One craft material that I always have on hand is felt. And another is chalk. We go through a lot of chalk around here, especially with my oldest who's hyperlexic and started writing independently when he was just a toddler.
Yet, I never thought to combine these two materials, until one day...
See, the inspiration for this chalk drawing on felt process art was rather accidental.
A friend of mine and her two kids were over for a play date when someone, either my two year old or hers, drew all over our felt board with chalk. While the chalk didn't really come off, I thought it looked neat together.
So, I set up a smaller version of that, as you can probably tell by now...
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
What You'll Need for this Felt Drawing Activity
For this felt process art, you will need two things:
- Felt sheet - We used black, but I think white would be fun to draw on as well.
- Drawing chalk in various colors - They should contrast well with whatever color of felt you are drawing on.
Simply set out the materials on a table or a tray, sit back, and watch what your kids create!
Chalk Drawing on Felt Process Art
My two year old was interested in this art project for a whole two seconds or so. Then that was about it. As for four year old J, however, he took his time to explore and carefully design his piece of art.
J started off by drawing some letters on the felt, starting with a big letter A, which is such a hyperlexic thing to do!
Initially, he thought the felt would act like a chalkboard and that he could erase the letters. So, he did get a bit frustrated by the idea that the letters couldn't erase off. In the end, though, he decided it was okay that the felt couldn't be erased and continued on with drawing.
The next thing he drew was a rainbow. He drew it over top of his letters, happily naming the colors as he drew them.
Then he layered some more chalk on the felt by scribbling little designs in different colors.
The Finished Chalk & Felt Art Project
My son was so proud of his final artwork, holding it up for me to snap a picture. Ta-da!
Remember, this art project is about the process, not the end product. It's about exploring different materials, getting creative, using materials in new ways, and enjoying the act of making art.
Personally, I love the end result. I love how the different colors of chalk pop on the black background. And I love the hidden letters in the colorful layers. After all, it captures my son's hyperlexia in action.
Here's a close up of his finished chalk and felt art:
What do you think? Will you be trying this chalk drawing on felt process art with your kids? It can definitely be done with kids of any age, even toddlers and preschoolers, and requires zero prep on your part so it's definitely quick and simple to set up.
