Collage Art for Kids

How to Make Painted Paper Collages for Kids

February 1, 2025

Create painted paper collages inspired by Mexican piñatas. A fun and easy craft that is great for introducing children to Mexican culture. Project and post by Sofia Fonseca Garcia.

Updated March 2025

Inspiration is everywhere. We can find it in nature, in things that we like, in music, in almost everything.

One incredible source of creative inspiration can be your country of origin. Every country has its own traditions, art, and talented people. With our help, kids can find great inspiration from these things.

I live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world: Mexico! One of my favorite ways to transform Mexican culture into art is making collages using painted paper. I like to use this painted paper to make collages of piñatas, a very special traditional object in my country.

Many years ago the Mayan civilization used to fill piñatas with cacao, which was a treasured food. Every time Mayans went to war and won, they celebrated with piñatas. The strongest warrior was the one who broke the piñata (made with hard clay) and everybody could take a bit of cacao. It was a present from the warriors to the rest of the population.

Today, Mexicans have piñatas at many celebrations and they are always in the shape of a star!

Here’s how to make painted paper to use for collages!

How to Make Painted Paper Collages

MATERIALS

Paper (any kind, white, recycled, magazine, etc.)
Lemon, lime, or orange, cut in half
Green leaves
Paint
Glue
Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

Paint paper
Use acrylic paint or watercolors to paint your objects (we used citrus fruit and leaves).

Then stamp your object onto the paper to make prints. (It’s also fun to paint the entire paper, let dry, and then stamp over it with bright colors.)

Be sure to paint several pieces of paper to have enough to collage with.
Cut shapes out of the painted paper
Cut geometric shapes out of the painted paper. For my star piñata, I started with a circle for the center and triangles for the points. I made a circle for the center and two triangles to make the candy.
Glue the paper pieces together
Use glue to attach the paper pieces to a larger piece of paper.
Use the shapes to tell a story
Hang your collage up somewhere and use it to tell a story.

This is an amazing way to learn about your own traditions and become a storyteller!

I hope you get a chance to try this project with your family or students!

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How to Make Painted Paper Collages for Kids

big kids, elementary classroom, tweens

Sofia Fonseca Garcia

I’m Sofia, I’m a proud Mexican artist and teacher. I studied Design in Mexico City and I am specialized in Art. One of my passions are kids and sharing my culture with art has become my passion!. That's why I decides to make a certification with the Montessori Institute of Barcelona with an art degree for kids ages 6 to 12. For me, being an artist is how I express myself to the world. I teach art in many art studios around my city. I've been teaching kids for more than 4 years and I love it! I am very patient and cozy, and my main goal is to let the kids discover their passion about art their own way. I believe that art opens your mind and makes you think in other ways. Art breaks your traditional thought. It pulls your feet away from the ground and brings imagination to make you fly!!

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