Making and exploring with texture is our final look at craft ideas based on three key area – colour, shape and texture. Thinking of these three key areas can help us as we plan creative crafts for young children. Sometimes it’s easy to get into a way of doing things and it’s really good to reflect on what we are doing and providing for children to make. It’s helpful for us to ask – What are we exploring about colour? What are we learning about shape? Are there different textures to explore?
Making and exploring with texture in craft – some ideas
What creates texture? Think about using materials that aren’t smooth A4 paper! Here’s a list of ideas
- Yarn
- Fabric (different types of fabric have different textures)
- Corrugated paper
- Tissue paper (flat and scrunched up)
- Crepe paper
- Sugar paper
- Leaves
- Flowers
- Paper straws
- Wooden lollipop sticks
- Thick paint/watery paint
- Cardboard tubes
- Felt
- Pasta/rice
- Cup cake cases
- Feathers
- Sweet wrapers
- Finger paint
- Egg boxes
- News paper
- Sequins
- Ribbon
- Cotton wool
- Sponge
- Mesh – lemons are often packaged in this!
The above list can be used to make collages and pictures. You can also use the following to explore texture and make 3D crafts or just use to enjoy and explore.
- Play dough
- Salt dough
- Boxes of various shapes and sizes for ‘junk’ models.
Give children opportunities to make texture collages. This can be an open ended activity with everything laid out for children to choose which items they wish to include.
When it comes to exploring textures PVA glue is my top choice when making texture collages but glue sticks can work well with too. Make sure you have a try yourself to see what works. Also, be mindful that if you use glue sticks with cotton wool the cotton wool sticks to the glue stick pretty quickly!
Include texture in craft activities. Some ideas include…
Texture, colour and shape – there are overlaps between these three but if you aim to consider them when you are putting together a craft for young children you will make it a richer experience. You don’t have to include all the ideas all the time, sometimes you might want to make black and white pictures or just use circles or see what children can make with only having fabric and glue. Sometimes less is better! But it’s good to ask these question as we plan crafts……
What are the children discovering about texture?
What are they learning about shape?
How are they exploring colour?
Here’s a link to Studio in a school you tube channel that has lots of ideas.