Do you have lots of colorful scrap paper piles lying around in your home or class? Then making paper mosaics is the perfect craft to use up all those scraps.

Paper mosaics require only a few materials and your students will create colorful patterns to display in your classroom.

Fill in the from at the end to get your free copy of the instructions and the paper mosaic templates.

Here’s how to make your own paper mosaics.

Materials required for paper mosaics

• Different scraps of colored paper. Magazines are good to use because of the range of colors, but plain colored paper, tissue paper or wrapping paper can also be used.
• Glue stick or craft glue.
• Mosaic pictures – download the pictures below (you could also use a simple picture from a coloring in book).

Instructions

1. First talk to your students about mosaics. A mosaic is a picture or pattern that is made by arranging small colorful pieces of paper, tiles, glass etc. Talk about where you see mosaics, such as in the home to decorate walls, floors and kitchens.

2. Give each student a copy of one of the mosaic pictures (download some below).

3. The students use the scrap paper to mosaic their picture. They fold and tear the scraps of paper to fit different parts of the picture. Encourage your students to manipulate the paper with their hands rather than scissors.

4. Paste glue onto the different parts of the picture and place the torn pieces onto the area.

5. When dry, finish the pictures by drawing in any other parts.

6. A follow up lesson could involve your students drawing their own picture in pencil. Again they mosaic their picture using torn scraps of paper.

Have some arty fun with your students and get mosaicing 🙂

Download the free paper mosaic templates

To get your copy of the paper mosaic templates, fill in the form below so they can be emailed to you as a PDF.