Children's Face Mask Art Activities
- Children can easily create a hand-held face mask using a few simple craft items.Mimi Haddon/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Children's face mask art activities are ideal for rainy days when children would like to exercise their artistic abilities. Masks can be made for fun or as an extension of a classroom lesson. Elaborate face masks can be made using common materials like plates, paper bags, paper and popsicle sticks. They can be colored and adorned in limitless ways using craft materials and household items. Younger children may require assistance with scissors and glue. - Paper plate masks are perfect for children's face masks because they are inexpensive and fit most children's faces. The types of masks you can create with paper plates are virtually limitless. You can paint the plate any color you want, cut out eyes and add decorations to make anything from a jack-o-lantern to a tiger mask. You'll want to include paper add-ons like ears, nose and spots or stripes depending on the type of animal you create. Bird masks are easy to create by cutting a plate and half, gluing a triangle nose along the flat edge and adding feathers all the way around the top. You can also make African ceremonial masks using paper plates, newspaper, glue and paint. Simply twist newspaper into a nose and mouth shape, paste them to the plate, color them brown and use white paint to make dots and stripes around the mask. A simple strip of elastic attached to the plate will help to hold the mask on the child's head.
- Paper grocery sacks can be recycled and used by children to make paper bag crafts. Children can be allowed to decorate their mask according to their preferences or you can guide the activity toward a specific result. Make sure you fit the children for the mask and cut out around the shoulders so that the bag touches the top of their heads. While wearing the mask, children should touch their eyes and mouths so that holes can be cut for sight and breathing. Children should be allowed to cut out the holes themselves, but young children may need adult assistance. Children can then paint or draw animal faces and add ears and other features. Monsters are another fun option for paper bag masks. Some people even paste pictures of other people or animals to the face mask. Of course, children will also appreciate the freedom to create their own designs on their mask.
- Hand-held masks are fun to create and allow children to remove them easily if the mask agitates them. The mask can be cut to cover the child's entire face or only half. Card stock and construction paper work well for this type of mask. Hand-held designs are especially useful in the creation of bird masks and Mardi Gras masks, which are commonly held up to the face. Paint, feathers, ribbon, beads, artificial gemstones, pom poms and sequins should be provided to give children a variety of textures to use on their masks. After the mask has been painted and decorations have dried onto the mask, you will have to glue a handle to the mask. Popsicle sticks, chop sticks and dowel rods work well as handles for holding the mask. These sticks also provide structural support, so you may want to use a stick on either side of the mask if it is particularly flimsy.
