Kids Craft Room

Creative Fun For Everyone!

  • Home
  • About
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
  • Seasons
  • Sensory
  • Shop

Colourful CD Scratch Art – Kids Recycled Art

(Use of this website assumes your agreement with our Terms and Conditions please take the time to review them. Posts also contain affiliate links which earn us a commission. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See our Disclosure Policy for full details.) 

Have you got any old CD’s lying around? Maybe they came free with a newspaper or are too scratched to play? Kids can have loads of fun with them making beautiful CD Scratch Art. It’s a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

This CD Scratch Art project is easy to set up, small scale and simple – so no one is having to grapple with tricky techniques or expensive art supplies. Unlike pricey black scratch board you can buy, this recycled art project allows kids to make their own scratch art in any colour or combination of colours they like.

I wanted to approach this project as a process art piece. The joy of process art is that it’s about exploring materials and techniques with the focus very much on the doing and taking part and not on the finished product. For this piece I didn’t give my kids any worked examples that might sway their ideas, or tell them how to do it. Instead we just chatted about the basic idea, which was painting your shiny CD and then scraping off some of the paint to create a design.

Check out Lego Pendulum Painting too! It’s a fantastic STEAM process art kids will LOVE!

CD Scratch Art Allows Kids To Experiment:

  • They can decide how to apply the paint maybe brushes, hands, sponges etc
  • They can explore the thickness of paint and layering.
  • They can experiment with colour mixing and blending.
  • They can choose whether to scratch a design on wet, tacky or dry paint.
  • They can experiment with different tools to remove the paint and reveal the shiny silver cd surface beneath.
  • Their designs can be as simple or as detailed as they like.

Each finished piece is guaranteed to be unique and interesting. I’m sure the kids will have loads of cd art ideas of their own that they’ll want to try out.

I love seeing CD scratch art pieces hanging together as a colourful mobile. We’ve also got plans to try varnishing some to make cup coaster gifts and mounting some in a frame as a one off piece of wall art.

Supplies For CD Scratch Art 

  • Old Silver CDs
  • Acrylic Paint US / UK
  • Brushes, Sponges etc
  • Scratch Art Tool Kit US / UK or Selection of metal items to use for scratching eg. key, fork etc

How To Set Up A Colourful Process Art Project- CD Scratch Art

The first step to create colourful CD art is to paint the shiny silver side of the old CD with acrylic paint. Kids can use one colour, two or numerous combinations! My kids painted one base colour first and then dotted on additional colours  and swirled them in with paint brushes. The boys were very much taken with the roundness of the CDs and followed that shape with their painting strokes too.

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

I really enjoyed listening to my kids’ questions at this time, such as…

  • “How much paint should I put on?”
  • “What will happen if I put on 2, 3 or a hundred layers of paint?”
  • “What will happen if I use different paint colours at the same time?”

I made sure that I didn’t tell them the answers to any of their questions but instead encouraged them to experiment, explore and do what feels right to them. Must importantly to have fun with the process!

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

Once their CD’s were covered in paint the kids explored scraping patterns into the wet paint. They decided that it didn’t allow them enough detail because the paint was too runny and ran into the scratches so they left them to dry for a few hours and them tried scratching again.

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

The kids enjoyed getting creative with a scratch off pattern. I encouraged them to make any kind of design they liked and we gathered a selection of metal objects from around the house to use for scratching. You can buy special scratch art tool kits pretty cheaply too. These give a good selection of nib shapes and sizes for scratching different patterns and are safer for younger children.

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

As they scratched away the paint from the surface of the CD the shiny silver showed through and looked fantastic against the colourful paint. My kids got really into repeating patterns around the circles like mandala art. I LOVE the effect, what a great way to recycle old CDs!

You might also like:

  • Secret Message Scratch Art Project
  • Painting With Nature Process Art
  • Wax Resist Sugar Painting
  • Edible Rainbow Bread Painting

CD SCRATCH ART - Kids can have loads of fun with old CDs making vibrant Colourful CD Scratch Art. It's a fabulous recycled craft and process art opportunity for kids of all ages.

More Painting Projects To Fall in Love With:

Scrape Painting Lion Craft For Kids

Scrape Painting Lion Craft For Kids

See how to make DIY Galaxy Shoes. They're totally cosmic! Such a fun space craft for kids and grown-ups. This is an easy Sharpie craft you'll be over the moon with! #kidscraftroom #kidscrafts #Sharpiecrafts #space #shoes #teencrafts #tweencrafts #kidsactivities

DIY Galaxy Shoes

Mess Free Sensory Autumn Leaf Painting is a wonderful activity to explore the changing colours of the season and engage the senses. Kids can watch leaves change colour right in front of their eyes with this hands-on Autumn art idea. (6 Free Printable Leaf Templates) #autumn #fall #autumncrafts #fallcrafts #autumnart #fallart #kidscrafts #kidsart #fallactivities #autumnactivities #sensory #sensoryplay #sensoryart #painting #kidspainting #kidscraftroom

Mess Free Sensory Autumn Leaf Painting

SPONGE FLOWER PAINTING - simple, easy and creates the prettiest flower pictures! This flower art is great for kids of all ages and is a wonderful way to celebrate Spring and Summer. Make wall art, greeting cards or gorgeous Mother's Day gifts, these painted flowers won't fail to delight. #flowers #flowercrafts #flowerart #kidsart #kidspainting #paintingforkids #paintingideas #paintingtechniques #artforkids #kidscrafts #craftsforkids #kidscraftroom #springcrafts #summercrafts

Simple and Pretty Sponge Flower Painting

Here's a wonderfully easy Peeps Edible Puffy Paint Recipe you can make in just minutes. This homemade paint is fluffy and soft and comes in gorgeous pastel colours perfect for Spring and Summer art. Kids will have a finger licking good time getting creative with this fun and delicious sensory painting idea! #paintrecipe #painting #homemadepaint #ediblepaint #fingerpaintrecipe #puffypaint #puffypaintrecipe #easter #printables #kidsart #kidscraftroom #kidscrafts

Peeps Edible Puffy Paint Recipe (+ colouring sheet)

RAINBOW COTTON BALL PAINTING is lots of fun, looks amazing and develops kids motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Painting with cotton balls is exciting for kids and a great way to broaden their painting experiences away from just traditional brushes. #rainbow #kidsart #kidspaintingideas #stpatricksday #stpaddys #rainbowcrafts #kidspainting #springcrafts #springcraftsforkids #kidsactivities #kidscrafts #kidscraftroom #rainbows #cottonballpainting #painting #kids

Rainbow Cotton Ball Painting

WOODLAND ANIMAL DECORATED EGGS - If you're looking for some special Easter egg decorating ideas then these Gorgeous Woodland Animal Easter Eggs are perfect. This set of Easter egg animal designs look amazing and are surprisingly easy to make. There's a stunning egg fox, raccoon and deer, all so adorable! #Easter #eastereggs #woodlandanimals #eggs #eastercrafts #easterdecorations #paintedeggs #animalcrafts #kidscrafts #easterideas #easteractivities #forestanimals #eggdecorating

Gorgeous Woodland Animal Easter Eggs

COOL KIDS ROCK CRAFTS - Do your kids love collecting pebbles? If you've got a little Nature collector then you'll love 20+ Awesome Fun Rock Crafts For Kids. These rock painting ideas make fantastic rock activities for fun all year round!

20+ Awesome Fun Rock Crafts For Kids

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • ›
Loading...

Filed Under: Let's Get Arty, Let's Get Crafty, Painting, Spring, Summer Tagged With: Metals, Paints, Recycled/Junk

« How To Make Sock Poi – Kids Circus Skills
All Natural Strawberries and Cream Popsicles »

Search This Site

Trending This Week

Lucky Leprechaun Craft For St Patrick's Day

Lucky Leprechaun Craft For St Patrick’s Day

Easter Bunny Hat Craft

Easter Bunny Hat Craft

Cupcake Liner Flower Wreath

Cupcake Liner Flower Wreath

St Patrick's Day 3D Shamrock Craft

St Patrick’s Day 3D Shamrock Craft

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy and Disclosure Policies
  • Copyright

Amazon Associates Information

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Kids Craft Room

Kids Craft Room uses cookies to improve our site and your experience here. These cookies feedback information to our analytics and advertisers. The cookies help us track which pages are visited, whether you are a new or returning visitor. We'll assume you're OK with this, but you can easily opt-out if you wish. Click the READ MORE button to see how to do this. Accept Read Policies
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
27.3K shares