Torn Paper Collages
Strengthen fine motor skills by tearing colorful
construction paper to create rainbows or other designs.
Strengthen fine motor skills by tearing colorful construction paper to create rainbows or other designs.
Ages/Grades
Toddler, Preschool, Early Elementary
Learning Domains
Language, Fine Motor, Math, Science
Materials
Ready, Set, Create!
Lay out pieces of construction paper on your work surface.
Show children how to grab a piece of paper between their thumbs and index fingers to tear it into smaller pieces.
Children can glue the torn pieces of paper onto a whole piece of paper in a design.
Provide photographs of rainbows or landscapes for children to model their torn paper designs after.
Crayons or markers can be used either before children glue collage pieces onto their paper, if they want to create an outline to fill in, or can be used after gluing to add details.
Engage Children in Conversation
Comment on what you observe, such as “I see you’re using your fingers to tear your paper. How big are the pieces you’re tearing?”
Ask children open ended questions that encourage critical thinking, such as:
Will you draw an outline on your background paper and then fill it in with your torn pieces of paper, or will you create a free form design?”
Extensions
This activity can go along with a science or weather unit about rainbows, or could be adapted to use with a variety of topics.
Modifications
Caregivers can provide children with smaller pieces of already torn paper, or cut strips of paper to tear, if it is challenging to tear from the whole sheet.