Get ready to save all your wrapping paper scraps for a winter wrapping paper collage!
Bring them into the classroom and recycle them to give students the opportunity to create unique pieces of art. Ask your parents and students to collect their home wrapping paper scraps for this Montessori art activity.
This is one of the simplest Montessori practical life activities to keep kids busy. And while I put this into the winter art projects category, you can really do this any time of year, with any type of recycled scrap paper. This art activity is great for all ages, early childhood, lower and upper elementary.
And you can actually teach scaffold tasks while building essential foundational skill sets.
- Coordination
- Independence
- Scissor cutting or tearing
- Gluing & Pasting
- Composition
- Problem Solving
For more Montessori activities related to this project, download my Ultimate Winter Arts & Crafts Idea Guide and check out page 9.
Need more Collage ideas? Read my Collage Ultimate Montessori Collage Guide
Preparing the Environment for Wrapping Paper Collaging
Supplies
- Wrapping paper scraps
- Scissors
- Glue
- Paper
- (Optional) pencil and eraser
How to:
There are so many reasons you want to give your students the opportunity to gather their own materials, one is truly allowing the child to work creatively. Gathering allows children to create their own individual creations. Second, this supports problem-solving skill sets. Children will go back and forth working out their design elements.
This project can be done two ways:
1. Let students choose the paper designs they want to work with.
Cut or rip pieces into different shapes.
Using these pieces, they can aim to create a specific object/design or keep it abstract.
Have them move the pieces around their paper and experiment with the design.
Once they’re happy with their image, have them glue the pieces onto their paper.
Or,
2. Have students decide on an image they want to create (fish, butterfly, face, mountains, etc.). Lightly draw an outline of the design onto their paper.
Cut the wrapping paper into shapes that will fit within their image.
Once they’ve put the pieces together to their liking, glue them onto their paper drawing.
Toddler/Early Childhood Group Collage
Gluing and pasting are essential art practices for young students that lead to advanced craft skills. Here is a simpler setup for early childhood grades as a group activity. You can have a couple of students working at one time, or have one student walk up to this activity table.
For more information on setting up for early childhood children, be sure to read my Early Childhood Art Collage Guide https://montessori-art.com/montessori-early-childhood-art-collaging/
Basic table set up steps:
- Tape down a large paper filling up a tabletop
- Tape masking tape down on paper into interesting sections so children can collage inside the open spaces
- Prepare materials like wrapping paper scraps, glue, scissors in a basket or tray for children to reach easily
- Demonstrate the movements of tearing, cutting, and gluing onto the large paper
- When it’s fully covered, slowly pull take off, hang in the classroom as art the children can look at and be excited they took part in
Have fun creating your Winter Wrapping Paper Collage Art!
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