We love all fine art & craft activities for kids, but especially those that mix learning with art. In shape art project inspired by the creative person, Paul Klee, kids innately learn geometry, fractions and measurements while creating beautiful art.

Kids can mix colors and shapes in a way that expresses their artistic flair while absorbing math concepts.

art activity for preschoolers
Let's make math art inspired by the artist, Paul Klee!

Math Art Project

This fine art math activity was done with a group of kids ranging in age from 3 years old to 3rd graders. It was fun being able to do a learning activity together, that multiple ages tin learn from at the same fourth dimension. Information technology is literally the perfect math art project for kids of all ages and levels.

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Shapes Inspired by Artist Paul Klee

We were inspired to create our project by the Castle and Sunday piece of work of Paul Klee:

Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German language artist. His highly individual style was influenced past movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism…His works reflect his dry humor and his sometimes childlike perspective, his personal moods and beliefs, and his musicality.

–Tate

Prep for Kids Math Fine art Projection

Prior to our activity, I cutting upwards a bunch of shapes:

  • I cutting strips of construction newspaper that were 1 and a half inches thick.
  • I then made squares from those strips (1 ane/two″ x ane 1/2″) and rectangles by cutting double-broad squares (1 i/2″ x three″).
  • From some of the squares, we cut them in half to make triangles, mini-rectangles and tiny squares.
Shapes were cutting out from strips of newspaper ahead of time.

Art Supplies Needed

  • Multiple colors of structure paper to be cutting into shapes
  • White construction paper to be used as a base of the fine art project – you tin use 8 1/2 x eleven size pages or 12 10 xviii size newspaper for a larger finished project
  • Scissors or preschool grooming scissors
  • Glue or glue stick

Directions for Fine art Math Projection

Step i

Start by showing the children Klee's work. Discuss how he fit a diversity of shapes into a space to create a castle scene.

Introduce that we will be using the principles of creating larger images from smaller shapes and using a lot of visual space. They will be encouraged to completely fill their page with the shapes!

Give each child their base of operations sheet of white construction newspaper.

Step 2

Give kids admission to the diversity of shapes already cut from multiple colors of structure paper to mucilage onto their white construction paper base of operations.

The rule: No overlapping pieces (or endeavour to not accept overlapping) and "make full" all the white.

Older students had to utilize a multifariousness of shapes, they had to take i or more than of each shape in their motion-picture show.

Younger kiddos could use just squares or squares and rectangles to fill their sail.

math through art project

Practicing Math Through Art

Without even realizing it, your kids are learning basic principles of geometry and how shapes and expanse interact. Show them how obvious some fractions are when the pieces are all the same shape, merely discover how other shapes outset appearing in fractions as well.

In the example pictured above:

  • The upper left corner green square is 1/12th of the entire folio.
  • The upper eye red is i/6th size
  • And when you combine the 3 different shapes in the lower row, information technology is 1/tertiary

If you lot want to add another learning element to the folio for your older kids, ask them to explicate in fractions how much a row or a particular shape or colour takes up in the "space" of the image.

art activity for preschoolers

Beautiful Colorful Art

We have our math lessons hanging proudly on our wall equally art…isn't this just the best? I am inspired to create more art this way.

More Math Art Resources

Math Art and Drawing Games for Kids by Karyn Tripp book from Amazon - 40 fun art projects to build amazing math skills
What a fun way to explore math art concepts!

I found a great fiddling volume with even more Math Art for Kids! Information technology has 40 fun art projects to build astonishing math skills. Some of the projects include making pixel fine art, explore symmetry fine art, use equations, counting, addition and multiplication to create Fibonacci and gold rectangle art.

math art project

More than Math & Art Fun from Kids Activities Blog

  • Make math much more than enjoyable with these fun math games.
  • Only learning how to add? These elementary addition activities will help your child succeed.
  • Is your child simply learning to count? Then they'll beloved these kids counting games.
  • Put a twist on subtraction with this subtraction color by number printable.
  • Check out our kindergarten math games!
  • Want more educational activities? Bank check out these like shooting fish in a barrel stem activities for kids.
  • Check out this list of some of our favorite preschool art projects!
  • You lot could use math to determine where the lord's day is when creating shadow art with kids.
  • Here are some of the all-time frame-worthy art projects for kids.

How did your Klee inspired math art project turn out?

Rachel is the founder of the blog, One Crazy Firm.  She is the co-author of 101 Kids Activities that are the Bestest, Funnest Always! and The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and six children.