String Art

A fun activity that can be adapted to suit all age groups and skill levels.

Materials needed (click bolded text to view in store):

• Large flat piece of wood

• Hammer

• Lots of nails - flat head nails work best to hold the string

• String or wool

  • For older children, the really thin and flexible silver or copper wire you can get from craft stores looks amazing against a black painted background – perfect for Matariki and Guy Fawkes patterns.

How To Make String Art:

1. Trace the outline of a shape on a piece of wood. For young children use simple shapes like a star, triangle etc. Older children can do more intricate designs.

2. Hammer nails around the outline but don’t hammer them all the way in. You need to ensure there is enough of the nail sticking up out of the wood for the string to have space to wrap around.

3. Tie one end of a long piece of string or wool to one of the nails. If you’re using wire then simply tightly winding one end a few times around the starting nail will secure it.

4. Weave and wind the string around all of the nails in any pattern you wish.

5. Once the pattern is complete, tie the loose end to another nail to secure it in place and prevent it from unraveling.

Lisa’s Top Tips

• You can extend older children with accurate measuring and spacing of the nails along the pattern, and exploring symmetry and geometry concepts.

• Paint or decorate the pieces of wood beforehand, and experiment with combining different colours of string or wool.

• You could also do this on a larger scale as a collaborative artwork piece: here’s an impressive example from Kauri Park Kindergarten of their tukutuku inspired art piece. Each family created a different panel, sharing the stories behind each piece and what inspired them. You could do similar within your classroom, school, or wider community!