Fun Littles

Fun and easy kids activities

Picture Frame Wall Art

Jul 29, 20156,205 views
Art Projects
Ages5+
Prep15 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessMedium
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids rule lines on the glass of a dollar-store picture frame with a black marker, then fill each section with bright nail polish. The result is colorful, hangable wall art for their rooms.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Nail polish has strong fumes and is flammable. Work in a well-ventilated room, away from heat or open flames.
  • Nail polish is not taste-safe. Keep bottles away from mouths and wash hands after.
  • Picture frames contain glass. An adult removes the insert, handles the glass and checks for chipped edges before kids start.
  • Nail polish and permanent marker stain clothes and surfaces. Cover the table and dress kids in old clothes.
  • Supervise closely, especially with younger children.

Before the kids arrive

  • Remove the inserts from the picture frames.
  • Place a crisp sheet of white paper behind the glass of each frame and close it back up.

Steps

  1. Adult: take the insert out of the picture frame.

  2. Put a white sheet of paper behind the glass and close the frame.

  3. Use a ruler and a black marker to draw lines on the glass, making lots of little spaces.

  4. Paint each space with nail polish, trying to stay inside the lines.

  5. Keep filling the spaces with different colors until the whole frame is full.

  6. Let the nail polish dry.

  7. Retrace the lines with a black permanent marker.

  8. Hang your art on the wall.

Tips

  • I picked up a bunch of cheap picture frames and colorful nail polish from the dollar store. I would have loved a white frame, but oh well!from the author
  • Staying inside the lines with the nail polish brush was a challenge, which made it a great exercise for developing fine motor skills.from the author
  • My older kid is into geometric designs right now. She loves using her ruler to make lots of spaces on paper and fill them in with vibrant colors, so I had her recreate that on the glass.from the author
  • The children were psyched to paint with nail polish. They'd never done it before, other than on their nails of course!from the author

Make it your own

  • Slip an outline of an image under the glass and have the kids trace it and fill it in with colors.
  • Hang the finished frames in a play space or in the kids' rooms.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · July 2015
materials
I picked up cheap picture frames from the dollar store, removed the insert and added white paper behind the glass. I would have loved a white frame, but oh well!
1 / 5

Picture Frame Wall Art: the original post

Make colorful wall art for your kids’ rooms using picture frames and nail polish. Simple kids art activity.

{all our kids art projects here }

Finding colorful wall art for kids’ rooms can be simple and easy on the wallet. My children and I enjoy creating art to hang them in their play space and in their rooms. They loved creating the spring themed wall art. We have also turned out tissue paper tie-dye art into wall art for their rooms. Today we are sharing this simple kids art activity that can be dressed up into hangable wall art for kids rooms. Materials

  • Empty pictures frames
  • Nail Polish
  • Black permanent marker

materials

I picked up a bunch a of cheap picture frames from the dollar store and removed the insert. I added a crisp sheet of white paper behind the glass and set it out along with colorful nail polish I picked up from the dollar store as well. I would have loved a white frame but oh well!! The children were psyched with the idea of creating and painting with nail polish. This was a fun a and unique kids art project for them. They have never painted with nail polish! I mean other than their nails ofcourse. From our previous table top art gallery post, I guessed that my older kid is into geometric designs right and now loves using her ruler to create multiple spaces on paper and fill those in with vibrant colors. So I had her recreate that. With a ruler and a black marker she created a pattern with lines. After that all they had to do was fill the sections in with the multiple nail polishes they had

mirrors art

It was a great exercise for their developing fine motor skills. Staying inside the lines with the nail polish brush was a challenge. I mean this is a skill that will come in handy for girls, right? Making sure the color doesn’t go off on the skin when you are painting your toes in a hurry?? Huh? No? Ok, I kid, I kid. No stereotyping here.. Here is a little video of the process.

Watch the video on YouTube

Loving the vibrant colors here..

kids wall art with picture frames

This kids art will make any bare wall pop with colors. Alternatively, you can also slip an outline of an image under the glass and have the kids trace and fill in with colors. wall art for kids rooms

Retrace the outline with a black permanent marker art with kids with mirrors

Make wall art for your kids' rooms with dollar store picture frames

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