Toddler Art Project Ideas for Teachers

Creating art can be gratifying for even the youngest child.

Teachers of preschoolers and toddlers have an opportunity to work with children who are just beginning to discover the world around them. Art activities not only introduce children to the joy of creating their own masterpieces, but also help them experience their senses of sight, touch and sometimes even taste and smell. Painting, drawing and print-making are some of the art activities that lend themselves well to use with toddlers.

Toddler Painting Activities

Painting is one of the most basic art activities for toddlers.

Good, old-fashioned finger-painting works as well for a group of toddlers as it does for an individual child. A large sheet of paper secured to the wall or floor provides a surface for a group-created mural.

A variation on finger-painting uses food-dyed pudding instead of paint. Toddlers are notorious for wanting to taste everything within reach, so this alternative gives teachers and parents even more peace of mind than the "non-toxic" label on jars of finger paint. Another toddler painting project is "Crumple Painting." The teacher or parent provides heavy paper to paint on, and liquid tempera or soap paint and crumpled newspaper to paint with.

Toddler Drawing Projects

Sidewalk chalk makes a great drawing tool for toddlers.

A group mural works as well with crayons as it does with paint. As with the painted mural, a large sheet of paper is fastened to a wall, floor or large easel, and toddlers can create the scene together. This also gives them the experience of seeing how separate images come together to form a larger picture. Sidewalk chalk is another medium that works well for toddlers. The chalk may be used outdoors on sidewalks or empty parking lots, or indoors on a concrete floor. Colored chalk also works well on dampened construction paper.

Printing For Toddlers

Leaves make wonderful print-making shapes for young artists.

Print-making is easily adaptable as a technique for very young artists. One method is sponge printing. For this activity, the parent or teacher provides squeezed-out, damp sponges, colored chalk and paper. The toddler draws his design or picture onto the sponge with the chalk, then presses the sponge onto a sheet of paper. A leaf print is another gratifying way for toddlers to experience printing. The toddler dips leaves of various sizes and shapes into paint, and then presses the leaves onto paper. This activity is especially well-suited to the fall, when the toddler can enjoy seeing colored leaves outside as well as on her artwork.

References

• preschoolrainbow: Pudding Paint
• familyeducation: Arts and Crafts Activities for Toddlers
• paraentingtoddlers: Toddler Craft Ideas

Resources

• toddlertoddler: Arts & Crafts