Okay people. Here is tape resist Christmas trees and I’m in love.

Tape resist art is officially the art that will define 2020 for us. We’ve done A FEW around here and now, for my latest trick, I will turn tape resist art into tape resist Christmas tree art.

Get ready for a little twist at the end of this activity to make it POP!

The “siblings” to this activity are Spider Web Tape Resist Art, which quickly became the most liked photo I’ve ever shared on Instagram, and Turkey Tape Resist Art.

RELATED: Looking for more Christmas activities? I have a GREAT list!

Something about tape resist art… it’s just too much fun.

There is something so fun about tape resist art and the good news on these Christmas trees: this was the easiest of them all to set up.

Just a few minutes with making some random lines on a triangular piece of cardboard and we were good to go.

Don’t worry: I’ll explain the step by step ASAP.

Here’s the how to on tape resist Christmas trees:

Start by cutting your cardboard into a triangle tree (I left the bottom of mine with a little stump).

Start taping.

No really, that’s it. Just start taping!

I made criss-cross lines, diagonal, etc all over this cardboard (imagining in a way that they are the strands of lights, but also not really over thinking it).

RELATED: It’s the holidays!! Looking for the Best Toys for Kids? You’ve got to see my list!

Trust me. If you’ve tried the spider web and the turkey versions, this will be a walk in the park.

I hung ours on the wall (I’ll get to this in the FAQ) because frankly, it’s easier to photograph. I made loops of tape and hooked them to the back to get it to stick on the wall.

RELATED: Looking for a Hanukkah version? Check out this awesome Hanukkah tape resist scene.

I made all different shades of green for this activity

I wanted some GREEN trees, but I still wanted variety. So I did a little color hues/shades lesson with my kids and we made different types of green.

We used green, yellow, white, and blue paint to mix up this variety and it was PERFECTION.

My plan was to have them leave the stumps cardboard colored, but I forgot to mention that vision to the 4 year old and now he’s in love with the green stump. Oh well.

Now for the FAQs

Ok people – Let’s talk about the painting part of this activity (because painting with kids often gets a really bad rap). Having done a few tape resist activities before this, I think I’ve got a solid FAQ to share:

I love the washable tempera paint from Lakeshore Learning. Washable tempera is my favorite (it’s bright, vibrant, but dries quickly and it’s ACTUALLY WASHABLE).

Pro tip: When kids get washable paint on clothing, pre-treat it with HAND SOAP and warm water. This is my secret tip for never losing clothes to kid paint.

Nope! Like I said earlier, I did this on my walls because I’m a blogger and need to take photos. Do this wherever it makes sense to you. The floor, the deck, the wall of the shower…

Nope again! They know not to. This is a well established boundary and rule at our house. I use activities like this to teach my kids about rules and boundaries, and self-control. They know when and where they can paint.

Starting around 20 months old, I began letting the kids do coloring activities on the walls. Because they were given direct instructions on the rules and boundaries of an activity like this – and given the chance to do them – I’ve never had a single kid draw or paint on my walls (except for during an activity).

It’s kind of like water: in a bath tub, kids know they can dump and splash. But they know they can’t do that at dinner. Kids are really smart at transferring information.

Look carefully in the photos: do you see the washcloth? I always have wet wash cloths near the kids while they paint. They can wipe up drips, clean their hands, or let me know if they need help.

Always have a wet washcloth for the kids and remind them to use it.

If you have a young taby or toddler – make this adjustment:

Just make the activity smaller.

Don’t make it giant and overwhelming, Make it a little more manageable for their attention spans.

This activity is multi age and can work with any child who is able to use paint (you as the caregiver can decide that) – what will determine the level of success is the size for a young painter. Smaller will be better and they’ll be so proud.

Time to peel off the tape (and I learned a trick!)

I have learned from the past to WAIT on peeling up the paint. Whenever I rush it, my paint and the cardboard peel.

Rude!

Instead, let the paint fully dry: a full 24 hours just to be safe. Makes a HUGE difference.

Now it’s time for the final reveal – and a little flare!

To make this Christmas tree trimmed and ready for the big day, we added some ornaments. POM POM BALL ornaments!

Using wet glue, the kids added on “ornaments” to their trees to really make them pop and I’m telling you – this is the magic. We also added construction paper stars to the top.

Don’t have pom pom balls? Try dot stickers, regular stickers, or construction paper cut outs. Anything to give it a little something extra.

Tape resist Christmas tree art FOR THE WIN!

What is with these tape resist art activities?! They never get old!

A new tradition for the holidays has definitely begun….