Looking for a fun, colorful, and totally open-ended art project? This Reggie Laurent-inspired abstract art project is perfect for kids of all ages. It combines organic and geometric shapes, bright colors with total creative freedom! Using construction paper, oil pastels, and glue, kids can create layered, vibrant collages in the style of contemporary artist Reggie Laurent.
This project is all about exploring color, shape, and movement—no rules, no limits, just pure creative expression. Whether you’re doing this at home, in the classroom, or as part of a Black History Month art study, it’s an engaging, mess-free craft that lets kids cut, arrange, and layer abstract shapes into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Who is Reggie Laurent?
Reggie Laurent is a self-taught contemporary artist known for his vibrant, abstract paintings filled with bold colors, organic shapes, and playful movement. His work is inspired by music, nature, and everyday life, and he believes that art should make people feel good.
Unlike traditional art that focuses on realism, Laurent’s work is purely abstract, meaning it doesn’t represent specific objects or people—it’s all about the feeling, energy, and composition of shapes and colors. His art is the perfect inspiration for kids because it encourages creativity, imagination, and confidence in making bold choices.
Why You’ll Love This Craft
- No right or wrong way to create – Every piece is unique, just like real abstract art!
- Encourages creativity – Kids get to experiment with colors, shapes, and patterns.
- Mess-free, easy and uses the supplies you have – No paint necessary—just paper, glue, and oil pastels or crayons or markers (you choose)!
- Great for any age – Younger kids can cut simple shapes, while older kids can add details and patterns.
Materials You’ll Need
- Construction paper in different colors
- Scissors
- Glue stick or school glue
- Crayons or oil pastels in various colors, including white
How to Make a Reggie Laurent Inspired Abstract Art Piece
- Start by cutting out various freeform shapes from different colors of construction paper You can cut out geometric shapes like, squares, rectangles, triangles, hearts and circles as well as organic shapes. Try wavy lines, ovals, squiggles, triangles, or completely random shapes—anything goes! Laurent’s work is known for its flow and movement, so don’t worry about being precise!
- Before gluing, play around with your arrangement on a piece of black cardstock. Try not to overlap the shapes, just like in Laurent’s paintings. Let kids decide how they want their composition to look—no wrong answers!
- Once happy with the placement, use a glue stick to attach the pieces to the background. Encourage kids to leave some space in between the shapes, just like in Laurent’s work.
- Use white oil pastels or crayons to draw different patterns such as dots, lines, and small accents around the shapes. Add extra pops of color and patterns to make the piece feel more dynamic.
- The final step is to use a white crayon or oil pastel and draw squiggles all around the blank black spaces between the shapes.
- Your art work is complete! Compare it to some of Reggie Laurent’s work and discuss what makes abstract art so special!
Ways to Extend the Fun
- Create with music on! – Laurent often listens to music while painting—try adding some jazz or upbeat tunes while creating!
- Make a collaborative mural – Have multiple kids create individual pieces and combine them into one big classroom or family artwork.
- Talk about abstract art – Ask kids, “How does your artwork make you feel? What do you see in your design?”
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
