Making a Mural Can Bring Lots of Fun to the Group

Making a mural together is a nice craft idea that works for a group. Individual crafts can be displayed, but one unique item is often more effective than a group of items that are almost identical. By working together, you are increasing the group socialization and solidarity. In addition, sometimes crafts kids make, just become clutter when they are taken home, and it isn’t long before Mom throws it out. This craft idea of making a mural can be displayed for several weeks and will not become clutter in anyone’s home.

The basic materials for a mural project is freezer paper.

Freezer paper is about 18 inches wide, and it is very tough. One side is plastic coated. That is the side that is designed to be placed against the food. You will have better luck drawing on and gluing things onto the other side.

Murals can feature a number of different design elements. You can mix up some finger paint and let the children make hand prints (or even foot prints!) on the paper. You can let them scour old cast-off magazines and color catalogs for pictures they like and let them cut the pictures out and glue them on. They can add scribbles, designs, signatures, slogans, or pictures using markers, crayons, or gel pens. They can attach stickers to the mural as well.

Mural craft is very flexible!

For making the mural, choose a topic that relates to the group in some way. If the group are girl scouts for instance, and have been learning to camp, the mural can feature pictures of items related to camping.
If you’ve been learning about dinosaurs, you can use them as a theme.
If you want a really messy project that makes a cute mural for fall, mix up finger paint in fall colors. The children can each make a tree by first laying their forearm in brown paint. Then they lay their arm on the paper to make the trunk of the tree. They should spread out their fingers so their arm print has five short branches at the top. To make the leaves, the children make fingerprints all around the top of the tree using paints in other fall colors. If you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to finger paint when mixing it up, it will be easier to clean off the children’s arms. Do make sure they have old clothes or smocks for this mural project.

Little preschoolers will like making a mural with an animal theme. You should probably find and cut out animal magazine pictures to start with, and then let the children choose the ones they like for gluing down. Glue sticks are neat to use with small children. They will paste some of the pictures upside down. Expect it and do not scold them. It is the process that is important for kids to learn group cooperation and acceptance.
The children can also use animal cookie cutters dipped in finger paint to stamp animals on the mural, too. You may need to tape the paper to the table so it doesn’t slide around while the kids work.

An elaborate form of this craft idea that group of adults often make is a quilt around a theme. Each person in the group creates a quilt square to represent some aspect of what the group stands for. These quilt squares can be colored with fabric pens or crafted of patchwork or applique.
Again, the idea is to build group solidarity and not to highlight one artist’s skills over another. When the quilt top is completed, it can be a group project to tie it or quilt it. It can be hung in a special central location or given to an appreciated member or to a local charity.

The Main thing is: this cooperative idea of making murals together will be lots of fun!