54  chapter 3 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Collages Painting with feet Young children love to make collages! They offer not only a sensory experience, but also the ability to keep adding to an artwork Using squeezable glue bottles is great fun for young children, and it helps in developing fine-​ motor skills and strength. Early on, use the small- est (four-ounce) squeeze bottles and refill them often. Later you can build toward using larger (seven-​ounce) squeeze bottles. You can also offer a container of glue with a glue brush, paintbrush, or rubber applicator. Both bottles and brushes offer children good opportunities to develop fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Here are a few tips for collage projects with young children: • Items to use for collages include tissue paper, glitter, pom-poms, yarn, shiny paper, feath- ers, nature items, cellophane, felt, faux fur, sequins, yarn, foam pieces, crepe paper, pipe cleaners, string, ripped paper or paper scraps, recycled artwork cut into pieces, and other assorted items and craft materials. • Have materials cut in advance. Sort the materi- als into sandwich bags or divided containers. Making colorful footprints! • When making collages with heavier items, such as nature items, or large amounts of materials, glue them onto poster board or cardboard. These boards will hold the weight of materials and glue better than paper will. Children of this age enjoy using as many mate- rials in their collages as they possibly can! • Tint the glue by adding food coloring, liquid watercolor paint, or tempera paint. • Encourage children to cut or rip old artworks themselves to reuse for their collage work. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL