Fun and creative art activities that families can try at home.
Family Art Time
Keep kids of all ages engaged with projects inspired by your favorite artists and objects in the Barnes collection.
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Draw
The French artist Jean Baptiste Guiraud painted this view of the city of Bordeaux in 1884. Try drawing your own city! (ages 5+)
Jean Baptiste Guiraud. View of Bordeaux, 1884
Projects
Paint
Georges Seurat created many of his paintings using a special technique called pointillism. Make your own painting using this technique. (ages 3+)
Georges Seurat. Entrance of The Port of Honfleur, 1886
Draw
Henri Rousseau was known for painting exotic landscapes from his imagination. With inspiration from Rousseau, bring your dream garden to life. (ages 3–12)
En Español
Write
Lights, camera, action! Let’s create a poem inspired by Charles Demuth’s acrobatic dancer! (ages 8–12)
En Español
Design
Create your own tapestry design inspired by our special exhibition on French businesswoman Marie Cuttoli. (ages 5–12)
En Español
Taste
Cézanne’s still lifes look good enough to eat! Follow our simple recipe to make a delicious fruit smoothie inspired by the colors in his painting. (ages 5–12)
En Español
Draw
Landscape paintings connect with the outdoors. What do you see outside your window? Buildings? Nature? Animals or people? Colors? Shapes? Use your careful looking skills to draw a landscape from your own neighborhood. (ages 3–12)
En Español
Create
Learn about light in art and make a festive lantern.
Draw
Henri Rousseau was a self-taught artist who often included exotic plants and flowers in his paintings. Look closely at the shapes and colors in this painting and then draw your own bright bouquet! (ages 3–12)
En Español
Henri Rousseau. Bouquet of Flowers with China Asters and Tokyos, 1910. BF580. Public Domain.
Collage
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh liked to paint places where he lived or visited, often from memory. Can you imagine your own colorful houses? (ages 5–12)
En Español
Vincent van Gogh. Houses and Figure, 1890. BF136. Public Domain.
Create
Pennsylvania artist Charles Demuth made paintings with precise, sharply defined shapes. Look at all the shapes and lines in the artwork here. Can you recreate them on paper? (ages 8–12)
En Español
Charles Demuth. Bermuda: Stairway, 1917. BF656. Public Domain.
Write
Colorful flowers lift our spirits and inspire artists to capture their beauty in their paintings and in poetry! Take some time to reflect on nature with this activity that combines reflection, poetry, and art. (ages 8–12)
En Español
Qiu Ying. Woman on Bridge-Woman at Window, late 19th century. BF2551. Public Domain.
Paint
Watercolor is used for drawing as well as painting on paper. Some artists use a “resist” technique with watercolors to add color, texture, and highlights. Watercolor resists are fun for kids to explore! (ages 3–12)
En Español
Jules Pascin. Southern Landscape with Figures and Horses, c. 1916. BF732. Public Domain.
Draw
In this painting, a woman sits at a table with her beloved dog at her side. Let’s draw a portrait that focuses on your favorite animal or imaginary creature. (ages 5–12)
En Español
Pierre Bonnard. Woman with Dog, or Woman and Dog at Table, 1908. BF350. Public Domain.
Craft
The Navajo people prized turquoise for its beauty and believed it had sacred powers. You can create your own jewelry using things you find around the house. (ages 8–12)
En Español
Unidentified Maker, Navajo. Cuff Bracelet, c. 1870–1890. A338. Public Domain.
Create
The star of this painting by Philadelphia artist William Glackens is the woman’s incredible hat. Make your own fun hat using household items. (ages 5–12)
En Español
William James Glackens. Woman with Green Hat, c. 1909. BF459. Public Domain.
Design
Navajo blankets were woven in patterns featuring shapes and colors found in nature. You can create your own patterned designs using inspiration from Navajo weavings. (ages 3–12)
En Español
Unidentified Maker, Navajo. Third Phase Chief's Blanket, c. 1870–1880. 01.24.24. Public Domain.
Draw
Before Pierre-Auguste Renoir became famous, he painted portraits for the elite of Paris’s art world. Here, he painted an art collector’s young daughter holding her cherished toy, a jump rope. Let’s make a self-portrait with your own favorite toys around you. (ages 5–12)
En Español
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Girl with a Jump Rope (Portrait of Delphine Legrand), 1876. BF137. Public Domain.
Decorate
This metalwork, made in France, is a door decoration for the outside of a house. Look carefully. Do you think this might be a door knocker? Get creative and design a door decoration for your home or even your room! (ages 5–12)
En Español
Unidentified Maker, French. Door Decoration, mid-16th century. 01.04.62. Public Domain.
Invent
A weather vane, or wind vane, is an instrument that shows the direction the wind is blowing. Create your own weather vane inspired by the ones in our collection. (ages 8–12)
En Español
Unidentified Maker, French. Weather Vane, probably 18th century. 01.02.31. Public Domain.
Create
This boat is actually a floating artist studio, created by the painter Claude Monet. You can make your own artist studio, too—a safe space to focus, experiment, and create artwork. (ages 5–12)
En Español
Claude Monet. The Studio Boat, 1876. BF730. Public Domain.
Make
American artist Susan Cray used a technique called paper-cutting in her artwork. To do so, she cut images out of a dark paper and placed them on top of a light background for contrast. Try it out yourself! (ages 5–12)
En Español
Susan Cray. New Jersey Cut-Out, 1843. BF1182. Public Domain.
Craft
This beads of this Zuni Pueblo necklace are made with natural materials like coral, shell, and turquoise. Learn how to make beads out of paper and create your own powerful jewelry. (ages 8–12)
En Español
Unidentified Maker, Zuni Pueblo. Necklace, c. 1880. A334. Public Domain.