18-24 Months
FromInfant and Toddler Experiences,
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
What to have
- A variety of implements to paint with: feather dusters, plastic pizza cutters, rubber band brushes, toothbrushes, combs, sponges of different shapes, whisks, potato mashers, cookie cutters, and so forth. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
- Paper to paint on.
- Tempera paint. You may need to mix it thicker than usual to cling to some implements.
- Flat containers for paint, large enough to accommodate implements (meat trays or plastic plates work well), one for each color.
- Smocks or paint shirts to protect clothing.
What to do
- Gather a small group of toddlers (no more than four). As you put on smocks and/or remove clothes, explain that “instead of brushes, today we’re going to use something different to put the paint on the paper.”
- Offer a choice of paint colors, a single implement, and one tray of paint to each child.
- When toddlers want to trade colors of paint and implements, help them by facilitating their conversations by saying something like “Ray would like to trade for the pizza cutter when you are finished using it.”
- Reflect children’s experience: “say what you see” and compare what they’re doing to painting with a brush.
Why
Gives Toddlers experience experimenting with cause and effect.
For more activities check out
Infant and Toddler Experiences:
By Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield Copyright 1999 18-24 Months