Corn Painting Process Art Activity

Last Updated on November 12, 2021 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: Add some corn painting to your fall theme this year. This process art activity is loved by toddlers and preschoolers, and is so easy to set up!

We love adding corn activities to our fall theme!

We’ve added it to our science table for a fun tweezing, strengthening fine motor skills.

(You can read about that experience here.)

Corn is also fun to explore while learning about squirrels.

But how about at the art table?

Yep, it’s great there, too!

Add some paint and you have a simple process art activity.

We love process art.

If you’ve been following Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds for awhile, you’ve seen some of our favorites:

Painting with Corks

Painting with Balls

Painting with Spools

and yep, even….

Painting with Dinosaurs

Process art does not focus on the end result.

Instead, it focuses on the actual activity.

Stamping, spinning, rolling … you name it!

This corn painting activity falls right into that category.

Little directions were needed and the children were absorbed in the activity itself, not the product.

Corn Painting Process Art Activity

Supplies:

• Corn
• Tempera paint
• Trays for the paint
• Brushes
• Paper

Usually this activity is done with corn cob holders attached, but I purposely eliminated them.

Why?

Because I wanted to add an extra sensory experience.

I wanted the children to actually touch the corn as they rolled it back and forth on the paper.

But, if you’d like to add corn holders, go ahead!

Preparing this Activity

Pour paint into the trays and add corn.

You can cover a table with butcher paper or give each child their own sheet of paper.

Remember, this is about the process, not the end result.

The Invitation to Paint

Activities like this don’t need much explanation.

When we opened our art table during free-choice centers time, several children sat right down and got to work.

It’s this simple:

Dip the paint brush into the paint and then brush on to the corn.

For some of our children, this was as far as they wanted to go.

For others, they rolled the corn across the paper to make a print.

See how the hands are in direct contact with the corn?

This is why I didn’t want to use corn holders.

I wanted them to have that sensory experience.

But again, if you have children who are sensitive and don’t like the feel, you can certainly add corn holders.

We provided extra sheets of plain paper for those who wanted to simply paint.

Some children stopped to explore the piece of corn, exploring the texture.

When you squirt a few different colors into the tray, you also get a color mixing experience.

So much happening with such a simple process art activity!

Touching, brushing, rolling …

Hands-on fun!

More 3-Dimensional Art Ideas

Painting 3-dimensional objects is a favorite.

It allows children to explore different angles as they apply paint and create.

Here are some to try:

Apple Trees

Paint and Wash Apples

Bug Painting 

Caterpillars

What are your favorite art activities?

Hop on over to our Facebook group and join in the conversations. It’s free!