5 Ways to Use Shells In Process Art and Play Based Learning
Shells are one of our favorite natural materials to use in process art and open-ended play invitations. Children can explore pattern making, counting, and use expressive language to describe shape, color, texture, size, and more. If you aren’t near a beach, you can collect light-colored rocks, or scour some thrift stores or dollar stores for shells of all shapes and sizes. Either way, we recommend washing your haul in hot, soapy water and allowing them to dry before you create or play.
What can you do with these abundant and enticing materials? Here are 5 super easy creative invitations to offer to children of any age or developmental stage.
These smooth, white, matte shells are perfect for painting with pan watercolors or liquid watercolor. Children can even wash them off in soapy water to paint again.
1. Offer shells with watercolor paint. Painting the textured surface of chalky shells or pieces of dried coral is beyond satisfying. For artists who want to keep going, offer cardboard or wood, glue, and optional other materials for creating an oceanic assemblage.
2. Trace a variety of shells or other natural materials with a thick black marker on butcher paper. Set them into a basket like puzzle pieces and offer them to your child to play a matching game. Children will hone problem-solving skills as they figure out which shapes and sizes match.
3. Offer shells and other loose parts with playdough or plasticine clay to make an endless number of temporary creations.
4. Incorporate shells into your classroom’s building and construction area to elaborate on block structures or use for storytelling.
5. Use our nature hunt printable to help children classify, sort, and categorize shells by their describing words.
Shells and other natural materials pair perfectly with plasticine clay and dice for open ended games that support mathematical thinking.
Incorporating shells into process art and play-based learning is a fantastic way to spark curiosity and creativity in children of all ages and developmental stages. Shells are naturally abundant materials that invite hands-on exploration, sensory play, and open-ended creativity. Children can practice fine motor skills, nurture their sense of wonder, and connect with nature. Whether arranging, painting, or making patterns with shells, this simple material offers endless possibilities for imaginative play and artistic expression.
Make your own game by tracing shells and other objects for toddlers to match by shape and size.
Do you need help reimagining your classroom as a hub of creativity where children share ideas and feel seen, known, and celebrated? Learn more about our Materials Matters course and Professional Learning Workshops and transform your creative practice today.