Don’t be afraid of art. It truly is what you make it. It’s about the process and letting your child experience something new with a variety of senses. And remember, it’s okay to get messy!
I was at a local craft store when I saw some wrapped canvas and a thought occurred to me; my kids would love to paint on this! My girls, who are 2.5 years and 15.5 months old, have painted before, but never on canvas. I think I thought they were too young to paint on it because canvas seems so permanent and is more costly. Which, now that I write it out, is silly!
I bought a 4 pack of wrapped square 6×6 canvases with my 2.5-year-old in mind. In addition to this new art supply, I wanted to try textured painting.
Supplies
• Paint brush
• Hand-held sponge
• Sponge paint brush
• Ball of yarn
• Bubble wrap
• Cup of water (for rinsing brushes)
• Box of wipes (for quick cleaning)
• Muffin pan (what we use for a paint tray, but any paint tray will do!)
• Paper towels
• Paint
• Floor covering (optional, we use MessyMatz!)
I decided to make this a nap time activity when my youngest was sleeping because I had acrylic paint on hand and I wanted my oldest to explore without her little sister’s paws on her artwork! But this could easily be an all-ages activity! I let her try whatever she wanted in any combination. She seemed to like the sponge the best since she used it the most.
I’m not one to interfere with her creative processes, so I let her do her thing. I let her choose what colors to use and with what medium. I let her know she had four canvases with which to paint on so she could decide when she’s “done” with one and wants to move on to another one. She would paint a little, switch to a new canvas, and go back to a canvas she had already painted. As she painted, I talked about how the colors were mixing together. We had read Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh and she was able to talk about how colors mix to make new colors. I also pointed out how letting one dry and then adding more paint creates layers.
By the fourth canvas, she didn’t want to paint anymore. Being a little OCD and a perfectionist, I really wanted her to finish the fourth square! So, I brought out some cray pas and let her draw on the last one.
Here’s the finished product! It’s hanging on her wall with a few of her other works of art.