Let's paint by rolling marbles! Ideas for marble-rolling art

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

“Marble Rolling Art” is an art activity where you place a sheet of drawing paper inside an empty box, drop in marbles coated with paint, and tilt the box at various angles to roll the marbles around and create patterns.

Kids are sure to be captivated by the way the marbles roll here and there and by the mysterious patterns that keep forming!

In this feature, we’re sharing plenty of project ideas that make the most of Marble Rolling Art.

We’ve packed in ideas you can use in many settings—tied to events, reflecting the seasons, and more.

Be sure to use these as a reference and have fun trying them together.

Because we are presenting ideas for creating works that highlight children’s individuality, we use the term “seisaku (制作)” in the main text to mean “making/creation.”

Let's paint by rolling marbles! Marble Rolling Art Ideas (11–20)

Ogre Pants

Decorate an oni’s pants with colorful marbles! Place a piece of construction paper cut into the shape of pants in the bottom of a box.

To keep the paper from moving around inside the box, it’s best to stick some rolled-up cellophane tape on the back of the paper and fix it to the bottom surface.

Next, pour thickly diluted paint (mixed with water) into something like an egg carton, soak marbles in it, then drop them into the box and roll them around.

Once it’s completely dry, display it on a backing sheet or wall together with an oni face.

If you pair it with a human face motif or a photo, it can even look like swimsuits for kids playing at the pool or beach.

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In conclusion

We introduced lots of creative ideas that use marble rolling.

By changing things like the paint colors you use, the number of marbles, and the color and shape of the paper, the possibilities are endless! It’s also great that you can enjoy paint-based art without getting your hands dirty.

This technique is easy to try with a wide range of ages, from toddlers to older preschoolers, so please use these ideas as a reference and have fun creating together.