PAINTING FOR ALL AGES
One of my favorite activities to do with the kiddos is painting. I feel like you can get them set up and it really takes a surface for them to paint, a throw away sheet (used that old pilled pillow case or even a laminated placemat for easiest cleaning).
We have a 2.5 year old LO1 and a 15 month LO2, so this activity looks different for them but described below are the ways to adapt this from little ones in different skill levels between 0-5 years old:
1. Littlest Ones (~0-2) – Make an edible paint for them. I like these two recipes that are easy to make:
Recipe 1. Mix flour with water to the desired consistency and then add food coloring to make colors. This recipe dries pretty quickly and is easy to clean off of them in a bath.
Recipe 2. Mix yogurt with food coloring to desired colors. This recipe doesn’t dry super well if you are going to use the painted items for something, but it is significantly easier to clean off the kiddos when they are done.
a. For this age you can put them in their high chair and just let them go to town after putting a glob of each on their tray.
b. Allow them to use their hands, do not give them a utensil. Fine motor wise they aren’t quite ready for that type of grasp and the engagement with the paint mixture is great for their tactile development.
c. I also made LO1 first art by using painter’s tape to attach a sheet of card stock to his tray (this won’t tear when it gets wet) then having him go to town.
2. Middle Ones (~2-3) – Give them a safe surface to paint on (old sheet or pillow case or laminated place mat, then give them a plate with a couple colors on them, realizing they will get mixed.
a. Use painter’s tape to make shapes on a small brown bag, I like to make a looped shape with a couple pointed teeth, have them paint over the design, and remove the tape before it dries, then when it is dry add google eyes to make a fun gift bag.
b. If you have a kiddo who likes to get messy or doesn’t show much awareness to being messy you should let them finger paint (with a safe finger paint or you can use the above edible paint recipes). This is great for their tactile engagement and prepares them to use utensils like a paint brush.
c. You can use these for presents for a kiddo party, could make them for your guests for their birthday party as gift bags, or we use them when we want to say thank you to a neighbor to hold baked goods.
3. Older Ones (~3-5) – Give them a safe surface to paint on, some items to paint (could use the bag idea) and a role of painter’s tape – the thinner width tape the better because it’s easier to manipulate into shapes.
a. Let them create shapes, letters (good way to work on handwriting and letter recognition) with painter’s tape on the paintable surface.
b. Then give them their paint materials and paint brush per color (they will be old enough to realize they may not want to mix.
c. Make sure you remove the painter’s tape to reveal your designs before the paint dries.
d. Then use your bags or painted items as you wish…ENJOY!!
TEXTURE BINS
Another great tactile activity is to start with dry texture play. To begin, set up a large bin of beans or large scale dry pasta (if younger and still exploring a lot with mouth). You can then hide small items in the texture or give the child a couple cups and bowls to pour into. If you place the child and the bin on a large blanket or comforter on the floor to do this activity, at the end of the task, you can easily collect the blanket and empty it into the bin without having a lot of mess on the floor. To decrease mouthing in children you can give them a pacifier or a chewable toy like a toothbrush while playing to avoid them putting texture in their mouths.