Jingle Bell Painted Wrapping Paper

Our Pine Cone Print Wrapping Paper was so much fun to make and looked so gorgeous on our families’ gifts that we decided to make another type of homemade wrapping paper, this time with a sensory twist. Painting with bells was so much fun! As my girls tapped the paint covered bells against the paper we enjoyed the jingling and sang songs as we painted. Our Jingle Bell Painted Wrapping Paper is a joy to make!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE JINGLE BELL PAINTED WRAPPING PAPER

tempera paints (red, blue, yellow, white),
bells,
pipe cleaners,
white butcher paper,
plates/containers for paint

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT ENHANCED BY MAKING JINGLE BELL PAINTED WRAPPING PAPER

fine motor development
gross motor development
sensory exploration (touch, hearing, sight)
color exploration and mixing
artistic expression
creativity

Prior to introducing the activity to your children cut a large piece of paper. We have a long table so I cut the paper the length of the table. If you don’t have a long table this activity would work well on the floor. Set up small amounts of red, yellow, blue and white paint on container lids (I used a chip tray with multiple spots for paint) or small plates. If you are working with multiple children have multiple containers of each color. String 1-3 bells on pipe cleaners. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaners together to make loops.

Introduce the activity to your children. Today we are making our own wrapping paper, but we are going to do something a little different. We are going to paint with our jingle bells. Let’s explore how we can dip the bells in the paint and put the paint on the paper. Give your children space and time to explore the materials. My girls loved how the bells jingled when they touched the paper. After awhile we also noticed that the bells no longer made music. We peeked at the opening of the bells and noticed they were full of paint. A scientific exploration right in the middle of an art project!

Like with all art projects focus on the process of the art rather than the end product. “Charlotte look at how the red and blue paint mixed together! I see a new color!” “Luca, I notice you are using your whole arm to move the blue paint all over the paper. Look at the different lines you are making.” Avoid statements that begin with “I like” or “It looks like a…”, instead focus your observations on what your child is doing. You are aiding language development by giving words to your child’s actions.

Using red, yellow and blue paints allows for natural color mixing to occur. My daughters delighted in discovering greens, purples and oranges appearing on their paper. We focused these discoveries on observing what colors they used to make other colors appear. When your children are done creating let the painting dry. Save the paint covered bells. They look beautiful as a present topper.

Once dry you can use your Jingle Bell Painted Wrapping Paper just like regular wrapping paper. Use the paint covered jingle bells as a present topper.

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