This fun printmaking activity for kids uses old screws, nuts and bolts to make art!
Kids will love experimenting with the different prints and patterns different sized and shaped nuts bolts and screws make when you dip them in paint and press them onto the paper.
This is a great process art activity that allows kids to explore and experiment with this interesting printmaking technique.
It’s amazing what you can create with a handful of old nuts, bolts and screws that you find in the back of the laundry cabinet!
A handful of old metal hardware isn’t usually the first thing you think of when you want to do an art activity with your kids, but these large nuts, bolts and screw are the perfect size for small hands to hold, and they make all kinds of interesting patterns and prints!
Caution: This activity uses small parts and is not suitable for children who still put things in their mouths. Please supervise young children at all times while doing this activity.
Nuts and Bolts and Screws Printmaking for Kids.
This fun process art activity is all about transferring a texture or image from one surface to another and making a print.
Kids love exploring and experimenting and seeing what shapes and textures move from one object onto a piece of paper, and they can also be used to make interesting patterns, designs and pictures.
While playing around with printmaking kids learn all about cause and effect and will often spend lots of time happily experimenting with different printmaking objects and techniques to see what happens. This activity is all about the process – while your child may combine the prints to make pictures and designs, the aim of this activity is to see what happens when you make a print with the nuts and bolts.
How to do Nuts and Bolts Printmaking
To do some nuts and bolts art you’ll need:
- Washable paint
- A container to put your paint in and some sponges or material to make ‘stamp pads’
- Paper
- A selection of nuts and bolts
- A smock or apron
- A damp cloth to wipe hands.
When selecting your metal fastenings for this art activity try to find as many different shapes and sizes as you can. Look for screws and bolts with interesting designs on the head, and screw the nuts onto the end of the bolts to make them easy to pick up and use.
We used washable liquitemp paints for this art activity and made a ‘stamp pad’ out of a recycled plastic food tray and some cut of pieces of fabric. You could also use a paper plate for your paint, or some old kitchen sponges.
Make sure you have some big pieces of paper (the smaller the child the larger the paper you’ll need!) and some where to put your artwork to dry.
Then just put a good dollop of paint into each section of your paint pad, swish it around till it soaks in a little and then you are ready to print.
To make a print simply press the nut, bolt of screw into the paint, and then press it onto the paper and see what pattern it makes!
We discovered that the nuts bolts and screws made all kinds of interesting shapes and patterns, and sometimes they surprised us with the printmaking results!
We were quite surprised that the hexagonal nuts didn’t print hexagonal shapes! It wasn’t until we looked closer that we saw there was a clear circular rim sitting higher than the hexagonal shape, which is what printed.
We discovered some of the bolts had numbers and letters on them that printed onto the paper.
Our favourite printmaking fasteners were the screws with the different patterns on their heads which made really interesting prints.
Making art with nuts and bolts is a fun and easy printable making activity that kids of all ages will love!
Your kids will happily fill up the paper with all kinds of interesting shapes, patterns, prints and nuts and bolt art! We think these prints would make great cards or wrapping paper!
More Printmaking for Kids
Printmaking is such a fun and easy process art activity that kids of all ages love!
If you want to do more printmaking with your kids try printmaking with one of these ten crazy items to print with, check out these easy printmaking ideas:
