Dry-erase marker
Use the ruler and marker to outline six equal squares on the poster board.
Review the magazine pictures with your child. Let him select six pictures of animals that he thinks he will find at the zoo.
Help him glue one animal picture in each square.
Cover the board with clear contact paper.
Bring the board and dry-erase marker to the zoo. Show your child how to mark off each animal that he sees.
Challenge him to complete the entire card.
Move Like Me, Sound Like Me
Engage your child with this lively movement activity.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
A trip to the zoo or pictures of animals in a book or magazine
As you view an animal, ask your child to mimic how the animal moves and/or sounds. Good animals to imitate are monkeys, kangaroos, elephants, and the big cats.
Museum Activities
Not too long ago, taking children to a museum was an exercise in frustration, given all of the interesting things they could look at but not touch. Fortunately, children’s museums in many larger cities now recognize that children learn best through hands-on exploration. Even some of the larger traditional museums have added more interactive exhibits. You can make any museum more interesting to your toddler with these simple ideas.
Can You See?
This is a version of the game I Spy.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
As you approach a picture or an exhibit, have your child guess what you can see. Chant the following rhyme: Can you see what I can see,
Can you guess what it can be?
I see something… (red, scary, round, etc.)
Once your child has guessed, let her take the next turn.
What Is Happening?
Art exhibits do not have to be boring for your children. Encourage your child to use her imagination with this activity. You will also be developing her vocabulary and literacy skills.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Find pictures that depict people. Abstract or still-life paintings will not work for this.
Ask your child to make up a story based on what she sees. Maybe your child will have a new idea about why the Mona Lisa is smiling.
CHAPTER 5
Art and Exploration
Young children are naturally creative. They love to manipulate and explore art materials. They often are more immersed in and interested in the process of creating than in what the final project will look like. When a child creates arts and crafts, he is also learning to express himself and is developing emotional control and problem-solving skills. You will find art ideas and projects throughout this book; however, here are some favorites that both you and your child will enjoy.
Coloring
Coloring may be the most basic and common of all art activities for young children. Crayons are inexpensive and easy to transport and to clean. You will discover that you can spark your child’s imagination by avoiding coloring books and templates and trying these open-ended ideas instead.
Sparkly Pictures
Liven up your child’s coloring projects with this easy idea!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Crayons
Dark-colored construction paper
Paintbrush
Salt water
Have your toddler color any design or picture she wants on a dark-colored sheet of construction paper. Remind her to press hard for the colors to show well.
Next, let your child use the brush to paint over her picture with the salt water. (Be sure to stop her before the paper becomes too soggy.) The crayons will resist the water. When the paper dries, the picture will sparkle wherever the salt remains.
Tape Pictures
This is a simple way to encourage your child’s creativity and fine motor skills.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Masking tape
Construction paper
Crayons
Help your toddler tear the masking tape into smaller pieces and strips.
Have her put the tape onto the paper in any design that she wishes.
Let her color over the tape. Encourage her to cover as much of the paper as possible.
Let her peel back the tape to reveal the picture.
Paper Bag Batik
This process will give your child’s artwork a unique look.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Scissors
1 brown paper bag
Water
Crayons
Cut the bag open so that it forms 1 piece of flat paper.
Help your toddler soak the bag in water and then squeeze the water out. Let the bag get wrinkled.
The wet bag will tear easily, so open it carefully and lay it flat.
Once the bag is dry, your toddler can color a design on it.
Black Magic
This classic activity still delights young children!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
White paper
Crayons
Black watercolor paint
Paintbrush
Let your child color on the paper with crayons. Avoid dark colors such as black, brown, or gray. Show her how to press hard to make sure the crayon marks are heavy.
Once the picture is complete, your child will paint over the entire paper with the black watercolor paint. The original crayon drawing will resist the paint and show through.
For older toddlers, or with your assistance: Instead of using watercolor paint, help your child cover the picture with a thick layer of black crayon. (All crayon layers must be extra thick for this to work.) Scrape away patterns or designs using the side of a coin to reveal the vibrant rainbow colors underneath.
Rough Art
This activity will help your child express creativity and learn about textures.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Crayons or chalk
Different grades of sandpaper
Let your toddler explore coloring on the different textures of sandpaper.
Cupcake Crayons
Recycle and reuse old crayons! These homemade crayons are easy for small hands
to hold, and they produce bright colors and patterns.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Old crayons and crayon pieces
Muffin tin
Paper muffin or cupcake liners
Discard brown, black, and gray crayons.
Remove the paper from all crayons. Small fingers may need help with this.
Break remaining crayons into small pieces no more than ½ long. Supervise your children carefully to ensure they do not put any crayons in their mouths.
Distribute crayon pieces into muffin tins lined with liners.
Bake at 300°F until all the crayons are melted together.
When cool, remove the new cupcake crayons from the tins—they’ll be ready to use!
Painting
There is no end to the number of creative projects your child can complete with paint. Here you will find unique ideas that go well beyond a plastic palette and a little brush. Nowadays, you can find paints that are washable to cut down on the cleanup. Also,
you should be sure to opt for nontoxic paints whenever you can. As a general rule, tempera paints are best for young artists—watercolors come in less vibrant colors and tend to run, which might frustrate your child. You will also discover that you do not necessarily need store-bought paint for your painting projects!
Wet Chalk Pastels
Using this new take on an old art material, these paintings will look like a professional artist was at work!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Sidewalk chalk in various colors
1 cup water
Dark-colored construction paper
Show your child how to dip the chalk into the water and let it sit for 1 minute.
Once the chalk is wet, show your child how to color on the paper—don’t press too hard, or the paper will tear. The wet chalk will look like pastel paints.
Sticker Surprise
This activity will help develop your toddler’s fine motor skills. Along with or instead of stickers, you can use return address labels, gummed paper reinforcers, or simply pieces of masking tape.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
A variety of adhesive stickers
White construction or bond paper
Tempera paint
Allow your toddler to choose the stickers that he wishes to use. Stickers with distinctly shaped outlines work best.
Show him how to attach the stickers to the paper in any arrangement that he chooses.
Paint over the entire paper, covering the stickers.
Once the paint is dry, help your toddler remove the stickers to reveal the sticker shapes.
Put Those Paintbrushes Away
Break away from the routine. Let your child’s creativity be the only limit to
the materials he can use to paint with.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Paper
Tempera paint
Paintbrush substitute(s), such as condiment squeeze bottles, eyedroppers, fly swatters, spray bottles, makeup applicators, cotton balls, cotton swabs, string, tree bark, feathers, straws, pipe cleaners, or toothbrushes
Let your child paint using any number of paintbrush substitutes. He will find that each tool makes a different mark on the paper.
Reverse Finger Painting
This nifty process will let your child preserve his finger-painting creations.
You can have him paint directly on the table or onto a cookie sheet for easier cleanup.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Finger paints
White construction paper
Cookie sheet (optional)
Have your child finger paint on a flat surface.
Press the white construction paper on top of the finger paint and rub—a mirror image of the design will transfer to the paper.
Mirror-Image Painting
No two pictures will ever be exactly alike!
Watch your child’s delight when he opens up the paper to reveal the new design.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
White or light-colored bond paper
Tempera paints
Fold a sheet of paper in half and crease down the middle. Unfold paper.
Let your child paint a design on one half of the paper, using the crease as a guide.
Fold the paper in half and show your child how to gently rub over the painted design inside.
Let your child unfold the paper to reveal his new double design.
Ball Painting
It’s like magic—when you open the box, you’ll find a picture painted inside!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Scissors
White or light-colored bond paper
Shoebox with a lid
Masking tape
Tempera paints
Shallow pie tins
Ping-pong or golf balls
Cut a piece of paper to fit the bottom of the box. Tape it securely in place.
Pour small amounts of paint into the pie tins. Show your toddler how to dip a ball into the paint.
Have him place the paint-covered ball into the shoebox. Cover the box with the lid.
Let your child gently roll and shake the box around.
Remove the ball. Repeat with as many other balls and colors as desired.
Sculpting
The more your child can handle and manipulate materials, the more she will enjoy the project, and the more she will learn. Sculpture encourages your child to be creative, to see things in a new way, and to think “outside the box.” Let these activities start you off in exploring this art technique with your child.
Yarn Sculpture
Your child will love the ooey-gooey feel of the glue and the yarn as she molds this fun sculpture.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 2 hours
Yarn or cord in bright colors
White craft glue
Waxed paper
Have your child dip pieces of yarn in the glue to coat.
Let your child arrange the yarn pieces onto the waxed paper in any design she wants.
Allow the sculpture to dry for a few hours, and then remove it from the waxed paper. You may choose to hang it as a mobile for display.
Three-Dimensional Sculpture
This project will turn your toddler into a mini-architect!
She will use her problem-solving skills and creativity to make a 3D sculpture.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
White craft glue
Masking tape
Popsicle sticks
Cardboard or poster board in various sizes and shapes
Decorative materials such as foil or ribbon
Allow your child to glue and tape the materials together to create her own 3D sculpture.
Tissue-Paper Sculpture
Your child will be developing fine motor skills and using her creativity with this activity.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Colored tissue paper
Small bowl
White craft glue
Water
Cardboard
Have your child tear the tissue paper into small pieces. They do not have to be uniform in size.
In a small bowl, mix the glue and water in equal parts.
Show your child how to crumple up the tissue paper into wads. Dip each wad in the glue mixture and stick onto the cardboard.
Your child can add tissue wads onto a growing sculpture mound in this fashion.
Papier Mâché
Papier Mâché is fun for all ages. Your young child will love the feel of the squishy paste. The best part is that the only limit to your creativity is your imagination. Be warned: This is a messy project!
Activity for an individual child or a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 2 days
Old newspapers
1 part flour
1 part water
Mold or form (made from materials like wire, boxes, or balloons)
Decorating materials
Have your child tear the newspaper into strips.
Combine the flour and water, adjusting proportions to achieve the consistency of very loose paste, like runny oatmeal. You may have to make more pas
te for progressive layers of your project.
Help your child dip each strip into the paste mixture and smooth it over the form. You will probably need to help your child squeeze the excess paste off the newspaper strip before removing it from the bowl.
Be sure that the entire mold is well covered with the paper strips. Let the layer dry before applying the next layer. Large or complex molds need multiple layers; small or simple shapes need fewer.
Once the sculpture is dry, it will be quite hard. You and your child can decorate it in many ways. Try using paint, markers, and glue with scraps of paper, feathers, or glitter.
Making Collages
There is no end to the number of materials that can be used for collages. Anything that will stick with glue is fair game. Let the ideas below be an inspiration for you and your child to create many variations.
Rice Collage
Your child will enjoy manipulating and gluing the rice. You will enjoy how bright the colors appear. This procedure also works well with dried pasta in distinctive shapes, such as macaroni or wagon wheels.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
The Everything Toddler Activities Book Page 6