This gravity painting activity for kids combines science and art to show the force of gravity. Add colored tissue paper to turn it into a beautiful spring artwork.
Updated April 2025
This fun STEAM activity combines science and art to explore gravity—the invisible force that pulls things down to Earth. Just like how an apple falls from a tree or a pencil drops to the floor, we’ll use gravity to help paint! Instead of brushes, we’ll let paint drip, slide, and flow to create amazing art. The best part? It’s all about experimenting, exploring, and seeing what happens—just like real scientists and artists do!
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math—subjects that help kids become creative problem solvers and big thinkers!
Once you’ve made your gravity painting, you can collage colorful tissue paper onto it to make a springtime scene!
Gravity Painting for Kids
MATERIALS
- Washable paint
- Water
- Dropper or spoon
- White foam board (or cardboard)
- Tissue paper
- Glue (mixed with a little water)
- Paint brush
- Permanent marker
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep your materials
Prep your work space with a drop cloth and an easel or support to hold your foam board. You can also make a DIY easel for this project.
Mix your paint with a splash of water. You want to water down the paint so it can flow easily down the paper. - Drip the paint
Drip the paint on the paper with a dropper or spoon.
My two young artists enjoyed using the spoon to get good size drips. Watch gravity do it’s work. Your artist may wish to manipulate the drips by turning the board as the drips run down.
- Use the drips as a creative prompt
Once your paper has dried, ask your child “what you can turn the drips into?”. You may wish to turn your painting upside down or on its side to spark an idea.
Use your imagination to think creatively about what you see in the drips. - Add collage elements
If you’d like, you can add color and creativity to turn your drips of paint into a work of art.
We used one of our favorite collage techniques by painting with glue over tissue paper. You could also paint or add color with markers instead of creating a tissue paper collage.
My kids decided to turn their drips into springtime artwork. We cut petals out of tissue paper and arranged the petals to create flowers. We also layered green tissue paper to create grass and added insects to the scene with permanent marker.
Ask your child questions along the way to stretch their creative and critical thinking skills. The great thing about process art is there is no wrong way to do it. Let your child lead the project with their imagination.
More STEAM Activities for Kids
- How to Do Drip Painting for Kids
- How to Do Splat Painting
- Art Resources to Encourage Creativity for Kids
- Awesome LEGO Art Ideas for Kids
- Rubber Band Printing with Kids
- The Best Science Experiments for Kids
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