How to Make Your Own Star Art for Children

Star art can be simple or complex, depending on a child's skill level.

Star art is easy and fun for kids of all ages, only requiring a little creativity and some basic craft supplies. Star art crafts are easily adaptable to a wide variety of mediums and project types, ranging from basic crayons and rich oil pastels to three-dimensional renderings--and all skill levels will appreciate the simplicity of these projects. In addition, star art crafts will make children proud of their artwork and teach them new artistic skills, and the finished products are versatile as thoughtful gifts or charming decorations.

Instructions

1. Create realistic star art to teach children about realism or about many popular mediums. Start with any blank, dark background: black, navy blue, or even deep purple colored paper, velvet paper, posterboard, or painted canvas. You can also create a dark background using paint, oils, markers, crayons or almost any medium. Then add realistic stars that appear as pinpoints of light using a silver sharpie, white oil pastel or yellow paint. If you are using star art in conjunction with teaching children about astronomy, ask them to recreate popular constellations. Younger children may prefer to draw five-pointed stars over simply making tiny dots.

2. Create fanciful stars using bright colors and almost any medium. Because of their association with nighttime and dreams, art involving stars lends itself to the creation of fantastical, magical artistic sequences that children will love. Draw large, five-pointed stars on black construction paper using neon oil pastels. Create a comic using "humanized" stars with faces and personalities; draw a brightly colored depiction of life amongst the stars. Encourage children to use their imagination.

3. Create three-dimensional star art out of a multitude of craft or common household supplies. Use paint or markers to color popsicle sticks, then glue them together to create simple star art. Paper stars are equally easy, and can be hung from the ceiling using thread and tape to create a dreamy scene above a child's bed. Leave white, or decorate with a silver marker or glitter and glue. For a shinier look, cut stars from aluminum foil, then decorate by lightly punching holes in the foil using a pencil tip.

Tips & Warnings

• Star crafts are appropriate for many holidays, from Christmas and Hanukkah to the Fourth of July. They are also appropriate when used in conjunction with astronomy.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Star Crafts

Resources

• Family Fun: Star of David Craft