work of art. It’s a great way for students to express their creativity too!

What Collage Means

The word collage actually derives from “la colle,” which means glue in French. The art of collage making goes all the way back to the 1800s; even famous artists like Pablo Picassco and Georges Braque incorporated it into their works. Today’s collage artists astound us with treasures like antiques, special handcrafted papers, and upcycled toys. It’s an art form that’s transformed into the most unimaginable spectacular of materials. 

Collaging can honestly be done with any type of material, from paper, natural elements, and fabrics, to recycled objects. Like buttons, tiny beads, sequins, and other kinds of man-made embellishments. Even materials like foil, glass, wire, and burlap can be used. There’s really nothing that can’t be collaged!

Collage With Any Thing!

Artists of the past and present have cleverly designed so many interesting collages using some of the most unusual materials and textures, so there’s no shortage of inspiration when it comes to this art form. It’s an ideal craft to introduce children to because collages are intuitive arrangements; they’re the perfect artful playground for kids to craft in.

I’m excited to write this blog because I know the importance of children working independently, building their fine-motor skills, and strengthening the small muscles in their hands, but I’m even more excited to give students a crafting experience that gives them the freedom to experiment, assemble objects, and design interesting textured artworks, with almost no effort or stress. Collaging gives children the opportunity to be creative, independent, and original.

Benefits of Teaching Collaging

Collage crafting can lead your students into creating more complex crafts and projects that require developed coordination. Four of the direct benefits of collaging are:

1. Learning to cut with scissors, which builds finger and hand strength
2. Building implied memory with the repeated movements of gluing the elements
3. Introducing the Elements and Principles of Design, including line, shape, form, texture, color, and symmetrical balance ideas
4. Conjuring up creative thoughts, ideas, and arrangements

Teaching children how to choose pieces of material to arrange into composition whether through a planned idea or simply through process-based learning is exciting for children. When they discover the power of glue—and all its possibilities—their imaginations and creations become endless.

Gluing and pasting are essential art practices that leads to more advanced craft skills. Crafting is a visual art domain that develops three-dimensional spatial awareness. By experimenting with arranging materials into multiple layouts (using different shapes, sizes, proportions, colors, values, textures, etc.) students learn the Elements and Principles of Design concepts. They can play with symmetrical balance, patterns, and create abstract designs or realistic imagery—collaging has no rules! Children can be as playful and experimental as they choose.

Collaging is Sensorial & Tactile

Collaging is highly sensorial because it involves touching and feeling the textures of materials being used to create. So it’s a wonderful way for children to experience crafts; the different textures of materials can be both exciting and calming. Plus, when children work directly with their hands, it can have a calming effect, since they become focused on the feeling and application of each piece their working on. In fact, in many cases, children will select items solely based on the satisfaction of the tactile feeling rather than the visual aesthetics. This is why I consider collaging a very intuitive craft.

Another reason collaging is sensory focused is because it gives students the freedom to use their tactile sense (feeling) to select by their own art pieces. Plus chhildren love having the choice of selecting their own mediums. So by putting collaging objects in different baskets and containers keeps things organized while allowing children the enjoyment of feeling and selecting the items they want to use. If you are a fan of the idea of loose items arranged in the classroom, then you can use this concept to set-up an art collaging invitation for your Montessori students. 

Where to Start Collaging Projects First

I know Montessori classrooms introduce a gluing station as a practical life activity. But, collaging is so much more than just practicing glue motions. It’s an art Montessori students at every level will love to explore.

I recommend starting simple, using just one material with the goal of practicing the idea of gluing and pasting down. Start with a small, firm cardboard around 5” x 5”, and small pieces of paper with sides ranging from .5” to 1”; these sizes are easy to work with and paste for little hands. I also recommend starting with thin paper that’s easy to cut or tear, like tissue paper or magazine pages. The idea is to keep it lightweight so it’s easy to glue, cut, and arrange. You can have students paste the papers as they are or allow them to cut the papers into other shapes using scissors. 

When students first practice collaging, they shouldn’t focus on creating anything realistic; don’t have them try to copy a template or prompt, instead, let them work free form. Let kids feel and be intuitive in what they decide to arrange. Just make sure you walk through the process and have finished examples for them to see so they can understand the goal of activity. 

Work process-based first—especially with early childhood and lower elementary students—then move into themed ideas with specific examples once they have the chance to explore and experiment. You can provide inspiration and examples, but leave the layout and composition arrangement up to the student.

Best Collaging Adhesive

There really is no right way to collage; it’s all up to the artist. Introduce multiple gluing methods—glue sticks, craft glue with a popsicle stick, decoupage, etc.—and allow students to use whatever they gravitate to and feel more comfortable working with. 

Keeping Parts and Pieces Organized

As a collage artist myself and working with a number of professional collage artists, I’ve learned the importance of keeping materials organized and easily accessible. It prevents the creative process from being interrupted and minimizes messes and clean up. I’ve seen Montessori gluing boxes on the market, and while they can keep materials tidy, they are not necessary; instead, use baskets, trays, caddies, drawer organizers, or small boxes to organize and display collaging materials, including scissors and glue.

For the most part, I don’t recommend children work inside trays. If you’re worried about glue messes, use newspaper or a plastic tarp to cover the table surface. You can even keep wipes and sponges nearby to help keep students’ hands clean from glue. However, kids love sticky hands—it’s all part of the tactile experience. I remember loving to play with the glue on my hands myself as young artist!

Interesting Collaging Materials

While you should start with very simple materials at first, slowly graduate your students to more interesting and diverse collaging items. Such as:

• Bottle caps
• Bubble wrap
• Cardboard strips
• Corrugated paper
• Cotton balls
• Crepe paper
• Fabric
• Feathers
• Foil
• Gift wrap
• Magazines
• Paper
• Small emebishhemnts (sequins, string, buttons, seeds, etc)
• Stickers
• Tissue

Montessori Early Childhood Art Collaging

Montessori Art Collaging: Lower Elementary

My FREE Online Mini-Training

Collaging is just one example of an art activity Montessori students will love, but there’s an infinite amount of art projects they can create! If you want to give them limitless options, you have to first understand what they’re capable of learning. I’ve developed a FREE online mini-course to teach you exactly how children learn art—based on their plane of development. That way you can present and demonstrate really fun art projects to them without you stressing or them getting bored or making a mess!

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The Phases of Art Development is a quick digital course that explains how art making can help students develop their creativity, fine-motor skills, and focus. More importantly, I share what types of projects students at every age are capable of completing safely, and without making a mess.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

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