Sponge Craft Ideas for Kids
To use sponges with crafts, just cut up household sponges into different sizes (and shapes if you like). Use poster paint as found at any drug store and let the kids use the sponges as they would stamps: squish in the paint, then squish on the page. A fun theme and a background the kids create themselves can add to the end result. Here are some sponge-read craft ideas for your kids. Join in and make it even more fun!
Supplies: sponges cut into managable chunks of different sizes; poster paints; crayons, markers and/or colored pencils; white paper, or construction paper; decorations, glue and scissors as desired.
Sponges of All Seasons
Ask kids to draw a tree trunk in the middle of their paper. (They an color it whatever color they like, traditional brown some other more inventive shade.) Ask them to add as many limbs as they want- but no leaves. Then, ask the kids to pick a season, and, using sponges and the paint, put clusters of “leaves” on the trees. For instance, kids may use brown, orange, red and yellow for the limbs of fall. Green could show summer, while spring might be some green mixed with white for a lighter green effect, or green with pink spots indicating spring flowers. For winter, sponges can make snow on bows instead. Kids can go through all four seasons, making a sponge-leave tree for each. They can add to the picture once the paint is dry, adding birds’ nests or squirrels, for instance, or color in green grass, a blue sky or maybe a house in the background. You can also use other craft decorations like yarn, pipecleaner or tinfoil to give the seasonal pictures a 3-d effect.
Sponge Bouquets
This is a simliar craft, except it maybe let’s kids use their creativity a little more freely. Ask kids to draw a vase of any shape or size on their paper. Then tell them to draw stems, or, if you prefer, glue on green pipe cleaner. Then let kids choose whatever color paints they want to create the blossoms of their flowers using the sponge square or circles (or other shapes). They can do flowers of all one color or a bunch of all different colors. The flowers can be one single squish of the sponge, or big clusters. If they want, kids can fill in the page around the vase, creating a room for it by adding windows, wallpaper, or furniture in the background.
Sponge Safari
With crayons, pencils, or markers, have kids draw a jungle, desert plain, or even an zoo. Ask them to consider what scenery might be there: trees, vines, rocks, streams. But have them leave out the animals. Then, with sponges, have them create the wildlife! Yellow squares can combine to create lions. Mix black and white paint to create grey elephants. Is that an aligator’s green head poking out of the water? Use 3-d objects if you like, like green yarn for vines, or scrunched up colorful tissue paper for jungle flowers.
Under the Sea
This idea is somewhat similar, except, instead of a jungle or serengti, you’re asking kids to create an underwater world. You can have kids start with blue paper, or invite them to color white paper whatever color they’d like their ocean to be. They can add rocks, plant life, caves, even buried treasure chests. Then, they can use paint and sponges to create sharks, octopi, big fish, little fish, and even mermaids if they want.
Sponge Boardgame
If you look at favorite kids board games, you’ll notice many of them involve square paths of some kind. Suggest your kids come up with a board game idea (help thewm as needed) including general goal, rules, and a name. Then, encourage them to mark the game path with their sponges (think CandyLand or Monopoly) and decorate around it using their crayons, markers or other items. Later, when the paint is dried, give the game a try!
