I’m excited to share a creative use for recycled bubble wrap in crafting and painting with kids. The reason I love using bubble wrap is it creates a unique texture with paint. And the best thing is you are recycling when you use bubble wrap! You can find old bubble wrap from your packing. Just look round at your packages you have gotten shipped to you.
Why use recycle bubble wrap for arts and crafts? Becasue it creates a charming round pattern by the air-filled bubbles! One of the important art elements I teach my young students is texture. And using bubble wrap really helps teach that idea. If you want to know what the art elements are you can find that in my books. Visit here to see all the art teaching books I have for purchase.
Cut Fun Shapes From Recycled Bubble Wrap
You can actually cut geometric shapes kids can paint and press down on paper. The process of bubbple wrap painting is easy. With a pair of scissors start off by cutting shapes kids can use like a stamp. I recommend cutting smaller basic shapes like circles, triangles, squares and hearts. See my picture examples below. You can also watch a video I made on youtube below.
WATCH VIDEO HOW TO BUPPLE WARP PAINT SHAPES
Using recycled materials can teach kids facts about recycling and how to repurose into new uses. Infact I have a couple of other blogs on the topic of Recycled Crafts For Kids you can read here:
5 Earth Day Painting Projects For Children
Shark Crafts For Kids Using Recycled Toilet Paper Rolls
5 steps to bubble wrap texture painting
- Cut bubble wrap into any shape.
- Lay bubble wrap flat, then paint over bubbles with a loaded paintbrush.
- Place face down onto paper, press down all areas.
- Lift paper slowly, to fast will smear paint.
- See how bubble impressions came out.
- Try several times until you get the hang of it and the desired impression. It takes a few times to understand how the paint works best. Try at least 10 times.
Bubble Wrap Materials:
- Bubble wrap
- Paint
- Paper
- Paintbrushes
- Cleaning wipe
- Scissors
What an exciting way to use something that would otherwise just be thrown away, with bubble wrap you can create new art! Not only does it show children the importance of recycling but it’s also a fun craft for them to get creative with.
I’m a firm believer in teaching texture early on and using recycled bubble wrap is one of my favorite materials for children to learn from. It has been a really fun way to teach kids art!
Check out my books and free paint materials list to inspire your own collections of unique paintings. Have fun!
Let me know what you think about using bubble wrap in art projects and if you have any other great ideas about using upcycled materials in crafts or painting, I’d love to hear from you. Share your work with me through Instagram or Facebook— I can’t wait to see what you create with this fun activity.
