Cute Monster Themed Art & Loose Parts Play Printable for Kids + Mindfulness Cards
- Danica - Our Playful Learning Journey
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Let's have fun getting creative + take a mindful moment with this cute monster printable!
Having fun creating with loose parts to decorate the monsters!
This loose parts play printable + mindfulness prompts for kids are so simple to use, with many options for play and creating. Let's take a look at how we have been using them so far ...
*IMPORTANT: Please ensure all play and art is actively supervised by an adult. All ideas shown here are recommended for children ages 3+ as they contain small parts which are choking hazards. You are responsible for deciding on the appropriateness of any of these activities for your child.
Exploring ways to use the art + loose parts play printable
Loose Parts with the Monster Mindfulness Printable
Here we used:
Buttons (ours are from Officeworks)
Match sticks (craft stores)
String cut into smaller pieces
Googly eyes
Gemstones - round ones from Bunnings Australia
Sparkly gems - craft section Spotlight Australia
Any smaller loose parts would work with these. Your child can fill and decorate the monsters with their choice of loose parts.
These pages can be put into clear letter files or wipeable sleeves to protect them and save on laminating.
Below the monsters were decorated using buttons, string, matchsticks and gemstones.
These would be perfect for exploring emotions too! Children could create faces for the monsters using different loose parts to show the emotions.
Watercolour Paints + the Monster Mindfulness Printable
Watercolour paint palettes are easy to use and lots of fun too! The palettes pictured here are Micador brand. You can buy them from a few places - in Australia Big W or Officeworks sell them. The smaller one is the metallic one - the colours dry with a really nice shimmer.
Painting like this is easy to set up and is the perfect mindfulness activity.
Tip: Use a mini spray bottle to spray the paint palette with water to make the paints easy for your child to use!
(I learnt this tip from the watercolour painting classes that I went to earlier this year. The professional artist used a spray bottle filled with water to mix up the watercolour paint that comes in tubes. It works well for these types of palettes too!)
*Note: I recommend putting down an art tray or some cardboard to catch any paint spills to ensure it doesn't stain. We also used a clipboard here.
Playdough + Buttons + the Monster Mindfulness Printable
You can use a clear letter file (not an affliate link) from Officeworks to protect the printable so that it can be used with playdough. Write and wipe sleeves also work well. These are both great alternatives to laminating. It saves time and is better for the environment.
The playdough can be used to decorate the monsters. Loose parts, such as buttons, can be added in for extra fun too!
Playdough is fantastic for developing hand strength. Fine motor skills are also developed through this type of play and by picking up and placing the buttons.
Other bonus tips for using the monster loose parts play printable:
I print these and leave in our art area/on the art trolley for the kids to use when they wish.
If you pre-print the pages then it makes it easy to set up a quick invitation to play e.g. easily slide the pages into some clear letter files and add in some playdough, or grab a couple of pages and you can add in some drawing materials for some mindful colouring.
Print multiple copies of the same pages for siblings or to use in a preschool/classroom setting.
My girls also like to choose which pages they want me to print for them and then they decide what they would like to do with it.
Save this file to your computer to use in future years. We revisit using printables like this one as my girls really enjoy using them and come up with different ideas as they grow.
You can easily add a counting/number focus when using the mats e.g. add in a dice and get children to roll the dice to see how many buttons to add to their monster.
I find these types of printable are perfect for a quick after school calming activity if it is needed after a busy day.
These printables would also work well set up in a classroom setting for children to take a quiet mindful moment to play or do some art.
You might also like these blog posts:
with free VIP printable mats including the popular rainbow template!
These are also included in the printable:
Mindful moment cards for kids - colourful printable cards x 6 designs with simple mindfulness prompts to help your child focus on being in the moment and feeling calmer.
Ideas for use:
Print and display a card of the week for a mindful moment
Print and put onto a ring to use in a calming basket/space at home/school for a mindful moment. The breathing strips would be great for this too!
Display as part of a mindfulness themed space.
Add into your daily routine ... pick a card to do together before school, in the classroom as part of the morning/after recess/end of day routine, before bedtime to help your child feel calmer.
Opportunities for playful learning:
Developing fine motor skills + hand eye-coordination
Developing creativity
Exploring using a range of art materials.
Teaching how to use mindfulness activities to lead a calm, balanced and healthy life.
Decision making - allowing child to decide for themselves how to use these pages.
Feeling calmer after having a mindful moment or two!
Developing ability to manage ones own emotions through mindfulness activities
Exploring emotions when using the loose parts monster mats to create different monster faces.
Loose parts, playdough, watercolour paints, or other art supplies all pair perfectly with these mindful play mats to create an easy, but engaging activity to help your child have a mindful moment while they create!
I hope you found some inspiration for ways that you can easily use the loose parts/art printable for mindfulness time. Taking some time out of our busy days is important to help our kids take a break and enjoy a quiet moment.
If you haven't already you can try out some of our free mindful play mats here.
If you found this blog post helpful, please share it with someone else who might also enjoy it.
Until next time, have fun learning in a playful way!
Danica
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