Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Art · The activity desk
Mondrian line and color map
Create a colorful grid inspired by artist Piet Mondrian.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
Paper and large child-appropriate crayons, including black, red, blue, and yellow.
Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.
Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.
Set up: Place the paper on a stable table. An adult can show a reproduction of Mondrian's Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow if available.
Adult's role: Stay beside the child and help draw lines if requested; let the child choose which spaces to color.
Let's make it happen
- Draw several straight black lines across the paper, some up and down and some side to side.
- Choose a few spaces and color them red, blue, or yellow. Leave other spaces white.
- Look at your grid together and describe the shapes and colors you made.
Make it simpler: Draw one crossing of lines and color one space together.
Clean up: Put away crayons and save or recycle the picture.
Let the child draw freely; the lines and spaces do not need to match an artwork.