1Cut paper for the background.

For the background, use a 9" x 12" construction paper. For a quirky-shaped picture, cut a large sheet of construction paper (e.g. 12" x 18") into a big square, triangle, circle or heart.

2Make paper or foam shapes.

Cut various-sizes of circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals, trapezoids, hearts, stars and ther shapes on colored paper or craft foam. You can use craft punches to make tiny shapes.

Instead of making your own shapes, you can buy a bag of foam shapes or paper shapes.

3Combine shapes to make an image.

Try combining shapes to create an image. Give kids lots of time to play, explore and be creative with their shape combinations. Swipe on the photo to see examples.

4Glue the shapes.

When you're done playing and coming up with lots of images, decide which ones you want to put on your picture. Glue the shapes onto the background paper.

This winter picture with a cute snowman and lots of pine trees is made up mostly of circles and triangles. A few rectangles, ovals and a trapezoid, complete the picture.

Four triangles and an oval define the main shape for this lovely butterfly. A variety of small colorful shapes gives it a distinct character.

A picture of an airplane flying at night can be created from just a few basic shapes.