mrrichiecreates.com
LITTLE LESSON 07 · PRESCHOOL · TK · EARLY K
The Picture That Hides Under Tape
Allow extra drying time for paint or glue. Children can pause and return.
Elements of Art focus: Space. Discover how covered paper leaves open space in a picture. Meet the seven art ideas →
Let’s wonder!
“What picture could be waiting under these strips?”
Our little purpose: Use tape to protect paper and discover unpainted spaces.
Gather a little magic
Sturdy paper, low-tack painter’s tape, washable paint, and a brush.
For your grown-up: Test low-tack tape on a spare piece first. Peel gently; some paper may tear, and paint may seep under the edges.
Make it yours
Wonder together · 2–3 min Try & make · 12–20 min Share & tidy · 3–6 min
- Arrange tape on paper as paths, shapes, or a mystery pattern.
- Predict which parts of the paper will stay unpainted.
- Paint across the paper and tape. Choose colors and marks your own way.
- Let it dry, then ask a grown-up to help peel slowly. What do the uncovered spaces become?
“I’ll show you how I did mine. Yours doesn’t have to look like mine.”
Look what you discovered
Ask: “What did you choose? What changed? What would you try next?”
Notice: The child predicts or notices where tape kept paint off the paper.
Listen, watch, or accept pointing and home-language responses. Notice the process, not resemblance to an example.
Every idea belongs
A little support: Offer short wide strips with a folded end for easier peeling.
A little more: Invite a second layout and ask how the protected paths changed.
No supplies today? The child can make choices, predict, and direct a grown-up.
The learning underneath
California Preschool/TK Learning Foundations · Visual Arts: 1.5, 1.9. Kindergarten bridge · California Arts Standards: K.VA:Cr2.1.
These are planning connections selected for this activity, not a claim of mastery or state endorsement. The kindergarten code is an extension, not a preschool requirement. Read the code key and official California sources →
PLAY THIS ART ADVENTURE · 07
Secret Tape Paths
Discover how covered paper leaves open space in a picture.
Art ideas: Space. One playful connection to this project.
Find this resource again: mrrichiecreates.com/lessons/picture-under-tape