Squiggles: No Prep, No Fuss Art Fun for the Whole Family
A few years ago, I was looking for a creative challenge that would appeal to all my kids, ranging at the time from age six to fourteen. I wanted something that was age appropriate for all, required no prep, and could be done on a regular basis. The humble Squiggle–an idea I picked up from my mentor teacher when I was student teaching many moons ago—was exactly what I was looking for. A Squiggles is a super simple concept with huge potential for creativity and fun!
What is a Squiggle, you ask? It is nothing more than a sheet of paper with a few random “squiggles” on it. Like these:
What do you do with a Squiggle, you wonder? Well, the challenge is to seamlessly incorporate it into a drawing. You know you have done well if someone takes a look at your art and has a hard time identifying the original squiggle because you have so successfully built your design around it.
Can you spot the original Squiggle in the drawings below? (Hint: They match up with the starter Squiggle examples above.)
As fun as a Squiggle can be on its own, the fun explodes exponentially if you invite multiple people to do the same Squiggle. It is fascinating to see the variety of designs that can come from one little squiggle on a page.
These three are from the same Squiggle!
During the “year of the squiggle,” Friday became “Squiggle Day.” In stolen pockets of time throughout the day everyone would work in secret, barricaded behind binders and hard-covered books so that no one would get a sneak peak of their work and “steal their idea.” When everyone was ready we would gather in the living room and one by one the Squiggles would be revealed with much fanfare. Ta-da!
Then, after laughing at the silliness and marveling at the creativity, I would tuck the Squiggles into a large 3-ring-binder labeled “Great Minds Think DIFFERENTLY.” The kids loved to page through it as the collection grew each week.
My husband and I didn’t always find time to work on a Squiggle ourselves, but it is worth noting that the kids loved it when we did. Squiggles alone are fun, sibling Squiggles are great, and whole family Squiggles are the very best.
So what are you waiting for? Grab a piece of paper and a black marker and squiggle out a Squiggle. Make some copies and watch the creativity fly. Or, if you want to get started with some of our favorites, you can find them on my free resource page. If you have already joined my mailing list, you can find the link to the resource page in in my latest newsletter, or, if you are new around here, click this link to join the wonder.
Remember, great minds think DIFFERENTLY!
Oh, and be sure to check out this post about Wiggles, the equally fun cousin of the Squiggle.
