There are many different kinds of art, often referred to as ‘media’. Each medium provides children with different ways to express their ideas, theories, thoughts, and emotions. One art medium that our Kea (preschool) tamariki often engage in and enjoy is collage. This involves creating artwork by gluing or taping different materials onto paper or cardboard. 

Collage allows children to be creative, problem-solve, develop their concentration skills, and experiment with different materials and designs. As with other kinds of art, collage gives children an opportunity to explore and learn about art concepts, including design, composition, and dimension. Importantly, collage is one way children can explore, visualise and express their thoughts, theories, ideas, and emotions. 

As with any art experience, some considerations need to be made when planning and engaging in the experience. It is important to ensure that children are supervised when making a collage and that the objects are not too small, thereby avoiding the risk of children swallowing or choking on the materials. 

As with any art experience, it is important to choose relevant and interesting materials to the children who will be making the collage artwork. So, if the child is particularly interested in a specific topic, for example, plants, recycling, or cooking, choose materials that reflect this area of interest. 

Some ideas for materials to use include:

– Glue

– Tape

– String or ribbon

– Recycled materials, such as plastic bottle tops, cardboard tubes and boxes

– Paper (e.g. coloured paper, newspaper, magazines, crepe paper)

– Fabrics

– Natural materials (e.g. sticks, stones, shells, feathers, flowers, leaves)

Providing a large table with separate containers for each of the different materials allows children to easily choose the materials they would like to include in their artwork. When setting up a collage area or table, it is important to think about providing children with a large enough area to work in, where they can plan, design, and create their artwork.

 The materials used to create collages can be wide and varied and do not need to be the same each time. An interesting way to extend this learning experience could be to include natural materials or recycled materials. It is important to ensure that none of the materials is poisonous or hazardous and all materials are clean. 

By using natural materials or recycled materials, children can also be involved in the collection process. When collecting natural materials with children, the concept of kaitiakitanga or guardianship over nature and the environment can be discussed to ensure that children collect their resources in a way that protects the environment and respects the natural world around them. Additionally, when collecting recycled materials, these same concepts of caring for the environment can also be discussed, as well as the concepts of reusing and recycling different materials for different uses. 

Art is all about being creative and having fun! So, give it a go and see what wonderful creations can be made!