Halloween contact paper art lets kids explore transient, sensory art in such an engaging way! It’s the perfect addition to your Halloween activities for preschoolers.
I love offering different art invitations to young children. This lets them explore different mediums and art techniques in a safe environment. They can feel free to try new things without worrying about criticism.
I’m also a big fan of process art because it allows children to create without having to have an end product in mind.
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Halloween Contact Paper Art
I’m going to share how we set everything up for this sticky Halloween art.
Please keep in mind that you can definitely do things a little differently than we did!
Sticky Paper Art Materials
I used a variety of items that I already had on-hand as I set up our Halloween contact paper art.
If you don’t have the same materials, substitute Halloween-themed items you do have easy access to.
- Black and orange straws, cut into pieces
- Black, orange, and yellow pompoms
- Orange glass craft gems
- Googly eyes
- Contact paper
- Child-sized tweezers
Mini erasers and foam shapes would be fun to add to this art, too!
If you try this activity with younger children, make sure to adjust the art materials based on the kids’ needs.
Prepping the Halloween Art Invitation
Place the contact paper along the length of one of your classroom tables. Make sure it’s sticky side up!
You can also turn this is into a vertical surface art project by placing it on a wall. Just make sure to use light-weight materials in conjunction with it.
Secure the sticky paper in various places so it won’t come off the table too easily. I just used regular tape to do this.
Next, set out all of your sticky art materials. They can be placed in sectioned trays or individual bowls. If your kids are going to use tweezers, make sure to set those out too.
I’d also suggest you have a camera on-hand. Since the contact paper art is transient art, the kids won’t have anything to show when they’re done. So we take a lot of pictures when the kids explore art like this.
Playing and Learning with Halloween Contact Paper Art
The very first time we tried this Halloween art activity, it was a hit! The kids loved the sticky table so much I ended up keeping it out for the entire week!
Every subsequent contact paper art invitation has been just as well-received.
It was fun to observe how the kids interacted with the Halloween contact paper art.
Some of the children had fun lining up the materials all along the contact paper.
Others liked exploring the stickiness of the paper rather than playing with the materials.
Still others were very focused on creating people, animals, and designs.
My favorite part was watching the collaborations between students. Some of the children worked individually, while others worked in small groups.
Either way, the children often left their art on the sticky table and others would come over and add to what the previous child had done.
And in case you were wondering, here are some of the skills children are practicing during this Halloween art:
- Fine motor skills
- Art and free expression
- Teamwork
- Colors
- Shapes
- Sensory exploration
- Counting
Your students may touch on different learning skills when they try the project. And that is perfectly okay!
More Halloween Projects for Preschoolers
Here are a few more ideas, just in case you’re looking for some ideas to complement your Halloween contact paper art.
Glow in the Dark Sensory Bottle
Halloween Invitation to Paint by Nothing if Not Intentional
Halloween Weaving by Fantastic Fun and Learning
Playing & Creating with Sand & Glass Gems by Buggy and Buddy
Pumpkin Railroad Building by Play Trains!
Preschool Halloween Resources
Let Preschool Teacher 101 help ease your planning stress with done-for-you preschool resources. Click on the images below for more information, and then be sure to check out the membership options!
Originally published October 2013.
Love this, Mary Catherine! And the kids were so creative!
Thanks, Stephanie! I think the kiddos did an amazing job with the sticky table art! We kept it up all week long, and they continued making the most creative designs.
That looks like great fun! Wonderful how creative the kids were and how they worked together!
Thanks, Tina! The kids did an awesome job!
We do this on our easel ans use a variety of things to stick on–plastic alphabets, shapes, etc. love this Halloween idea and using the whole table.
I’ve done this vertically, too, so trying it out on the long table was a bit different. It was really interesting to see how the kids worked together and created on a horizontal surface too. They loved it so much that we will definitely be doing more sticky art! 🙂
I really want to try this with the kids! I can’t believe I have yet to try any sticky art- but this may have motivated me! So much fun!
I highly recommend giving it a try! The kids and I have seriously loved it. 🙂