Tape Resist Word Art – USA Holiday Activity for Kids!
This past Memorial Day, we did a tape resist word art activity with paint to celebrate 美国 (Měigúo / USA) with both kids (4.5-year-old 老大 and 1.5-year-old 老二). Since it’s almost the 4th of July (Independence Day), I thought I would share this quick and easy process art activity to learn important Chinese characters!
My daughter actually already learned how to read the words 美国 last year when we were reading Sagebooks. However, presenting the characters in this art activity made her notice the different parts of each character more closely. The words were extra large, and she was engaging directly with the characters!
Process art activity for kids of all ages
The tape resist word art activity is a fun way to learn words in any language! Since it’s process art, kids of all ages can enjoy it! It’s hard to find activities that both kids can enjoy despite their 3-year age gap, and this activity was perfect because they both love to paint! Since Mandarin is a minority language for our family, we did the activity in Chinese to make learning extra fun!
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Important vocabulary:
- 国家 / 國家 (Guójiā / Country)
- 美国 / 美國 (Měiguó / United States of America)
- 红白和蓝 / 紅白和藍 (Hóngbái hé lán / Red, white, and blue)
What you need for the tape resist word art activity:
- Painter’s tape
- Watercolor paint
- Paintbrushes
- Dot paint dabbers – We love Do-A-Dot markers!
- Watercolor paper
Note: You can also use crayons or pencils. However, paint may provide a bolder color and therefore more contrast for the word to stand out!
How to set up the tape resist literacy activity:
- Write word with painter’s tape. Try to follow stroke order if you can!
- Cover the paper entirely with paint! Let your child choose whether to use a paintbrush, paint dabbers, or both!
- Let dry.
- Remove painter’s tape gently.
- Step back and admire the beautiful tape resist word art!
Optional: Children may enjoy tracing the word with pom poms or other small objects. This is another way to reinforce the word.
Both of my children had a blast with this process art activity, and I hope your kid can enjoy it, too.
If you try the Painter’s Tape Word Art Activity, please let us know in the comments below. We love to see how other families do educational activities! Activities help both my daughter and I learn and retain many important Chinese characters while having fun.
