Art with Toddlers

I've already written about Art with Babies. Here we are more than a year later and it's time for an update - Art with Toddlers!

Stickers, markers, finger painting, chalk

We still do art almost every day around here. My kids love it and it's great for fine motor, sensory experiences, learning colors, and verbal development. I include at least one dictation each week after they have created something. I ask them to tell me about their picture. I don't judge or offer any ideas. I write down what they say, which helps kids develop an understanding of how the written word is connected to the spoken word.

stickers, collages, brush painting

Stickers are always a favorite activity. The smaller the stickers, the more developed fine motor skills are required to get them off the page and onto the paper. We usually do a variety so that they can always feel success and challenge with each project. For the 4th of July, the kids made American flags. They started with a white piece of paper, some red strips of paper, a blue square and some star stickers. We looked at photos of an American flag, then I gave them glue and let them do whatever they wanted.

Gluing, stickers, painting, collages

 Here you can see two different types of collages. Grandma cut out magazine photos of kids and we often let the kids pick their favorites and glue them on paper. They even name the kids and talk about what they are doing in each picture. At the bottom (black paper), you can also see a collage of random stuff. There are buttons, feathers, cotton balls, pompoms, and a pipe cleaner.

markers, water colors, golf ball painting

 The smaller purple papers at the bottom with the yellow paint, are golf ball paintings. I wanted to do marble paintings, but didn't have any marbles. I took a box without a lid and taped the paper inside. I put some paint next to the paper and dropped in the golf ball. The kids held the box and rolled the ball around to create the art. There are a couple of benefits to using a golf ball instead of the marble I had originally wanted. The golf ball weighs more and is more difficult for the kids to bounce out of the box. Every kid will try this, so this was a very pleasant surprise. The other benefit is that it leaves a cool pattern because of the bumps on the ball. I would have loved to be able to do both (and possibly other balls - tennis, etc) to see the different patterns each ball will leave with the same method.

finger painting, stickers, brush painting, markers, stickers

Feeling the difference between coloring with markers, crayons, and chalk helps kids get tactile feedback as they are coloring. Many Kindergartens around here won't let the kids use markers because they are too easy. The kids are coming in without the hand strength and fine motor control needed to properly write. In order to help this, they are being required to only use crayons, chalk, and colored pencils. All of which require (and build) more strength. Starting to use things other than markers early, will help build hand strength and make the transition to writing easier.