Since my kids are not usually content to sit around and draw in a quiet, meditative manner, I seed out active art projects like this awesome shaken container art activity. Kiddo recently did a whole lot of shakin’. (OK, that was suuuuupercheesy.)
This is a really fun art activity that is perfect for rowdy, active kids of all ages. It makes a great preschool art project but even big kids will love it, especially if you take it outside and toss it around with great vigor. (This post contains affiliate links.)
Shaken Container Painting
What you need:
- Plastic container (we used a yogurt container)
- Washable paint (washable — trust me)
- Paper cut to size. Finger paint paper is a great choice.
- Stuff to shake such as marbles, buttons, hardware, rocks, pom poms, etc.
Drop in a few items. Or all of them, as my son immediately did. The results will vary according to whether or not your objects are soft, hard, pointy, smooth, as well as according to how many you drop in the container. Turn this art project into an investigative experiment by comparing results!
Add some paint. Try one, or two or even a dozen colors. Explore color mixing with primary colors! Are the results a muddy brown? That’s okay, too.
Shake Shake Shake!!!!! Take it outside and roll or toss around. Get as active as you want and your circumstances allow.
From personal experience I can confirm that if you do not put the lid on tightly, the contents will, in fact, fly everywhere. (Just sayin’) Remember the washable paint advice? Yeah, that.
Voilà!
Watch the video of how it’s done!!
More active art projects for kids:
Can you handle all the activities on our GIGANTIC indoor activities list? Take a look: Indoor activities for kids.
Lisa says
March 10, 2009 at 3:10 pmGreat fun!! LOL at putting the lid on comment! Have you ever tried doing it with acorns??
Jenny says
March 10, 2009 at 7:42 pmThat looks like a lot of fun, and we go through a ton of yogurt! CJ will have fun coming up with ideas of what to shake up, I’m sure.
cathy says
March 11, 2009 at 3:18 amFUN! We’re going to give this a try this week. I think that my 5 yr old and 2 yr old will both really dig this activity. Keep those good ideas coming!
Mom and Kiddo says
March 11, 2009 at 5:16 amAcorns sounds like a good idea. It would be fun to go on a nature hunt for things to use.
kristina says
February 4, 2015 at 12:45 amthis is awesome! Thanks for sharing. My 4 year old is totally going to dig this.