26 Unique And Creative Collage Art Ideas For Kids

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Collage-making is a fun and creative activity where a child has to attach bits and pieces of different materials, such as paper, cloth, feather, or wool, to a paper/canvas to make a pattern. There can be several different collage art ideas for kids, and children can begin with the basics.

Making a collage can keep children occupied and entertained. Besides, it boosts their imagination and problem-solving skills. Also, several actions, such as cutting, tearing, pasting, and coloring, used in collage-making can help improve the child’s motor skills. You need no special items to make a collage as one can make it with old unused materials at home. Read this post to learn some easy and engaging collage-making ideas that your child can try at home.

26 Collage Ideas For Kids

Here is a list of a few simple collage ideas for kids. Use the things available at home and find your children creating unique art pieces. Give them a helping hand if they need it and watch their artistic imagination bloom.

1. Paper strip collage

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The paper strip collage art for kids is easy to make, and your children are most likely to end up with glue on their hands. Not to worry, as they would love it. Young children can learn to identify different colors, and cutting and pasting strips can improve their eye-hand coordination and promote self-expression.

You will need:

• Cardboard sheet (you can cut out a cereal box)
• Long strips of different colored paper (if you do not have colored paper, take white sheets and paint them, or use newspaper or construction paper)
• Glue
• Scissors

How to make:

• Cut colored papers into 2x10in strips. If your child is not confident using scissors, you can help.
• Take a cardboard sheet, apply glue, and stick all the strips one by one.
• The activity concentrates more on the sticking aspect, and your children can learn to arrange different colors and stick the strips neatly.

2. Abstract art collage

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Toddlers love scribbling on paper. You can ask them to make a collage using their drawings. It will be a good incentive for them to draw and create something new from their creations that keep them engaged for hours.

You will need:

• Different colored construction paper
• A sheet of paper or cardboard for drawing and pasting
• Scissors
• Pencils and colors

How to make:

• Ask your children to draw on a sheet of paper or cardboard. They can draw objects or scenery or scribble anything they want.
• Help them cut colored construction paper in different shapes. You can teach them to make specific shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.
• Paste these shapes on the drawings made on the cardboard. You can frame or hang the final output anywhere in the children’s room.

3. Stained glass collage

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If you have a large window in your home, this aesthetic collage can give you delightful results. A colorful window can convert the sunlight into vibrant colors. The stained glass art project will not only keep your children entertained for a long time but will also give a beautiful stained-glass effect that you can enjoy every day.

You will need:

• Sheets of the colored film (you can get them at an art supply store)
• Transparent contact paper or sticky back plastic
• Scissors
• Tape
• Permanent markers

How to make:

• Before beginning the project, search for some design ideas on the internet.
• Cut the colored film into geometric shapes.
• Then, cut the contact paper according to the size of your window panes. You can also use a small piece to decorate a specific section of the pane.
• Tape the contact paper on the work surface and pull off the paper backing.
• Stick the geometric shapes of the colored film on the contact paper according to the design of your choice. Leave half an inch of space around the borders of the contact paper to stick them to the window.
• Press the contact paper carefully on your window panes. And your stained-glass effect window will be ready.

Did you know?

Collage techniques were used in China when paper was invented around 200 B.C. However, collage art was used first in 10th century Japan by poets who pasted pieces of written paper to surfaces, often as an addition to their original poems.

4. Santa face collage

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Making Santa Claus is one of the children’s favorite activities. Come Christmas, and children will be looking for art supplies to make Christmas decorations. It is pretty easy for children to make Santa face collage. You can display their collages around the house and make them feel proud of their creations.

You will need:

• White card paper
• Skin-colored paper
• Cotton balls
• Black felt
• Red tissue paper or red paper
• Crayons
• Glue
• Scissors
• Markers

How to make:

• Trace a Santa’s face shape on the white card paper. You can also get a printout.
• Cut the skin-colored paper in an oval shape and glue it on the card paper for the face.
• Draw a triangle for the hat.
• Crumple red tissue paper and glue in the triangle for the hat. Alternatively, you can cut the red paper into a triangular shape and paste it instead.
• Glue cotton balls for Santa’s beard. Use one to create a bobble on the top of his hat.
• Cut black felt for eyes and eyebrows and paste them on the face cut-out.
• Use markers to outline the hat and draw a nose.
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• Then use red paper and paste it for a nose. And, your Santa is ready.

5. City by the river

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You can use this educational collage to teach shapes to your children. In a simple way, you can let them use their imagination and art techniques to decorate a sheet of paper as they wish. You can even share stories for inspiration while helping them make this beautiful collage.

You will need:

• Colored construction paper
• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue

How to make:

• Cut the colored construction paper into different geometric shapes of various sizes.
• Hand a black sheet of paper to every child and ask them to design a landscape with these shapes. They can make buildings, boats, the sun, the moon, or anything they want to.
• Finally, glue them on the sheet to make a beautiful collage.

6. Name collage

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If you want to teach your child to spell their name, making a name collage with different art materials can be fun. They can learn how to spell their name and enjoy making the art, which can be hung on their bedroom wall.

You will need:

• A large sheet of paper or construction paper, preferably light-colored
• Pom-poms or cotton calls
• Glue
• Markers

How to make:

• Write the name of your child on the sheet of paper.
• Use glue to stick the pom-poms or cotton balls over the letter lines.
• You can use bits of colored paper, wool, sticky tape, or straws to make this collage, too.

7. Cotton ball collage

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Making a collage with cotton balls can be exciting for young children. Children usually like art styles that include glitter and other craft items and would spend time exploring the options. It is easy and allows your child to be creative with new textures.

You will need:

• Cardstock
• White glue
• Jar or bowl for mixing
• Glitter
• Scissors
• Paintbrush
• Cotton balls

How to make:

• Take white glue in a jar or bowl and add some glitter to it.
• Use a brush to mix it well.
• Take the brush to paint on the cardstock.
• Stick cotton balls on the glue-glitter mixture wherever you want.
• You can use tissue paper, seeds, pom-poms, or grains like rice to enhance this collage.

Trivia

The word collage is derived from the French word coller, which means “to stick.”

8. Foil collage

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Shiny foil is one of the readily available art materials for making a collage. Children like working with it for its reflective surface. Also, as it is a bit stiff, cutting it into pieces becomes easier for children.

You will need:

• Foil
• PVA glue
• Water
• Jar or bowl for the glue
• Tissue paper, ribbons, sequins, and other items for decoration
• Tape (optional)

How to make:

• Mix the PVA glue with a little water in a jar or bowl.
• Tape a sheet of foil to a flat surface so that it does not move. You can skip this step for older children.
• Cut or tear tissue paper into small bits and stick them on the foil.
• Decorate with sequins and glitter.
• You can use beads, newspapers, seeds, and other stuff as well for a vibrant collage.

9. Face collage

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Make funny faces from magazine cuttings or cereal boxes. These collages can be a good idea for toddlers who cannot draw what they want but can use these shapes to express their creativity. Also, they can have a fun time!

You will need:

• Light-colored card paper
• A sheet of cardboard
• Cereal boxes and magazines
• Glue

How to make:

• Cut the cereal box and the magazine pages into various shapes, including ovals, circles, semi-circles, and triangles that can go on a face. They can be of different sizes and random shapes too.
• Cut the card paper into a large oval for the face and paste it on the cardboard sheet.
• Ask your child to use the shapes to enhance the face. They can use any shape to create funny faces.
• You can use items like ribbons, glitter, and sequins and let your child’s imagination go wild.

10. Confetti collage

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Children, especially toddlers, love playing with glue. And a confetti collage can be an excellent choice for them. The activity is also useful to develop your child’s fine motor skills as they have to punch holes to make confetti and pick them up to stick on the surface.

You will need:

• Colored paper (you can use paper from magazines or advertisement sections from newspapers)
• Hole punch
• Bowl
• PVA glue
• Water
• Paintbrush
• Food color
• A3 size paper or sheet of cardboard

How to make:

• Give your child some papers and a hole punch. Ask them to punch holes in the paper and put the pieces in the bowl (it may take a few days). Using a hole puncher is one of the most effective methods to improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Once the bowl is filled to satisfaction, mix some PVA glue with a little water. Add food coloring to it so that the child can see where the glue is applied.
• Apply the glue on the white sheet of paper or the cardboard sheet.
• Pick the paper confetti (made by the hole punch) with a pinching action and sprinkle them on the glue. The pinching action is another way to improve motor skills.

11. Holiday collage

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Every home has a set of leftover Christmas cards from the past years. You can use them to do awesome collage projects. Christmas cards are thick, smooth, and glittery. You can cut them into pieces and stick them on the construction paper.

You will need:

• Christmas cards
• Scissors
• Glue
• Construction paper

How to make:

• Ask the children to cut the decorations on the cards. If your children are young, they might cut through everything, and that is okay, too.
• Use the other half of the card as a base and stick the cut-outs together to make a holiday scene.
• Cut some construction paper to add to the decorations.
• You can even use photographs for this project (the ones you want to discard anyway).

12. Photo collage

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Speaking of photographs, here is another fantastic collage idea for kids that involves the use of pictures. You can source these photographs from magazines and newspapers or use your photos to make a beautiful collage.

You will need:

• Photographs of people, animals, places, and things
• Scissors
• Glue
• Colored paper
• Crayons

How to make:

• Collect the photographs and put them in a box along with some scissors and glue.
• Let the children cut the photographs as they want and glue them together.
• They can use crayons to add funky colors as well. Let your children use their creativity and come up with unique outcomes.

Fun fact

Famous artist, Pablo Picasso, used collages in his art. He used to stick newspapers and other materials on his canvases to create new pieces of art.

13. Fabric collage

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If you have unused clothes lying around your home, you can encourage your children to make a fabric collage. It not only looks beautiful but is also easy to make. Also, you can expose your children to a variety of cloth textures.

You will need:

• White cardstock
• Old unused clothes
• Scissors
• Glue

How to make:

• Tape the sheet of paper on a flat surface.
• Let your children cut the cloth pieces as they like and paste them on the paper.
• They can make random shapes or make specific art out of the fabric pieces.

14. Fall collage

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Nature provides us plenty of gifts that we can use for a collage. On a walk, look around and collect the dried leaves and flowers that have fallen on the ground. With these materials, your child can make a beautiful collage. You can even help them identify flowers and plants and make them understand the beauty of nature.

You will need:

• Dried leaves and flowers
• Twigs, fallen fruits, seeds (optional)
• Glue
• A3 size paper

How to make:

• Lay all your treasures on the floor.
• Ask your child to apply glue to the paper and paste the leaves and flowers on it.
• This craft can be easily done in the fall as you can source a variety of dried leaves.

Tonii, a mum of five children, shares on her blog a simple fall leaf painting using the leaves they collected when they went up to the mountains. She says, “All I did was stick a piece of tape on the back of the leaves and then let my kids mix red, yellow and orange paint to use all around the leaf. Of course, my 2-year old turned it into a finger (or whole hand) painting project. Once your paint is dry you just pull off the leaf and you are left with this beautiful outline in perfect fall colors (i)!”

Trivia

There are four main types of collages – Papier collé which is pasted paper, Découpage which means cut-out in French, Photomontage which is a collage made using photographs, and Assemblage, which means creating a three-dimensional piece of art by pasting different materials on a flat surface.

15. Flower fairies

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Fairies in children’s books usually wear frilly and colorful dresses. You can recreate their dresses with flowers. Collect as many flowers as possible and have fun making an attractive flower fairy collage.

You will need:

• Flowers of different colors and sizes
• Paper
• Pencils and markers
• Glue

How to make:

• Arrange all the collected flowers on a flat surface.
• You can teach your children the names of the flowers as well as their colors and sizes.
• Draw a fairy on paper (it could be a stick figure, too). Let your children draw them according to their imagination.
• Paste different petals or flowers as a dress for the fairy. You can use them for making hair, too.

16.  Letter collage

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If your toddler is learning the alphabet, this collage could be just the perfect idea for them to learn new words. You could even make older children make this collage and have a fun time, making and learning new words.

You will need:

• Alphabet printouts in different fonts
• A3 size paper
• Glue
• Scissors

How to make:

• Print out the letters on thick sheets of paper. You can find printables on the internet.
• Cut out the letters separately and put different fonts in small groups.
• Let your children make words using the letters.
• They can experiment with different fonts and have more fun.

17. Tissue paper collage

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Tissue papers are readily available craft materials. You can use them with other materials to make different collages using your children’s creativity and skills. However, tell them not to waste any papers during their project work.

You will need:

• Tissue papers of different colors
• Scissors
• Glue
• Paper

How to make:

• Cut the tissue paper into small pieces.
• Apply glue on a paper and stick the pieces on it. Layering tissues gives good results.
• Children can learn how to apply glue without damaging the tissue paper and make colorful collages.

18. Snow scene collage

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If it started snowing at your place, let your children make a snow scene on a contact paper. The scene can be anything out of your child’s imagination. Don’t direct them, instead give them the liberty to do anything they like.

You will need:

• Contact paper
• Scissors
• Construction paper
• Glue
• Markers
• Tape

How to make:

• Tape some contact paper on a flat surface with the sticky side up (make loops out of tape).
• Ask your child to cut paper in different shapes and stick them on the contact paper.
• They can make snowflakes, snowmen, or trees to create a snow scene.

19. Raindrop collage

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Blooming flowers, lush greenery everywhere, and rainbows are a common sight. Encourage your children to make pretty collages with different colors and reflect their idea of rain on the paper.

You will need:

• Bleeding tissue paper or regular ones
• Paints (if you are using regular tissue paper) and paintbrushes
• White card paper
• Glue
• Scissors

How to make:

• Cut bleeding tissue paper into rectangular strips.
• If you are using regular tissue paper, paint them in rainbow colors (use water-soluble colors for best results), let them dry, and cut them into strips.
• Glue them on the white sheet.
• Leave the sheet out in the rain. When it rains, the color will bleed, creating a beautiful effect.

20. Snowflake collage

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Winter is a beautiful time to make new crafts. There are many beautiful things children can observe during the chilly days and get inspired for an art. Making snowflakes is an easy craft. Your children can make a beautiful collage with different colored snowflakes and use the artwork to decorate their rooms.

You will need:

• Circular tissue paper or coffee filters
• Scissors
• Glue
• White paper or contact paper

How to make:

• Fold the tissue paper in half, then in half again to form a triangular shape. You can fold it further, but your child might find it difficult to snip.
• Mark the center of one side and make a triangular cut. Do this on both straight edges of the triangle. You can cut in the shape you like.
• Open the paper to see your snowflake ready.
• On white paper, apply glue, and paste the snowflakes on it. Alternatively, you can stick them on the contact paper and display them on your window.

21. Cotton snowman collage

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It is a collage art that most of us have done at some point in our life. Making cotton snowmen is easy, and it makes a great Christmas tree ornament. You can encourage your children to make such art pieces and gift them to loved ones.

You will need:

• Card paper or any thick paper (you can use cereal boxes, too)
• Cotton or cotton pads
• Matchsticks
• Glue
• Scissors
• Black buttons
• Stapler
• Red ribbon

How to make:

• Cut two circles from the card paper for the head and the body of a snowman.
• Staple the two shapes together.
• Paste the cotton or cotton pads on the circles.
• Stick the black buttons for the eyes and the buttons on the body.
• Snip off a tiny piece of the ribbon in a triangular shape and paste it as the nose.
• Use some ribbon to make a mouth as well.
• Tie a ribbon around the neck of the snowman.
• Glue matchsticks for hands.
• You can punch a hole at the top to thread it and hang it from a tree. You could even fashion a hat from the card paper for the snowman.

22. Spring flower collage

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Spring always brings on an explosion of colors. The days are brighter, and it makes a happy atmosphere. You can explain the beauty and importance of the season to your children by helping them make a spring flower collage.

You will need:

• Old magazines and catalogs
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil
• A3 size paper

How to make:

• Outline a flower on the paper.
• Let the child cut out different colors from the magazine or catalog and paste them on the flower.
• The flower can be multicolored, or each petal could be of a specific color. Let your child decide on a color beforehand and find it from the magazine.

23. Suncatcher collage

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It is another fall leaf collage idea. Fall crafts are the best and the easiest because dried leaves are available in abundance everywhere you see. Collect some dried leaves and get started to make a nature collage. You can use the final result to decorate the room too.

You will need:

• Dried leaves and flowers
• Contact paper
• Markers
• Scissors

How to make:

• Press the leaves and flowers in a book to flatten them. Keep them there for a couple of days.
• Draw a leaf shape on the non-sticky side of the contact paper.
• Peel off the protective sheet on the back of the contact paper and stick the leaves and flowers within the outlines of the leaves. You may cut or tear them if they are too big.
• Cover this with another sheet of contact paper. Make sure there are no air pockets.
• Cut out each leaf shape leaving a half-an-inch border outside the leaves.
• Decorate the borders with markers.
• Remove the back paper and display them on your window.

24. Bubble wrap leaf collage

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Here is yet another excellent fall leaf collage idea. You will need some bubble wrap for this craft. It is an excellent way for children to experiment with different textures and brushes. Your children can come up with many more creative ideas.

You will need:

• A piece of bubble wrap
• Paints in fall colors
• Scissors
• Glue
• Dried leaves
• White paper
• Brown construction paper
• Pencils

How to make:

• Paint a white sheet of paper with a fall color (red, orange, brown, or gold)
• Spread another color on the bubble wrap. It must be contrasting with the color on the paper.
• Press the bubble wrap on the painted sheet. Let it dry.
• Trace out leaf shapes on this paper and cut them out.
• On the brown construction paper, stick some real dried leaves, and these paper leaves for a beautiful fall leaves collage.

25. Living and nonliving things collage

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Children are taught early about living and nonliving things. Some children may find it difficult to understand why they are classified as such. Explain the concept to them and make them practice by distinguishing living and non-living things while making a collage.

You will need:

• Card paper
• Magazines
• Scissors
• Marker
• Glue

How to make:

• Take a couple of card papers and label one as ‘Living Things’ and the other as ‘Non-Living Things.’
• Ask your child to flip through the magazines and find images.
• Photographs of living things (humans, animals, plants) go on the
• ‘Living Things’ chart. Other things go on the ‘Non-Living Things’ chart.
• Stick them and let them learn daily. It is hands-on learning at its best.

26. Tissue Paper Butterflies

Making beautiful butterflies with tissues is a highly exciting activity for kids of all age groups. It will keep them pleasantly busy and also enhance their creativity.

You will need:

• Colored tissue paper
• Pipe cleaners or chenille stems
• Scissors
• Pencil

How To Make:

• Lay your sheets of tissues on top of one another.
• Cut these papers into rectangles, preferably 4×6 inches.
• Now, accordion-fold the tissue paper rectangles. Start at one end and fold back and forth.
• Do it in even folds until the whole stack is folded.
• After that, pinch the paper together in the center. Use a pipe cleaner to secure the center by wrapping it around the pinched part.
• Round the ends of the tissue paper using scissors. Cut them into semi-circular or triangular shapes to give to make butterfly wings.
• Separate the layers of the tissue. pulling them away from the center. Do this on both sides to make butterfly wings.
• Gently fluff and shape the tissue paper. It will create a butterfly wing shape.
• Take a pipe cleaner and fold it in half. Twist it around the middle of the tissue paper butterfly to make an antennae.

Infographic: Collage Ideas For Kids

Making collages not only helps children stay occupied but also helps improve their hand-eye coordination and creative skills and builds awareness about the different types of colors and textures. So, with the help of the list in the following infographic, engage your child in making different collages and let their creativity flourish.

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Create your own unique artwork with Sophie’s guide to making a collage! Learn how to combine colors, textures, and shapes to make a beautiful piece of art.

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Beth SullivanM.Ed in Special Education

Beth Sullivan is an education consultant and president of Deep Roots Learning Solutions, Inc. She specializes in literacy instruction and works primarily with students learning challenges, including dyslexia, ADHD and autism. After working in schools as a special educator for ten years, Beth has shifted her focus to supporting individual students and their families through online tutoring. She also provides...more

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Vaswati holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Rabindra Bharati University. She was an academic researcher before stepping into the web content world, where she has covered subjects including linguistics, administrative and international law, and human resources. At MomJunction, Vaswati writes and fact-checks commerce articles. Apart from writing, she showcases her artistic skills through vivid sketches, doodling, gouaches, ink...more