# Rainbow Bubble Wrap Stamps
> Tape bubble wrap onto cereal-box shapes to make homemade stamps. Smoosh them into dollops of neon paint and press them onto white paper for vibrant rainbow prints.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-for-kids-bubble-wrap-stamps/
- Ages: 2–7 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 20 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: printmaking, fine-motor, colors, shapes, process-art

## Materials (one batch)
- Bubble wrap
- Empty cereal box or cardboard (household)
- Tape or glue (household)
- Vibrant neon paints
- 2 sheet White paper (household)
- 1 piece Scissors (household)
- 1 piece Tray, foil-lined surface or paper plate for paint (household)
- 1 piece Corks and hot glue (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of cereal box: Cardboard (The post lists either.)
- Instead of tape: Glue (The post lists tape or glue.)

## Safety
- An adult does the cutting, and any hot gluing of cork handles, before the kids join in.
- Keep bubble wrap and plastic scraps away from mouths and faces, and supervise younger children.
- Use non-toxic, washable kids' paint and wash hands after printing.

## Before you start
- Talk to the kids about their favorite shapes, then cut those shapes from an empty cereal box or cardboard.
- Tape bubble wrap onto each shape and trim the edges. If you tape whole sheets on first and then cut, the edges fray, so tape or glue them again.
- For younger toddlers, hot glue a cork to the back of each stamp as a handle (adult only).

## Steps
1. Check that each stamp has its bubble wrap taped on and trimmed neatly.
2. Place dollops of different neon paint colors on the tray.
3. Lay the stamp, bubble side down, on the paint dollops.
4. Gently smoosh the stamp so it picks up all the colors.
5. Lift the stamp and admire the colorful bubbles.
6. Lay the stamp paint side down on white paper and press it with both hands.
7. Peel the stamp off to see your rainbow print.
8. Add more paint and print the other shapes, too.

## Tips
- Neon paints are truly the best. The display of all the colorful stamps was a sight to behold!
- If you don't have a handle on the stamp it does get tricky. Both of our kids managed just fine, but younger toddlers may need a cork handle glued to the back.
- Cutting the shapes first and then taping on the bubble wrap avoids frayed edges.
- The stamp itself turns out gorgeous, so keep the stamps as art too.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

*Make simple bubble wrap stamps and have the kids engage in fun art activities*

Printing activities are such simple yet therapeutic (for adults) art activities for kids. It can be as basic or as complex as the children want. Today we share the process for creating vibrant process art using printmaking. In the past we have used [**citric fruits**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-citrus-stamping/) for printmaking along with [**egg cartons**](https://www.funlittles.com/spring-art-egg-carton-sheep/) and [**potatoes.**](https://www.funlittles.com/valentine-art/)

**Materials for bubble wrap printing art activity** ( links at the bottom of the post)

- Bubble Wrap
- Cardboard/Cereal
- Tape/Glue
- Vibrant Neon Paints
- White Paper



After talking to the children I cut out a few of their favorite shapes from an empty cereal box (you can use cardboard)

Later I taped on bubble wrap and trimmed the edges.

Alternatively you can tape sheets of bubble wrap on the cereal boxes and then cut out the shapes. In that case the edges fray. So you might have to tape or glue the edges again.

If working with younger children you can also hot glue some corks to the backs of the stamps for easily handling.

Once you have your homemade bubble wrap stamps it is time to get creating!

We used the same paints we used for our [**rainbow yarn art**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-rolling-pin-yarn-prints/). I'm in love with neon paints!

We placed dollops of various colors and laid the fish cut out and gently smooshed it to get all the colors on the stamp.



The stamp itself turns out gorgeous.



Then get a rainbow fish print on a sheet of white paper.



Here is the stamp and the print. This will be a great companion activity for the book "Rainbow Fish"



We continued printing all the other shapes with hearts being the next favorite.



If you don't have a handle on the stamp it does get tricky. But both my kids were able to manage just fine. Younger toddlers may need a cork handle glued to the back for added fun.



The display of all the colorful stamps was a sight to behold! Neon paints are truly the best.



The prints turned out great as well. They make great homemade cards.





Once I cut out the fish, the negative space was just as beautiful. So we made an ocean scene with the fish cutout.



Thanks for reading



More [**art activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/art-projects/) on our category page