Creating collaborative art is a wonderful way to encourage teamwork among students, celebrate diversity and enrich classroom culture. This collection of hands-on group art projects is designed to build meaningful skills such as taking turns, discussing ideas, and making group decisions. They are a fantastic way to foster community, allow students to connect with their classmates, and teach them to focus on cooperation instead of competition. Students are sure to have plenty of fun while letting their imaginations run wild!
1. Popsicle Stick Art
Transform simple popsicle sticks into a gorgeous piece of textured art with a pop of color and patterned designs. Students can also add inspiring words and hide them for other classmates to find- creating a fun game while encouraging attention to detail. Arranging them in a frame only adds to the aesthetic appeal.
Learn more: The Classy Teacher
2. Draw Realistic Looking Bubbles
Students begin this multi-part collaborative project by studying the shape and color of bubbles and learning that they are iridescent or appear to change color when viewed from different angles. While this time-consuming creation requires plenty of patience and careful observation, the stunning results will be well worth it!
Learn more: The Lost Sock
3. Create a Textured Cityscape
After gluing collages of newspaper buildings onto a cerulean blue poster background, students can add texture, depth, and color with acrylic paints. This project ties in naturally with any Social Studies or Civics lessons on the role of community in urban landscapes.
Learn more: Studio Kids
4. Weave Colorful Circles
This unique hand-woven project generates impressive visual impact! Kids repurpose cardboard looms to create hand-woven patterns with yarn before hanging them together on a group display board. This simple idea is a great segway into using yarn for knitting or other crafting projects and can be a soothing and grounding activity for any busy classroom.
Learn more: Experiments in Art Education
5. Make a Class Quilt
Why not make a modern-day quilt with paper and felt markers? Students can study quilt patterns, designs, and textures before making their own. Combining old traditions with new, modern graphics and interesting shapes makes for a delightfully appealing final product.
Learn more: Candace Ashment Art
6. Make String Art
String art looks quite tricky but is actually easy to create. Just combine plywood, string, and lots of creative ingenuity to produce stunning results kids will be proud to display.
Learn more: Creating Really Awesome Fun Things
7. Line Designs
Each student begins by creating a solid line with a black marker, then adding different sections of doodles and designs around the perimeter of their shapes. Combining the unique creations makes for a neat snaking effect.
Learn more: Think Create Art
8. Post-It Art
This advanced Post-It note project is a creative way to create a group mural. By challenging kids to view an everyday item in a new light, you can encourage more non-linear and original thinking in the classroom. Why not let students choose their own subject for the portrait?
Learn more: Art of Apex High School
9. Art Hearts
From a distance, these hearts blend together but get up close and you’ll notice all the adorable details such as small bells, colorful strings, and layers of texture.
Learn more: Art Teacherin’ 101
10. Watercolor Art
Using crayons for details and watercolor to add depth, these large art pieces are joined together along big black lines, creating a stunning puzzle-like effect. Who says puzzles can only come in jigsaw shapes?
Learn more: Drip, Drip, Splatter Splash
11. Organic Circles
These hand-drawn circles, inspired by the work of Lea Anderson, allow students to play around with more natural textures, styles, and patterns. They make a great introduction to a lesson on First Nations culture and art, which also focus on natural shapes and repurposing organic materials.
Learn more: Shine Brite Zamorano
12. Make a Collaborative Mosaic
While this mosaic is time-intensive and requires quite a few materials, such as a cement board, wooden frame, clay, and glaze, the impressive results are well worth the effort! Students can write out the name of their school, a meaningful quote, or even a classroom slogan to share with their community.
Learn more: The Art of Education
13. Collaborative Weaving Project
Weaving on a loom is a wonderful learning opportunity for kids to discover the beauty of patterns and textures while developing their hand-eye coordination.
Learn more: Buggy and Buddy
14. Dot Art
A dot can be so many things, from a flower to a tree to swirling clouds and snowflakes. What will your students turn theirs into? This natural landscape is a great way to infuse any classroom with a much-needed pop of vibrant color.
Learn more: Cassie Stephens
15. Rainbow Self Portraits
These monochromatic self-portraits can be arranged together in a rainbow color sequence to create a striking prism-like result that celebrates collaboration. Why not discuss the physics of prisms, light refraction, and the color spectrum while you’re at it?
Learn more: The Art of Education
16. Mexican Talavera Design
These colorful quilt and tile-inspired creations are a wonderful opportunity to discuss shape, color, form, and symmetry as integral design elements. Inspired by Mexican Talavera designs, they also celebrate the multicultural inspirations of many artists around the world.
Learn more: Shine Brite Zamorano
17. Group Sketchbook
Sketching together is similar to having a conversation. Enhancing and embellishing each other’s creations is a great way to cement bonds and grow comfortable exchanging ideas. It’s also a wonderful way to learn compromise, iron out differences in creative vision, and learn to solve problems independently.
Learn more: Tinkerlab
18. Heart Drawing Activity
Drawing mandala-like hearts within hearts is a beautiful symbol of loving bonds and a great addition to any lesson on social-emotional well-being. Mandalas have a calming effect on kids and adults alike. They can be combined with a mindfulness activity, such as timed breathing exercises or noticing emotions and sensations in the body during a busy and active day of learning.
Learn more: Artful Parent
19. Create A Large Mural
These murals combine black line shapes with large pops of color to create stunning results. They are not directly inspired by the work of Keith Haring but certainly evoke his graffiti-like creations. Students can be challenged to address social and political events through their art in a nod to the legacy of prolific artists and activists.
Learn more: Georgetown Elementary Art Blog
20. Handprint Art
These Andy Warhol-inspired creations combine handprints, vivid colors, and bright hearts to generate stunning visuals students won’t soon forget! Students will be impressed to learn that Warhol focused more on the presence, energy, and intention behind a painting than on precise technique or artistic perfection.
Learn more: Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes
21. Jim Dine Heart Art
These Jim Dine-inspired hearts combine pop art elements with a focus on building curiosity and creativity about the legacy of inspiring artists.
Learn more: Red Ted Art
22. Rainy Day Doodling
The steps required for this game are simple: Choose a colored marker, set a timer, and draw! Once the time is up, artists pass the paper to others to create a collaborative doodle masterpiece!
Learn more: Bounceback Parenting
23. Draw Group Comic Strips
Kids love creating comic strips, and they are full of ideas from reading so many of them! This project combines a lesson in narrative elements with plenty of room for imagination and comedic dialogue.
Learn more: Rediscovered Families
24. Paper Coil Project
This creative project consists of small cylinders arranged in a unique starburst formation. It allows students to put their own unique twist on ordinary materials and get some fine motor practice while they’re at it.
Learn more: The Art of Education
25. Color Me Quilt
Add some color to a drab classroom with these ready-to-color quilt squares. Students can use a whole assortment of materials; from fabric paint to markers to stencils and watercolor to bring their creations to life.
Learn more: S&S Blog
26. Imagine Peace Velvet Art
Peace is always a good idea, and this velvet art project provides a great opportunity to talk about what peace, harmony, and unity mean to your students. You can split them into smaller groups and assign a letter to each group to encourage small-group collocation.
Learn more: S&S Blog
27. Cube Drawing Mural
This street art-inspired mural idea includes one cube made by each student. This one incorporated geese to represent the mascot of the school, but other students can choose from any design they like. The cool 3D effect is sure to be a show-stopper!
Learn more: Art is Basic
28. Collaborative Painting
This collaborative painting features wavy lines, creating a neat and eye-catching surreal effect. The only requirement is that kids stay within the lines as they’re coloring, which may prove to be challenging but is a great way to improve their artistic precision.
Learn more: Art Teacherin’ 101
29. Sonia Delaunay-Inspired Art
Inspired by Sonia Delaunay, whose artwork featured textile patterns, this prism-like creation is sure to impress! Starting with a square piece of paper, students draw concentric circles, keeping the eye of the circle on the edge of the sheet. By rotating the four parts, a beautiful final product is produced.
Learn more: Kids Artists
30. Painted Art Branch
Nature always has a soothing effect on a classroom, even in small doses. Repurposing a branch into an organic canvas requires nothing more than some tempera paint and pompoms.
Learn more: Art Bar Blog
31. Van Gogh Inspired Art
Who thought creating a masterpiece mosaic could be so fun? Students across various grades can collaborate to copy a classic painting. Despite the various abilities and approaches, the overall effect makes for a beautiful, cohesive appearance.
Learn more: Teach Kids Art
32. Create a Thumbnail Class Portrait
Cheryl Sorg is a gifted artist who created fingerprint portraits out of small pieces of tape. Students are sure to love imitating her style with temperate paints, bright colors, and their own hand-drawn letters. Crafting the whorls and lines might be a little tricky, but the final reflection of artistic talents is sure to be worth it.
Learn more: Charity Auctions Today
33. Design an Inspirational Poster
This multi-piece art poster makes a great icebreaker, bulletin board, or hallway mural idea. The artful typography and bright colors only enhance the meaningful message.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
34. Tape-Resist Art Design
All you need for this kid-created masterpiece is cardboard, tape, and plenty of paint. Using tape as a border creates a neat, negative-space outline that provides an eye-catching contrast pattern when the tape is removed for the final display.
Learn more: Busy Toddler
35. American Map Creation
This long-term geography-based project teaches patience and teamwork while providing a great opportunity to think about the contributions of each state. Students can represent each state’s tourist attractions, landscape, and scenery or natural resources and gain a greater appreciation of their country.
Learn more: Bright Harbor
36. Picture Book Based Art
When students start learning about personality traits, they have to choose between being kind or selfish, prideful or humble or being brave or cowardly. The classic Aesop fable, the Lion and the Mouse, illustrates how it’s possible to feel many emotions at once and that they don’t cancel each other out. The collective image of the lion is a great way to reinforce this memorable lesson.
Learn more: Newsletter
37. Art Puzzle
This neat take on a classic puzzle challenges students to change each piece to suit their own unique style. They are free to use collage, doodling, carving, or painting while keeping the original puzzle shape. They make for a beautiful symbol of unity in diversity and the importance of celebrating individual contributions to a thriving group.
Learn more: Tacoma Public Library
38. Share Your Art Through the Mail
While most collaborations take place in person, this one requires contributors to mail their work to the next person, so they can work at their own pace. It’s always a fun surprise to see what people have contributed with each mail delivery and to think of creative ways to enhance the art.
Learn more: Blazer Design
39. Circle Painting
Circle art allows kids to identify shapes in their environment and build their fine motor skills while contributing to collective creation. Circles not only symbolize community but are easy and fun to draw, with enough room for kids to express their own imaginative ideas.
Learn more: PreK+K Sharing
40. Create Wings
Let these wings transport your kids to new worlds of possibilities. After decorating their individual feathers with lines, patterns, and uplifting quotes, students assemble them into a group piece that makes for a fun photo op.
Learn more: Brookside Montessori
41. Art Journal
What better way to share art than with a collaborative journal? Not only will students have a keepsake they can look back on, but they can gain ideas and inspiration from each other’s creations.
Learn more: Sarah Donawerth
42. You Be You Art
In the heartwarming story, You be You, a tiny fish leaves the comfort of his home to explore the big wide ocean and discovers all sorts of spiky, colorful, and unique creatures- each with their own gifts and talents. This inspired project gives kids a chance to learn cooperative skills while expressing their own unique creative flair.
Learn more: Ōwai19 @ Ōwairaka District School
43. Collaborative Art Donuts
What better subject for pop art than those yummy-looking donuts? Teachers will love being able to combine a lesson in the history of modern art and the role of pop art in advertising and media while encouraging imagination in their young learners.
Learn more: The Imagination Box
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