Bubble Wrap Body Slam Painting

My kids are not the most sedentary kids…in fact, they are always moving. They enjoy art activities but they like them best when they combine movement with art. This is a GREAT proprioception activity!

I had some packing materials and came up with an idea that would re-use those and get the kids moving while they created. Materials needed:

• butcher paper (also called packing paper or kraft paper)
• bubble wrap
• paint
• paint brushes (I used foam brushes)
• paper plate
• packing tape

To create this fun activity, tape the butcher paper to a wall. I strongly suggest that you do this activity outside. If you do try this indoors, be sure to cover the floor in scrap paper or plastic to catch paint splatters.

I wasn’t sure how high up my kids would be able to jump so I taped two sheets of paper, one on top of the other on a wall outside our house.

Next, wrap your kids in bubble wrap and secure the bubble wrap with a piece of packing tape. I only had enough bubble wrap to do their torsos. Paint the bubble wrap using paintbrushes, sponges or foam brushes. It works best if you put the paint on a paper plate or paint tray first.

I globbed several colours onto each of my girls and then let them loose on the wall. They body slammed themselves into the wall, laughing. They tried different techniques like jumping up to hit a higher place on the paper and different smear methods. They were laughing through most of the activity, so I think it’s safe to say this was an active art project they very much enjoyed!

I also painted their backs (well, the bubble wrap on their backs!) afterwards and they gave that a try. One of them actually found it easier that way.

I would suggest that you used your child’s height to eyeball what level to tape up the paper. Our finished results would have looked better had they been on one paper instead of two but regardless of how the final artwork turned out, the kids had a great time and got in some good exercise!

This kids’ activity is great for sensory work, but Granola Girl did need to have her bubble wrap put lower down because having it up near her face was not something that she could handle with her type of sensory needs. Thankfully, my kids are all really good at expressing what their sensory needs are so it wasn’t an issue. She also wanted to be wrapped up tightly and loved the feeling of that.

This bubble paint body slam art is still hanging outside with the girls being quite proud of their work!

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