Painting with 2's

A common comment I hear from my readers is, "How do I get my 2 year old to enjoy painting?" Or, "My 2 year old doesn't like to get his hands in the paint." I thought I'd share a few tips that have helped our 2's feel comfortable with paint.

For the first half of the year we remove the chairs from the table. This way they feel comfortable walking right up to the table and exploring what we have at the paint table. We don't require smocks (unless we are doing a special project that might stain clothing). When we can, we always choose washable paint and squirt some detergent into it, so that it washes out easier. We let parents know all this, so they can keep it in mind when choosing clothing for their children to wear to preschool.

We do a lot of group painting projects. We cover the table with paper and provide the materials. It is very common for the 2's to do some painting, wash hands and play elsewhere, then return. Sometimes this happens many times. We choose open-ended projects that allow the 2's to explore using different tools and textures.

Some of the 2's don't like to get paint on their hands, especially at first. I've done some projects (such as this project using plastic wrap) where the 2's can get used to paint without actually touching it. Usually by the end of the year, all of the 2's feel pretty comfortable handling paint.

It's important to provide other sensory activities as well. Play dough, for example, gives them the experience of squishing something between their fingers. The sensory table is another area that allows the hands and fingers to adjust to different feelings. This helps gain their confidence in handling the sensation of paint on their skin.

Some 2's feel the need to wash as soon as a tiny bit of paint touches their skin. For these children, I place a damp paper towel near them so they can easily wipe the paint away.

We never force a child to do a painting project. We encourage and try to vary our activities, inviting them to come and see what we are doing. Keep it fun. Keep it relaxed. 

 

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Sharing with the 3's

We have one sharing person each week in the 3's class. On Wednesday I put a plastic container in the selected child's cubby and he/she takes it home. Three objects are then placed in the container and returned on the next class day, Friday. 

We've had all sorts of items shared: small books, postcards, photos, jewelry, stuffed animals, toys....and if they are too large to fit in the box, that is okay. They can still come to school. (Our largest item so far has been an electric guitar owned by the preschooler's father.)

During circle time, the sharing person opens the box and displays the chosen objects on the carpet. One of the items is chosen and the sharing person walks around the circle, stopping in front of each preschooler who can then give the item "one touch".

There isn't a lot of dialogue at the start of the year, but as the 3's feel more comfortable, they begin sharing more about what they've brought. It's a very exciting event to find the sharing box in your cubby!

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Play Dough

We offer play dough every day in both our 2's and 3's classes. It's a great way to strengthen those fingers, hands and wrists. We set our play dough on a long table that easily seats 6. This encourages communication and sharing. A wonderful way to promote those social skills! I laminated 6 large sheets of construction paper to use at wipe-off mats at each spot. In the center of the table I provide trays of tools and objects that vary each week. 

Squishing, patting, rolling, poking...

Some of the gadgets we've used:

rolling pins

plastic pizza wheels

hammers

plastic knives

garlic presses

citrus presses

combs

kitchen utensils

scissors

Here are some other ideas:

Play Dough and Cardboard Tubes (Learning 4 Kids)

DIY Texture Rollers (Pottery Blog)

Rubber Stamps with Play Dough (Having Fun at Home)

Making Impressions in Play Dough (Strongstart)

Objects we've used WITH play dough:

small sticks

birthday candles

twigs

rocks

plastic animals

cars and trucks

craft sticks of all sizes

swizzle sticks

drink umbrellas

toothpicks

straws 

coffee stirrers

blocks

cookie cutters

small pots and pans

golf tees

gems

foam puzzle letters and numbers

Here are some more ideas:

Pretend Play - Cupcakes and Birthday Wishes (Growing a Jeweled Rose)

Play Dough Math Mats (PreKinders)

Play Dough People (Teach Preschool)

Lego Play Dough Sculpting (A Mom with a Lesson Plan)

Multi Material Play Dough Exploration (Learning with Play @ Home)

What we've mixed IN our play dough:

spices

oatmeal

confetti

glitter

sequins

seeds

herbs

scented oils

Check out these recipes:

Basic Play Dough (NurtureStore)

Lemon-Lime Summertime Play Dough (Creative Connections for Kids)

Coffee Play Dough (The Iowa Farmer's Wife)

Sparkly Kool-aid Playdough (2 Big, 2 Little)

Mud Play Dough (The Imagination Tree)Masa

Masa Play Dough (Tinkerlab)

Sand Play Dough (Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning)

4 Minute No-Cook Play Dough (The Imagination Tree)

Crock Pot Play Dough (Repeat Crafter Me)

The ideas are endless, really!

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Cardboard Structures

During our Amazing Artists Camp, my co-teacher introduced the artist Alexander Calder. 

Creating 3D sculptures is a great way to re-use materials. You can use just about anything, but for this project she chose cardboard tubes, cones, pieces of cardboard in various sizes, tape, glue and paint.

Working in three-dimension introduces dimension, form, balance and movement. The preschoolers had to put a lot of thought into how their pieces would fit together and yet not fall over.

We were able to keep these out for a few days so that they could let their pieces dry and add more later. 

And then, they were ready to be painted. 

Children's Art Books:

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Abstract Painting

We are wrapping up Amazing Artists Camp in preschool and this was one of my favorites. (Can I just say again how much I love my co-teachers, who have put together all these wonderful ideas?)

She had a large blank canvas in her garage that she brought to camp and placed on a table. The first day, she put out bowls of paint and various sized circles and squares.

Some of the preschoolers stamped, while others slid, creating an interesting texture.

I loved how they worked together.

The next day, she gave them various utensils to stamp over what they had done the day before.

Simple. Fun. Definitely abstract!

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Color Mixing with Play Dough

As part of our Amazing Artists Camp this week, we mixed primary colors in white play dough to make a secondary color.

We flattened the dough and added a couple of drops of two primary colors and gently folded the dough over, like a taco. Then, the squeezing began!

We also had citrus juicers, hammers and rollers to help move the color through the dough.

There is always something so magical when preschoolers discover that blending two colors makes a new color. "Hey look! It made green!" 

"Oh, now I see purple!"

And moving all that play dough around is a great workout for those little hands and fingers!

For more great ideas using play dough, check out this post by The Imagination Tree. We used the "Cooked Play Dough" for this project. Nice and soft!

Book we read with this activity:

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