Let’s make messy pasta art with kids! Pasta art is the perfect messy art project for preschool-age kids. Let them create art and experiment with dried and cooked pasta. This preschool art project is also a great sensory exercise for kids that works great in the classroom or at home.

Preschool Pasta Art Project

We are going to create landscape paintings and experiment with painting using both dried and cooked pasta. This is the perfect messy art project for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids.

How to make pasta art

To create this fun pasta art, you will need things that you likely already have at home.

Supplies needed to make pasta art

• Trays of paint
• Sturdy paper, cardboard or Bristol board
• Cooked and uncooked pasta
• Dropcloth or paper to protect the work surface
• Paintbrush
• Plastic fork

Instructions for pasta art

Step 1

Grab some pasta, dip it in paint and create art! You can experiment with cooked and uncooked pasta for this project. For large pieces of uncooked pasta such as lasagna sheets, you will need to use a paintbrush to put paint onto the pasta. We did this with the green grass. Uncooked pasta such as rigatoni can be dipped directly into the paint to make circles. Spaghetti can be dipped straight into the paint as well and swirled around the page. This makes for very messy, but very fun art.

Step 2

Try different ways to paint with the noodles, by dipping them in paint and mixing new colors. You can even use a plastic fork to twirl pieces of spaghetti to make spaghetti art too.

Step 3

Paint colors on top of other colors too like we did with the sunshine on the photo above.

You can also try dragging pieces of spaghetti down a page after dipping it in the paint like we did with the jellyfish.

Our finished pasta art creations

Tips for messy art painting

When it comes to painting with preschoolers I cringe thinking about the blue handprints I will find later on my leg, the door, and the chairs. I wrinkle my nose at the smell. I even question the usefulness of it until I actually get to the painting part and then remember how much fun it really is.

With a little preparedness (drop cloth, paint smocks, special washing station aka bucket of warm soapy water manned by me), cleanup is a snap!

Our Favorite Pastas For Making Pasta Art

There are so many different pastas you can use to make beautiful pasta art! It’s a fun way to explore textures, shapes, and make art at the same time.

• Fusilli
• Elbow Pasta
• Animal and Tractors Pasta
• Rotini
• Farfalle
• Fettuccine
• Cavatappi
• Penne
• Capellini
• Pappardelle
• Pumpkin Shaped Pasta
• Animal Pasta
• Dinosaur Pasta
• Ocean Pasta

More art fun for preschoolers from Kids Activities Blog

Kids Activities Blog loves to get messy with kids. If you are looking for other preschool art projects like this one, then look no further than some of our other projects.

• Share the love with this adorable painted rock art
• Simple fabric art work for kids
• 10 Arts and Crafts to do together
• Ball art for preschoolers and toddlers
• Kids will love painting with monster trucks
• Check out these other colorful craft ideas!
• Need some ideas on how to display your kids art? Click here!

Have you tried making messy art like this with kids? How did it turn out?