October 03, 2009
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Toddler Art Inspiration
Toddler Ideas is the insightful ezine delivered to your inbox every month from clever-toddler-activities.com
October 2009 Issue 05
Featuring:
- Opening Thoughts – There's More To Toddler Art Than Meets The Eye!
- Q&A with Claire - Which Art Activities Are The Best For Two-Year-Olds?
- Cute Corner – Generations Connect
- Tip of the Month - Enjoy The Guidance 'Dance' With Your Toddler
- Featured Page – Have Some Halloween Fun!
Opening Thoughts
There's More To Toddler Art Than Meets The Eye!If you're in the Northern Hemisphere like me, you might like to stock up on art activities to break up the long hours spent indoors.
Art activities are not only fun but also aid your little one's...
- Creativity
- Concentration
- Self-expression
- Decision making
- Hand-eye coordination
- Sensory awareness
- Self-esteem
- Hand muscle strength (which leads to readiness to write in a few years)
Feel inspired to do more art with your child(ren)? Keep on reading and you'll find loads of ideas to try!
Q&A With Claire
If you have a question about toddlers, we'd love to help! Just use our handy contact form.Which Art Activities Are The Best for Two-Year-Olds?
Question:
I introduced Lucy to art at about 18 months and she took the bull by the horns and ran with it. She wants the crayons or paint out daily and has been very happy to simply do painting and colouring on plain paper, but now she's ready for more.
I've tried her with potato printing and did some butterfly pictures, which she absolutely LOVED. But creativity isn't really my forte. Please could you recommend some more art activities that are good for two-year-olds?
Cheers, Kate
Answer:
Hi Kate,
Little ones do grow and develop fast, don't they?! Just keeping up with their thirst for knowledge is a challenge in itself. I like letting toddlers have lots of experience of the basics before exploring different kinds of art too. Printing with potatoes and making butterfly pictures sounds like a wonderful step into toddler craft.
Here's some more great art activities that have suited many of the two-year-olds I've cared for.
Car/Wheel Printing
Collect one or two toy cars (the ones with treads are best). Put a thin layer of paint in a tray. Show your toddler how to push the car back and forth on the tray then ask him to drive it on a piece of card or thick paper.
Painting Egg Boxes
This may sound a little strange but two-year-olds love it. Painting the different compartments also aids their hand-eye coordination. I discreetly chuck them afterwards. The toddlers don't notice because they do art for the pleasure of the process rather than for the product.
A 'Green' Collage
I'm always collecting junk and finding things I can cut up to use in art activities for kids. Before I throw anything away I stop and consider if it can be used in a toddler art activity. I use plastic pots with lids to keep cut up card, paper, netting, plastic, bottle lids, buttons, shells etc ready for my art activities for children. Don't throw your jigsaws away when they have pieces missing. Use them for a supervised sticking activity!
Chalking
Chalk is versatile, it can be used on a blackboard (chalkboard) or black paper. Also chalking on a path or driveway creates a calming and engaging outdoor activity that you can do together. Large playground chalks are the best at holding up to toddlers' rough handling. Be prepared though, chalk does get a bit messy.
Making Pictures in Wet Sand
Use a ruler to smooth out the sand. Use sticks, rakes and forks to draw lines and patterns on the flattened and smoothed sand. You could write her name and other words in the sand too and encourage her to make her own marks.
Making Shakers
Save and wash a small plastic pill or supplement tub, one with a child proof lid is ideal. Cut a piece of paper the same size as the label and let your toddler draw on it. Glue or tape on the label first.
When it's dry, supply a few dried beans or pasta shells in a bowl on a tray with the tub. Show your toddler how to put them into the tub one by one and stay close by. (This encourages her hand muscles to strengthen which will help her to write later.) Then all you have to do is tightly screw on the lid and your toddler can enjoy her creation for many (supervised) occasions to come.
For more creative activities you could check out our Toddler Craft and Toddler Art pages. Seasonal toddler activities also have many art and craft projects that are can make festivals and celebrations come alive for little ones. As long as the toddlers are supervised, most of the activities on these pages are ideal for many two-year-olds.
I hope you find these ideas useful for Lucy. Feel free to ask us any more questions as they arise. Take care and have fun.
Warmest regards,
Claire
Cute Corner
Generations ConnectWhile I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent.
Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, "I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller, too."
Received from the Good Clean Funnies List
Tip of the Month
Enjoy the Guidance 'Dance' with your ToddlerSince you let your little one choose which of his toys he wants to play with, why not ask him which activity he wants to do every so often? This works best by holding up a key item associated with two activities, which your toddler is familiar with, while asking. So you guide him and then he guides you... because if a toddler is interested, he's also learning!
Featured Page
Have Some Halloween Fun!Introduce your toddler to the cute side of Halloween this month. Have some seasonal fun with your little one taking part in these Halloween crafts and pumpkin activities!
What do you think?
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