Toddler Art & Exploration Activities
- Finger painting allows toddlers to explore their sense of touch. It also allows children to become familiar with colors, experience a variety of painting surfaces and practice the process of smearing paint. Cover a craft table with butcher paper. Tape a sheet of construction paper to the table. Alternatively, tape textured materials for toddlers to paint on, such as bubble wrap. Provide washable tempura paint in a variety of colors. Allow children to explore different colors and to blend colors of their choice. Encourage children to use their fingers and whole hands to make designs on the paper.
- A collage allows children to discover and manipulate a variety of materials and to express themselves through interesting compositions. Provide a variety of materials, such as pictures cut from a magazine, stickers, yarn, lace and textured paper cut into shapes. Also provide glue sticks and construction paper. Show children how to glue materials onto the construction paper. Encourage toddlers to choose materials and to create their own collages. Help children glue the materials onto the construction paper, as necessary.
- Toddlers are fascinated by the properties of clay and the sensation this material produces. Provide an opportunity for toddlers to explore modeling clay without expecting the child to produce a representation. Provide store-bought modeling clay for the child or make homemade clay. Combine 1 cup cold water, 1 cup salt, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and the desired amount of paint. Gradually kneed in 3 cups flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Encourage the toddler to handle and manipulate the modeling clay as he chooses. Sculpt the modeling clay in thick slabs, coils and balls.
- Provide toddlers with an opportunity to create art and to develop sensory awareness through exploration by exposing them to squeeze bottle art. Use four plastic squeeze bottles and four different colors of paint for each squeeze bottle. Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water and add liquid paint to the mixture for color. Pour the mixture into the squeeze bottle. Allow children to squeeze paint onto pieces of cardboard. Allow the art to dry completely.
