It’s very easy to reuse and upcycle paper bags! You can reuse them for grocery shopping, use them for dry trash, or use them to collect unwanted items for donation. But here’s a way to make them into huge coloring sheets for your kids! Large paper rolls and art paper can be expensive, so this is also a money saver.
Children can create large drawings, paintings, posters, maps, or even create a whole town, zoo, or forest by drawing on it and then adding their toys! If you have time to create with them, even better!
How to construct large pieces of paper using brown paper grocery bags
This requires very little time, perhaps 10 minutes or less.
First, cut them into large panels by cutting down one corner and then cutting off the bottom of the bag. Unfold it, and it becomes one large panel. Flatten it out the best you can.
You can stop with a single paper bag, as this is big enough for some art projects. If you want to make it larger, simply cut as many bags as you think you’ll need. In my first example, I used 4 or 5 bags and it was huge.
Next, tape them together with brown kraft tape. You can use masking tape if that’s what you have, but the brown tape blends better with the brown paper. You can also use glue. Just glue the pieces with a 1-inch overlap, and let it dry before your little one is ready to use it. Note: lay newspaper or recycled paper under or around the edges to prevent mess on the floor.
Here’s a smaller one I made out of just two grocery store paper bags. I painted this one with my son, though the theme was his idea. It was a super fun project to do together.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what medium you use. Crayons, pencils, markers, or inexpensive paint will all work great. Children need creative time and art is such a good outlet. Bonus if you get to spend time with your kids creating something together!
Feel free to share your family’s works of art with me, and maybe I can feature them on this page! Thanks for reading, please share and subscribe!
All photos by me unless otherwise stated.