Finger Painting

Okay, I know you're probably thinking, why write a post about finger painting... right? Well I just want to express how strongly I believe in sensory play. The benefits are numerous: language development, fine motor skills, observational skills, just to name a few! Kids learn by touching and doing, so it's very important to let them dive right in. And they're going to get messy... and that's good! It's all in the name of learning.

Supplies: finger paints, finger painting paper, table cloth, cardboard

I picked up our finger painting supplies at the dollar store. I got paper specific for finger painting because it works better, but regular paper would be fine. I used the cardboard for two reasons: first to keep the paper as flat as possible on top of the table cloth; second, as an extra place to catch paint! Just because it's messy doesn't mean you have to spend too much time cleaning up. 

You also may have noticed that we do most art, sensory, and science activities with Monkey in his underwear or with no shirt on... Again, easier clean up - I can throw him right into the bathtub! 

For now Monkey's pictures will just be giant, amazing blobs of all the colours mixed together (...see, colour mixing - more learning!) but once he's developmentally ready he'll be able to use one or two fingers like a paint brush and make pictures. 

Mar