Teddy Bear Print Art Stampers for Kids

Are you going on a bear hunt? Not a real one, of course- but, an animal themed pretend play excursion with teddy bears? Your little artist can make her own tracks to follow throughout the house. I always enjoy making out own stampers. I could take a trip to the craft store and buy a stamper, but it’s so much more fun for kids to make their own.

 

My son and I have taken karate together for five years and have a somewhat ridiculous number of broken boards sitting around the house. Instead of tossing the piles of wood after chopping them in half, we like to repurpose them for arts and crafts projects. We’ve made Father’s Day stampers and my son even learned wood burning (he’s almost 13, and I wouldn’t advise trying this with your young child) using his broken karate boards. If you don’t have any scrap wood sitting around you can reuse the side of a cardboard box instead.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·         Scrap wood or cardboard

·         White Model Magic or modeling clay

·         Tempera paints

·         A paintbrush

·         Scissors

·         A marker

·         Paper – Choose a variety of colors and types. I picked construction and tissue papers.

·         Optional: Glitter

Here’s What to Do:

1.      Draw the bear’s paw print on to the wood or cardboard with a marker. Before your child does the drawing, show her a picture to give her an idea of what an animal track looks like. Draw your own for her to use as reference or search for one online (there are tons and tons of pics available). Keep in mind, she doesn’t necessarily have to do a “bear hunt” she can make a dog, cat, kangaroo or made-up animal print.

2.      Pull apart the Model magic or clay into pieces. Have your child press it firmly down onto her drawing, filling it in. Pat it down to make it even.

3.      Cut pieces of paper that are slightly larger than “paw print”. 

4.      Paint the clay. Don’t worry if your child gets paint on the wood/cardboard. Only the paint on the raised areas will show up on the print.

5.      Press a piece of paper down on the painted clay. Help your child to gently tap it down to transfer the color.

            Continue with different colors and kinds of paper. Tissue paper makes for extremely easy             printing. As your child presses down on it, she’ll see the paint transfer.

6.       Peel the paper off to reveal the print.

7.      Repeat the process with different colors of paper or different paint hues. Gently wipe off the stamper and add another color of paint or have your child mix a new shade on to create her own new one.

            Optional: Add a sprinkle of glitter. It will stick to the paint and transfer to the paper!

After the prints dry, line the up to create your bear hunt. Your child can even take them outside and make her own backyard exploration or set a favorite teddy bear at the end of the prints to find her furry friend.

Are you looking for more animal themed art? Check out and follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Animal Art for Kids on Pinterest.