Appropriate for ages:
Two and Up

Time needed:
10 minutes and up

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1. Set up a child-friendly collage tray.

* I suggest purchasing a plastic tray divided into a few sections with a circle in the middle.

* If you don't have a chance to buy a tray, you can take a regular tray and place three or four non-breakable bowls on it in a circle, with a space in the middle. (If you have disposable plates and bowls, you can glue the bowls onto the tray.) Put a small glue container in the middle.

2. Choose your materials.

You do not need to buy anything special. You can use:

* Colored construction paper cut into different size pieces.
* Leftover wrapping paper.
* Bits of yarn.
* Small rocks collected from outside.
* Sandpaper
* Tissue paper that comes wrapped around presents.
* Multi-colored beans.
* Pieces of an old sponge.
* Old pieces from games you no longer use and will otherwise throw away.
* Pieces of ribbon

These are some suggestions. Use your imagination. Choose three items for your 2-3 year old and 4 items for your 4-5 year old. Try to choose items with different textures. If two of the items are different colors of construction paper then for the third choose pieces of a sponge or sandpaper.

WHAT TO DO:

There is no end to the number of interesting collages you can make with your child.

1. Place the materials in the bowls and put a small container of glue in the middle. Pick a piece of paper for your child to glue the materials to. Plain construction paper is fine.
2. Let your child glue the materials to the paper.
For a very young child, you can put the glue on the paper first and then have them put the pieces onto the parts with glue. Older children can put the glue on themselves. A very young child requires supervision. Try to encourage them to vary the items they choose to glue. Once they get the idea you can leave your child at this activity and have them call you when they are finished.
3. Let the collage dry and hang it up. Let your child know you are proud of his "work."

This is an activity that can be repeated over and over again. As long as the materials in the collage dishes change regularly, most children never get tired of this activity. Keep an eye out for new items that might be interesting for your child to glue. If you get a delivery packaged in Styrofoam balls, put them in the collage tray and tell your child "Do you want to see something special that I put in the collage tray?"

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Here are some ways of making a collage that are more challenging for your older pre-school child.

* Help her to make shapes, letters or numbers out of glue and paste the collage pieces into these shapes.
* Children love to write their names in glue. Write out your child's name in glue or help him to do it on her own. A kindergarten child can often do this without a parent helping. Have them glue the collage pieces in the shape of their names.
* A different collage method that older (4-5) pre-school children sometimes enjoy is to have them "plan" the collage before they make it. Have your child design the collage with only the materials and no glue on the paper. Suggest that she think if that's the design they want and only then bring out the glue.