Pipe Cleaner Firework Prints

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Create festive and colorful firework patterns from a few common household items! In the process, your child will practice creative tool use, pattern recognition, and fine motor skills.

What We’re Learning & Skills We’re Building

Creativity – making unique art from different materials
Fine motor skills – using the small muscles in the hands to grip and twist pipe cleaners together
Tool use – using pipe cleaners to create a new tool for stamping
Pattern recognition – seeing the repetition of shapes and lines made from the pipe cleaner firework stamp

Materials

Pipe cleaners (cut into smaller pieces or bent in half)
Paper plate or pie tin for holding paint
Non-toxic, washable tempera paint
Cardstock, printer paper, or construction paper
Art tray or baking sheet for working on top of

Optional Materials

Toothpicks or child-safe forks
Washable markers, crayons, or colored pencils
Paintbrushes

(Note: If you don’t have pipe cleaners, you can use toothpicks or child-safe forks covered in paint to create firework prints. Or, use all 3 materials to create firework prints of different sizes and shapes!)

Making Pipe Cleaner Firework Prints

Twist pipe cleaners together to create the firework stamp.

Press the paint-covered stamp onto the paper to create firework prints!

Twist several pipe cleaners together to create a flat firework shape.
Pour several paint colors onto a paper plate or pie tin.
Pinch pipe cleaner firework in the center to hold it. Press it into the paint.
Press paint-covered firework onto several spots around the paper to create firework prints!
(Optional) Follow steps 2 & 3 above, but instead of pressing the pipe cleaner firework down and picking it back up, hold it down in the center and spin it to create colorful circles and spirals. Let the paint dry, then repeat steps 2-4 on top of the circles.
(Optional) Once the firework prints have dried, add details using markers, crayons, colored pencils, or more paint.