Painting is a way for children to convey ideas, express emotion, use their senses, explore colour and explore process and outcomes. It allows them to create aesthetically pleasing works and experiences that they can take great pride in.
We appreciate this activity may not be achievable if you do not have children’s paint in the home, but you may be able to find something to improvise with.
As with all messy activities, remember to plan where you will carry out the activity and be prepared. Painting is very much a tactile sensory experience and for some children getting messy can be distressing, however, most children will love a good old messy session. Think about what resources you offer children to explore the paint with. If you do not have paint brushes, you can improvise by using the following:
Children can use their fingers and hands
Decorating brushes
Old make up brushes
Baking brushes
Toothbrushes
Hair combs
Sponges
Nail brushes
Objects for printing
For Babies
Initially painting is a sensory experience for babies, they can use their fingers and hands to explore the texture of the paint, moving it around or squishing it through their fingers. Give them a small amount of paint in a tray and let them use their hands to move the paint around and make marks. You could encourage your child to use their fingers and make a mark on paper but do not feel this is necessary as the process of the sensory experience for your child is beneficial enough in itself.
For Toddlers
Your toddlers will also like to explore the feel of paint and may prefer using their fingers and hands rather than the tools you provide. Remember, it's the experiences and explorational opportunities which are more important than producing a picture. Throughout the experience you can be talking about how the paint looks and feels. You can provide paper and encourage marks to be made on this, large paper or a length of wallpaper are idea for this. You can role model using the tools by doing your own piece of art alongside your child.
For Preschoolers
Your pre-school children will be able to produce more intricate art creations. They can still access the same tools, but they will use with more control and skill. You could encourage your children to do observational paintings of the flowers or trees in the garden, of a family pet, of a family member, or a self portrait using a mirror to really look and examine their own features.
Here are some photos from last year of our Borrowash Foundation children doing some observational artwork of the flowers and trees outside!
Don't forget to send in your photos from home via Facebook messenger, so we can share them on our page at the end of the week.