We are having so much fun learning about Australia this month. One of our favourite ways to learn about a culture is to explore a traditional art or craft from that culture, so for an Australia craft, we decided to try our hand at Aboriginal Dot Painting.

Australian Dot Painting Craft

The Australian Aborigine culture is mystical and fascinating. While preparing materials for our Australia unit study, I loved learning how the tradition of Australian crafts tied into the Aboriginal concept of “Dreamtime,” which would be a wonderful philosophy or theology study for an older child.

Aboriginal Dot Paintings are created by making several small dots of paint to create a cohesive whole — either depicting an image or a pattern. This relates to the Aborigine beliefs of order and union. Interestingly, the purpose of the dots is to obscure and keep secret parts of the Dreamtime stories that these artworks often depict.

This is a great conversation starter with kids — how often we cannot fully understand the appearance of anything without knowing the story behind it, and how artwork can represent something more meaningful than it seems.

Not only is this dot painting activity a great way to learn and build appreciation for Australian culture, it’s a great fine motor activity for kids in gripping the q-tip and being controlled in how they place their dots.

Math concepts come in here, too, with patterning and (if using circular patterns) exploring how the number of dots increase as the circles of dots expand.

For younger kids, I wouldn’t try to encourage circular patterns – just focus on having them make dots on their painting one-by-one rather than use the q-tip as a paintbrush (as they might be tempted).

Older kids can try their hands at a traditional circular dot pattern, as shown in the video below. If they really enjoy dot painting, they can move to free-hand paintings without a guiding outline.

I think reading or listening to an Aborigine story or music (such as Aboriginal Didgeridoo music) would be a great way to deepen the experience of this Australian craft.

Ella first did this project when she was 3 or 4, but recently asked to do this project again – so we filmed it! Check out our quick video on how to make an Australian Aboriginal-inspired Dot Art Painting for a fun art appreciation project for kids:

Materials we used for our Aboriginal-inspired Dot Painting:

• our free printable Kangaroo outline or another outline that appeals to your child
• tempera or acrylic paints
• paint tray or paint bowls (bowls are easier for little kids to avoid mixing colors)
• q-tips

We stayed with the Aborigine tradition of only using red, yellow, brown, and white paints, though some modern dot paintings are including cooler colours, as well.

I highly recommend grabbing a couple of these sturdy plastic lunch trays (we have one in the pictures in this post). I use these for almost all of our craft or kitchen activities, as well as in our Montessori practical life activities. Ours have lasted for over 6 years and are still going strong, plus they are so great for containing messes and allowing the kids to set a project to the side while it dries (or if you have to clear off the table for supper).

How to Make a Dot Painting

Print out your choice of outlined drawing and place on a tray or safe surface for painting.

Place your paints in a paint tray or individual bowls.

Show your child how to dip the q-tips into the paint and make a dotting pattern on their design, and then leave them to it! You can encourage older children to attempt patterns within their overall designs.

Pin this Easy Dot Painting activity to do with the kids:

Grab your free printable kangaroo template and our printable instructions:

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Yield: 1 painting

Australian Dot Painting Craft

Print

An easy dot painting art activity for kids to learn about Australian Aboringal dot art and gain an appreciation for this beautiful culture and artform.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $1

Materials

• our free printable Kangaroo outline or another outline that appeals to your child
• tempera or acrylic paints

Tools

• paint tray or paint bowls
• q-tips

Instructions

1. Print out your choice of outlined drawing and place on a tray or safe surface for painting.
2. Place your paints in a paint tray or individual bowls.
3. Show your child how to dip the q-tips into the paint and make a dotting pattern on their design, and then leave them to it! You can encourage older children to attempt patterns within their overall designs.

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  Apple Barrel PROMOABI Matte Finish Acrylic Craft Paint Set Designed for Beginners and Artists, Non-Toxic Formula that works on All Surfaces, Assorted Colors 1, 18 Count

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What do you think? I would love to hear your suggestions for other Australia crafts!

For more easy craft ideas, check out our full collection of Crafts for Kids here:

Original image from 2015: