Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most famous artists in history and is thought by many to be one of the world’s greatest artists. He has many famous works, including The Starry Night and Irises. A great way to study an artist like Vincent Van Gogh is to complete some Vincent Van Gogh art projects. These art projects can help kids of all ages not only learn about the artist but have some fun! Here are twenty Van Gogh inspired art activities for kids.
20 Van Gogh Activities For Kids
These Van Gogh activities for kids are the perfect art lesson or weekend activity! Vincent Van Gogh is a famous artist with many incredible works of art. You have plenty of Van Gogh activities for kids to choose from!
This printable puzzle is a fun way to experience Van Gogh’s artwork. Print the puzzle onto card stock. Then, cut apart the pieces. Print the puzzle in black and white onto card stock. Use the black and white copy as your puzzle mat. Students can match the pieces to the black and white mat to solve the puzzle. Pieces can also be glued down to take the final art piece home.
Download the Van Gogh Puzzle
3D Paintings
This art project may be perfect if you have some older kids. Using the original painting, your child creates a 3D representation of the painting. This will take some time, but it will become a beautiful art piece. Source: Quest Artists
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
A great way to bring Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting to life in a stunning 3D work of art! This project can be completed with items that can be found at home or collected for a classroom. This project is great for children ages 5-9 to bring new life to still by creating a bunch of sunflowers that literally pop off the page! Source: The Articulate Gallery
Starry Night Ornaments
An enjoyable and unique way to bring the famous painting Starry Night alive! With this Van Gogh art activity, children will create their version of the night sky with clay! These Starry Night ornaments are a perfect way to liven up any empty space on a tree, in a room, or even on a shelf! Source: Crayola
30 Printable Van Gogh Coloring Pages
A quick and easy way for kids to create their version of Van Gogh’s paintings! This page has over 25 printable coloring pages of some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. Easy enough for young children to practice their skills of staying inside the lines and a fun project for older children to begin or create their own Van Gogh art portfolio! Source: Kids-n-Fun
Van Gogh Chair Pop-Out Card
This pop-out card project takes a look at his The Chair and Pipe painting and has kids recreating it with a chair that pops out of the painting! This 3D Van Gogh art activity takes a look at his The Chair and Pipe painting and has kids recreating it with a chair that pops out of the painting! This project allows for multiple art mediums. (Additional directions can be found here) Source: Use Your Colored Pencils
Wheat Field with Oil Pastels
A fun and beautiful way to breathe new life into Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Crows painting using oil pastels. This webpage breaks down how to recreate the painting in the style of Van Gogh using his classic blue and yellow palette with easy-to-understand instructions, allowing artists of all ages to create their version of this moody nighttime painting. Source: Art Projects for Kids
The Potato Eaters with Oil Pastels
This haunting masterpiece, known as one of Van Gogh’s greatest oil sketch paintings, The Potato Eaters, focuses primarily on the picture’s unique aspect: the hanging light. In this oil pastel art piece, kids will focus on the hanging light and recreate it as the main focal point of their art. This is an excellent way for kids to practice filling space and aspect/ratio on paper or canvas. Source: The Crafty Classroom
Van Gogh’s Room Diorama
Another trendy still-life painting by Van Gogh is The Bedroom. This piece of Van Gogh’s art was his actual bedroom from his little yellow house. This unique project lets kids look at their own bedroom or come up with what they’d like their bedroom to look like and then bring it to life by creating a 3D diorama! Source: Elementary Art Fun
Van Gogh’s Art with Forks
This art piece is a fantastic activity for kids of all ages. Children, young and old, will absolutely get a kick out of this project because they get to use a fork to paint and create texture in their paintings! Source: Projects with Kids
Starry Night Aluminum Foil Art
A really fun and unique way to create another version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night using hot glue, aluminum foil, markers, and paint! This Van Gogh art project pops off of its canvas. Kids of all ages (with supervision) will enjoy creating and adding depth to this one-of-a-kind project! Source: Homeschool 4 Me
Wheat Field After the Rain with Clay and Paint
This really fun and exciting project can be used for all ages, but the smaller ones may enjoy this the most! For this project, kids will use both clay, paint, and their fingers to recreate Wheat Field After the Rain. Source: Mini Monets and Mommies
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers Still Life
Fresh cut flowers, thick paint, and the freedom to express their view of still life! Van Gogh is known for his use of texture through his thick painting style, and this project has kids looking at real fresh-cut sunflowers and recreating what they see on their canvas using a similar painting style. Source: Art History for Kids
Starry Night Sensory Bottle
Kids will explore a different art style here by recreating Van Gogh’s Starry Night in a water bottle. This project is fantastic for any child; however, it really lends itself to kids that need sensory tools. Source: The Chaos and The Clutter
Sunflower Suncatcher
Inspired by Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, a fun and unique new look at Van Gogh’s art. For this project, kids will collect items found in nature and attach them to contact paper while recreating and giving their interpretation of Van Gogh’s Sunflower still life. Source: Messy Little Monster
Starry Night Sensory Tray
Another fantastic sensory tool for kids is a tray with mixed items for kids to roll around in their hands and create their interpretation of Starry Night or any other Van Gogh art project. Source: Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes
Starry Night STEAM Project
A great way to introduce STEAM learning into art, this project brings to life science by growing crystals on the pipe cleaner stars attached to the canvas. Kids will create their Borax and water solution to dip their stars into and watch as the crystals appear on their formed stars! Source: Sugar, Spice, and Glitter
Sunflower Painting with Spices
In this project, kids will recreate Van Gogh’s Sunflower still life using spices that can be easily found in a kitchen or for cheap at the store. Allow kids to mix different spices and colors to create new and wonderful colors to add to their paintings. Source: Messy Little Monster
Van Gogh Coloring Puzzles
This webpage is a great quick activity for kids of all ages. This webpage has 4 free downloadable Van Gogh paintings that are printable for kids to color, cut, and create a puzzle. This is such a great idea! Source: The Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh City at Night
A fun paint and paper collage that draws inspiration from Van Gogh’s City at Night painting. For this project, kids can view the City at Night painting and recreate their version, or they can find pictures of their city/town and create their interpretation of where they live just like Van Gogh did! Source: Deep Space Sparkle
Collaborative Flower Vase
This awesome project allows students to work collaboratively and independently, as it has kids working on their sunflowers that will be added to the group vase when finished. There are so many ways to do this and it is so much fun! Source: Art with Jenny K
Van Gogh Activities For Kids
These Van Gogh activities for kids are the perfect addition to your art lesson, your homeschool curriculum, or just for a rainy spring day! Your children will absolutely love becoming little artists and designing, painting, and creating their own masterpieces.