Bubble painting is one of the most fun process art activities for kids. You might be blown away with the results.
Are you looking for some new art activities for kids. Why not give bubble painting a try? Kids will have a blast blowing bubbles, combining colors and making beautiful prints.
Art Supplies
To begin, you will need the following supplies:
- small plastic containers to hold the paint mixture
- tempera paint in a variety of colors
- liquid dish soap
- water
- straws
- a push pin
- small pieces of thick paper (construction, card stock, water color paper)
When you look at the supply list you may be asking, “Why in the world do I need a push pin?” I like to poke a hole into the straws so that kids can’t drink the paint/bubble solution. The hole will still allow them to blow bubbles, but it will be much more difficult for kids to suck up the solution. If the thought of using tempera paint still worries you, you can do the activity with food coloring instead.
To make my paint solution, I added paint to the bottom of a plastic container. I then added a squirt of dish soap and filled the container with a couple inches of water. You might have to play a little bit to get the best ratio of paint to water to soap. Note…. I found that not all tempera paints are created equal. When I tried this with cheaper paint, I found that it just didn’t have as much pigment in it…and the results weren’t as nice.
The Painting Process
The solution should be thin enough so that when the kids blow bubbles into the liquid, the bubbles expand over the top of the container. The kids can lightly press a small piece of paper over the bubbles. This leaves an interesting print on the paper. Add a variety of colors of bubbles to one piece of paper. Kids will enjoy looking at how the colors mix together on the paper.
Additional ideas
Bubble painting is a fun process art activity, but there are also ways that you can explore and experiment with the process and the art produced.
- Let kids help you experiment to get the perfect paint/bubble solution
- Experiment with an aquarium air pump and plastic tubes/bubblers
- Kids can learn about colors by combining different colors to create the paint/bubble solution.
- Experiment with different kinds of straws and different types of paper.
- Examine dry bubble paintings with a magnifying glass.
- Use bubble paintings to create another work of art. Cut shapes out of the paintings to use in collages and projects.
- I have used bubble paintings to make special gifts. They look beautiful when framed or made into note cards.
Have you tried bubble painting? I would love to hear any additional tips and tricks that you have. I would also love to hear what your favorite art activities for kids are. Please let me know in the comments below. For even more fun art activities for your kids check out these articles about painting with pool noodles, painting with balls and marbles, combining counting and creating, and making a DIY paintbrush.
Are you looking for additional creative activities with an educational twist? You may enjoy my new Count and Create Maker Mats. Click on the image below to check them out in my store:
I love painting with bubbles. It can get a little crazy with 25 first graders doing it. You always have to make sure someone blows out and not suck in!! Thanks for sharing! I should try this with my three year and see how it goes.
Wow this is a wonderful idea. Can’t wait to do that activity with my children
My grands & I tried this today. It was a hit! They absolutely loved the designs. I loved that this is something they can experiment with & expand on their creativity. We used the technique suggested here, but we also blew the bubbles to overflow onto the paper. My grandson tried blowing the bubbles through a bubble wand. It was neat, but mostly splatters. Thank you for this awesome craft! I’m sure we will do this again.
Thank you so much. I am going to do this with my son, who is autistic, and my grandchildren.
We have fun finding things with different shapes and using them like stamps. Or using weird things to make different kinds effects. Like cooked spaghetti.
I look forward to trying it this way. I’ve done it for years by having the kids just blow bubbles toward the paper using a bubble wand.
This is a wonderful art work .You are so creative .I’m so grateful for this innovation.