Easy, Fun Fall Tree Salt Painting Activity for Kids
![vertical photo of fall tree salt painting art project for preschoolers with a palette of watercolors and a bowl of orange tinted water, fall tree is painted with brown, orange and yellow watercolors text overlay says [salt painting fall art for kids]](https://lifeovercs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/fall-tree-salt-painting-art-activity-for-kids-Pin-3-667x1000.webp)
Orange, yellow, and red leaves are a beautiful reminder that fall has arrived! We love fall colors, and are always looking for new kids craft ideas to incorporate them into! If you have never tried salt painting before, then salt and glue may sound like a strange combination of materials for a painting! But trust me, kids will love creating these Fall Tree Salt Painting Activities! They will be left with an adorable raised salt painting and the perfect addition to your refrigerator art or fall decor!
![vertical photo of fall tree salt painting art project for preschoolers with a palette of watercolors and a bowl of orange tinted water, fall tree is painted with brown, orange and yellow watercolors text overlay says [salt painting fall art for kids]](https://lifeovercs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/fall-tree-salt-painting-art-activity-for-kids-Pin-3.webp "Easy, Fun Fall Tree Salt Painting Activity for Kids 6")
Recommended Grade Level:
Fall Tree Salt Painting Supplies:
- Salt
- Liquid Glue
- Watercolor Paints
- Paintbrushes
- Cardstock paper
This fall salt painting art project for preschoolers is a simple activity for toddlers to complete with just a little help from an adult! All you need is a few simple materials and you will be on your way to creating this easy fall craft!
For More Salt Painting Inspiration Check Out:
Why is the Fall Tree Salt Painting Activity Perfect for Preschoolers?
Hand-Eye Coordination: Dipping the paintbrush into the water, gently pressing it into the paint, and transferring the paint to the paper all require little hands and eyes to work together to create a masterpiece!
Fine Motor Skills: Holding the paintbrush and correctly placing it on the salt and glue lines is a great way to build fine motor skills. It’s perfect for developing pre-writing skills in preschool and a great therapy tool for kids who need to build fine motor strength without feeling like they are ‘working’.
Creative Expression: Salt painting activities are a great, open-ended form of art that allows kids to develop their creative skills without needing to worry about a ‘perfect’ end result.
Science Exploration: Watching the watercolors soak into the salt is a fun way to learn about absorption. As well as, exploring color mixing as the colors blend together through the art project.
Calming: While many people may worry about kids getting over-excited about an art project, creating a detailed art project like this raised salt fall tree painting requires focus and can help kids calm down.
Materials Needed for Fall Tree Salt Painting:
- Salt
- Liquid Glue
- Watercolor Paints
- Paintbrushes
- Cardstock paper
Step by Step Instructions for Fall Tree Salt Painting Art
Step 1: Gather all of your materials and prepare your table. (or wherever you are going to work on your fall tree craft!) Whenever we are doing an activity with liquid watercolors, I always like to put down some old newspaper or scrap paper to help with easy clean up!
Step 2: Using the white glue, trace the image of the autumn tree on the piece of card stock. Put thin lines of glue where the branches are and small globs of glue at the end of the branches where the leaves are.
Step 3: While the glue is still wet, sprinkle salt over it.
Tap the paper to help the salt settle into any grooves, and then gently lift the paper up and shake it over a craft tray to remove the extra salt. You can reuse the excess salt for other salt paintings to eliminate waste.
Step 4: Dip the paintbrush into water and blend the watercolors to soften them. Choose a color to start with and saturate the paintbrush with that color.
Touch the paintbrush to the salt and watch as the color magically begins to spread!
Continue to paint the trunk, branches, and fall leaves until all of the salt has color. Gently rinse your brush in a cup of water and dab it dry on a paper towel between each color that you use!
Step 5: Allow the painting to completely dry before displaying to avoid having the paint and glue smear.
Enjoy your beautiful fall tree salt painting!
Other Salt Painting Ideas:
Salt painting with preschoolers is so much fun! After doing this fall tree art activity for preschoolers, they will be excited for other salt art projects!
- Using a blank piece of paper or card stock allow your little one to squirt glue in their own design or pattern. Give them some salt to sprinkle onto the glue and then let them paint it!
- Turn salt painting into a literacy activity! Print letters or hand write your little ones name on a blank piece of card stock. Let them trace it with glue and then add salt and paint! Integrating art and learning is a great way to build connections in the brain!
For another fall craft for kids option, try these fun fall salt painting activities:
Try More Fall Leaf Crafts Next
- Melted Bead Fall Leaf Suncatcher
- Fall Coffee Filter Crafts for Preschoolers
- Fall Leaf No Mess Painting in a Bag
More Fall Theme Sensory Learning
Try these coordinating learning activities with your fall theme
- Hands-On Fall Leaf Patterns
- Fall Gross Motor Action Dice Printable for Brain Breaks
- Fall Theme Lego Mats
- Fall Theme Number Tracing Worksheets, 1-20
- Free Printable Fall Number Dice
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