Most children love to paint. It is a time when they get to control their environment and master new skills. At first it is all about experimenting with the brush. How does the brush move over the paper? What marks does it make? Then the learning moves on to cause and effect. Holding the brush a certain way will create different lines. Mixing two colors will make a new color. What a great discovery! Sometimes children will simply mix all the paint colors together and it will look like nothing to an adult. This is them learning how to interpret art. They are experimenting and trying to figure out if what they do will always have the same effect.   

The process of painting is more important than the finished product. Many children are more interested in what the paint is doing than what the picture will look like in the end. Offer them enough time to explore. There is nothing worse than being rushed or told how to paint your own project. When the child is finished ask them if they want to keep their art. If so, hang it up to be displayed (a refrigerator works well) so they know their work is appreciated.  

It is important to allow children to create everyday. Here are some simple and helpful ideas to try at home:

• Use a shower curtain as your tablecloth or drop cloth to make clean up easier.
• Place paint in muffin tins so they don’t tip over and it is easy to mix colors.
• Get big pieces of newsprint from art stores, office supply stores or moving companies (young children generally need more space to paint).
• Use a big old t-shirt as painting smock to keep clothes clean.  
  

Don't feel limited to paint! Here are some great ideas for your art day:
               

• Crayon drawings on wax paper               
• Aluminum foil sculptures or wrapping blocks                
• Play dough and popsicle sticks                
• Windows and markers                
• Shaving cream on bathtub walls or sliding glass doors

Happy Painting!

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