Make these fun shape robots for an easy art experience that focuses on shape and symmetry!
What do you need to make shape robots…
The supply list for this shape robot project is so simple. For that reason this could be a great art project for distance learning! Almost every household has paper! Here’s everything you’ll need…
- paper, at least two colors – We used black 8.5 x 11 and white 12 x 18.
- scissors
- glue, school glue or glue stick
- color- this could be markers, crayons, or colored pencils
Let’s make shape robots…..
To make these shape robots your student will need one large piece of paper. We used 12 x 18 white paper so we could add color later. They will also need another in a contrasting color that’s about half that big. We chose black for the contrast but you could use any color of paper you like here!
The first step is to begin to divide the black paper into smaller shapes. These shapes will become the body and limbs of the robot. I’ll walk you through our divisions and the resulting shapes. You could follow along with this process with your own students or let them experiment and talk about the shapes they create as they go!
Cutting the shapes of the robots body….
Fold the 8.5 x 11 paper in half to create two smaller rectangles. One of those rectangles will become the body. The other rectangle will be cut into more shapes to use as arms, legs, and head.
Fold the rectangle not used for the body in half and cut. One of those pieces will become the head.
Use the remaining piece to cut into four pieces to be used as arms and legs.
Arrange these parts loosely on the larger paper but do not glue them down yet.
Cutting shapes out of your paper robots….
To cut the interior shapes of the robot fold the paper shapes in half. Cut shapes out by cutting a shape that begins and end on that folded edge. This is similar to cutting a snowflake.
By cutting shapes out in this way the robots will be symmetrical. See this post for another fun project that focuses on symmetry and contains an awesome printable that is great for introducing the concept of symmetry.
Cut shapes out of the body, head, and limbs. When done use dots of white glue or a glue stick to attach the robot shapes to the background paper.
Note that excess glue on the paper may prevent marker or other color from adhering to the paper. I like to use a glue stick to avoid this.
Adding color to your shape robot….
Once your shape robot is glued down it’s time to add some color! We used easy washable markers to add color to those openings. You could also use watercolor paint, crayons, whatever is handy!
Additional shape resources….
These shape robots are such a fun and easy invitation to talk about different shapes and their relationships to each other!
Check out this one page printable about the element of shape and learn more about different types of shapes.
Round out this shape lesson with some books that highlight the element of shape. This post has sections of amazing kid’s book that highlight each element of art!
And, if you want even more comprehensive, done for you lessons that encompass all the elements of art check out the Artists and the Elements art program. I made it just for you!
If you loved these shape robots please share this post!
Every social media share helps me bring you more fun ideas and free printable resources!
