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It’s almost summer break and we have already started planning out our summer art projects. There are so many different art styles we want to dip our feet into, one being Mandala Dot Painting. If you haven’t heard of this type of art, it is it art of patterns made with many small colorful dots. Mandala painting, even though shown here as an art project for kids, has been proven to be a very therapeutic and relaxing activity for adults.
I first saw Mandala Painting on an Instagram Reel and became instantly intrigued. I was also brought back to my childhood as I remembered making a mandala on the computer in middle school. This was a time when I was still learning how to use design tools on the computer. I hadn’t made one since so what better time then now to give it a try. After watching some YouTube videos and doing some more research, we bought a starter set of tools. We already had the paint and card stock from our other art projects.
Getting started with Mandala Dot Painting
One of the great things with Mandala Dot Painting is that it doesn’t require a lot of tools. If you wanted you could just have a few colors of Acrylic Paint and some q-tips, unsharpened pencils, and toothpicks. If you wanted to get a little more into it, there are some tool and paint sets on Amazon we recommend.
How to Mandala Dot Paint with Kids
Set out all the materials above and have your kids choose a few colors they want to include in their Mandala. If you have a kit with a stencil, use a white colored pencil to trace the design on a black sheet of card stock. You can use white or another color but black helps the colors to stand out best. Add your paint to a paint pallet. Starting with the center of the stenciled design, take any tool you have and dip it in a color you choose. Dot the paint in the center then work out from there. Dot on the stencil markings or use the stencil lines as a guide. The possibilities are endless!
When your child is dotting paint, let them know they can create many different patterns. Using different sized dotting tools can make patterns by size. Most Mandalas start small in the center and get bigger. Color is another pattern kids can try. Each circle of dots can alternate colors or they can create designs within designs all using patterns of different colors.
CREATE PATTERNS BY SIZE AND COLOR
I was worried at first that my 5yr old wouldn’t be interested in dot painting. To my surprise, once she saw the fancy tools, she sat down and wanted to start painting. Once the girls started dotting, it was so quiet in the house. Both of them were so concentrated on their art for the longest time. My 8 year old was able to do the entire Mandala design on her own, while my 5 yr old needed some help after a little time.
NOT AS MESSY AS OTHER PAINTING PROJECTS!
Mandala Dot Painting is also great for kids because it isn’t as messy as other painting projects can be. After you use a tool, having a wet paper or small towel near is great to just wipe off the tool and move on to the next one. The kids hands didn’t get too messy. If you know there is the potential for messes, I recommend you try putting a Painting Drop Cloth Down and using a Kids Art Apron.
Encourage Kids to Not Give Up and Have Fun!
Sometimes kids make mistakes and would rather start over then to keep going. I always tell my kids, art is never wrong. I strongly believe if you make a mistake you can fix it and if it didn’t turn out to be what you had hoped, it still looks beautiful in a new way. We always like to frame our finished pieces and hang them in the kids rooms for them to enjoy.
