All children love to create. Small children are not afraid to try new things and they don't fear making mistakes or doing the wrong thing. Everything can be positive with a young child.
In my expressive arts class to get ready for Valentine's Day, I made simple Valentine Mandalas with the children. Circular Mandalas are very ancient forms of artistic expression and they can be created in different ways and from various materials. They are perfect for children as they are simple, colorful and unlimited in expression.
I asked the children to think of a feeling they each wanted to express for Valentine's Day. I received answers like "love", "fun", "joy" "togetherness", "family" and "happiness". We ended up creating a whole wall of colorful Circular Mandala Valentines.
Each child started with a 12" cardboard pizza circle that had been donated from a wholesale restaurant supplier to use as a backdrop. Then from a big stash of magazines, wrapping paper, wallpaper samples and decorative stickers that I had collected, they selected things that matched their desired expression to paste on their Mandala. After the Mandalas were finished, they took them home to their parents for an early Valentine. Because of their light weight, the Mandalas could easily be mounted on the wall or sprayed with sealant and used as a pretty trivet.
Here is one that I particularly loved. It is a "Happiness" mandala full of spring flowers, butterflies, and even a bird on a nest of eggs. All of those things certainly make me feel happy.
Submitted by Laurenn (Mimi)
In my expressive arts class to get ready for Valentine's Day, I made simple Valentine Mandalas with the children. Circular Mandalas are very ancient forms of artistic expression and they can be created in different ways and from various materials. They are perfect for children as they are simple, colorful and unlimited in expression.
I asked the children to think of a feeling they each wanted to express for Valentine's Day. I received answers like "love", "fun", "joy" "togetherness", "family" and "happiness". We ended up creating a whole wall of colorful Circular Mandala Valentines.
Each child started with a 12" cardboard pizza circle that had been donated from a wholesale restaurant supplier to use as a backdrop. Then from a big stash of magazines, wrapping paper, wallpaper samples and decorative stickers that I had collected, they selected things that matched their desired expression to paste on their Mandala. After the Mandalas were finished, they took them home to their parents for an early Valentine. Because of their light weight, the Mandalas could easily be mounted on the wall or sprayed with sealant and used as a pretty trivet.
Here is one that I particularly loved. It is a "Happiness" mandala full of spring flowers, butterflies, and even a bird on a nest of eggs. All of those things certainly make me feel happy.
Submitted by Laurenn (Mimi)
RSS Feed