Painting with pine cones is a fun creative art activity for preschoolers. Use pine cones as paint brushes and paint stamps to add sensory play to your next process art experience.

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Painting with prickly pine cones? Why not!

Just one simple step gets the pine cones ready for a fun art activity. The paint stamps are easy to make with regular sized pine cones.

We often associate pine cones with the Christmas season, but they can be used in kids play in many different ways.

• Outdoors, have fun using pine cones to create a pine cone trail.
  
  
• Indoors, get creative painting pine cone ornaments. 

You can provide an interesting painting activity by making this DIY painting tool.

The variety of textures and colors of the materials promotes fine motor and sensory play as kids create beautiful pictures.

Related:  Pine cones in the sandbox

Painting with pine cones

Instructions for making pine cone stamps

1. Separate the top portion of the pine cone with a craft knife or scissors. 

Pine cones are tough, so this takes a bit of pressure and wiggling to get through. If the pine cones are dry, some of the leaves will break off or crumble.

Leave 3 or 4 rows of leaves on the top portion. This becomes your new painting tool.

2. Pour paints into jar lids or foam trays.

We were able to use jar lids of the same color as the paints for a little color matching!

3. Apply paint to paper with the pine cone stamp.

Grip the pine cone top with your fingers, or grab the stem (if there is one) to use as a handle.

Paint can be applied to the paper in different ways. 

• swipe the cone across the paper
• rotate the cone in a circular motion (like this effect when painting with a craft stick paint tool)
• stamp the cone onto the paper 

Make designs and patterns.

Make a Christmas tree.

• Stamp graduated rows with a pine cone top.
  
  
• Apply lights and a star with a tip of one of the leaves of a pine cone. 
  
  
• Glue a single leaf from a pine cone to the base of the tree to make a trunk.

Christmas on Pinterest

Provide this unique painting experience for preschoolers. They'll love getting creative with a pine cone painting tool. 

The colors and patterns or the finished artwork will be fun to display at home or in the classroom!

STEAM KIDS CHRISTMAS
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Pompom STEAM activity for preschoolers