Painting with Rolling Things!

I'm always touting the fine motor benefits of a good old fashioned art activity.  Those tiny muscles get worked, challenged, and built by holding onto thin or thick paint brushes, by spreading or drizzling glue, by placing small scraps of paper carefully onto the paper...

But it's not all about fine motor!  Art activities can build gross motor skills, too.  Vehicle painting and using rolling sponges and other rolling tools are two easy ways to build the larger muscles of the arms, as well as core stabilization.  

To get the most out of those benefits, provide large work spaces and larger pieces of paper when you do these activities.  Group paintings are great for this--simply tape a huge piece of paper onto a large table, provide several plates of paint with a vehicle or paint roller nestled on top, and watch them go!

Giving the kids their own individual trays works well, too.  I like to cut large pieces of paper and present them on a long tray, which really encourages that back and forth motion from one end of the paper to the other.

There are all sorts of painting tools available for this sort of activity.  You can use rollers intended for painting, and I liked to mix it up with stamp rollers as well.

Do you love rolling tools for art?  How have you tweaked this activity for your classroom?  Share in the comments!

Early Literacy in the Dramatic Play Area

Reading books with children is certainly one perfect way to enhance early literacy skills, and I love, love, love children's books!  But there are a zillion other ways to provide early literacy opportunities in the classroom (or at home).  Today I'm sharing just a couple of ideas for your Dramatic Play area.

A well-equipped Dramatic Play area has child sized furniture and accessories for pretend play endeavors and escapades.  Think dress up clothes, baby dolls, play food and dishes.  There might be doctor's kits and stuffed animals to take care of; toy or real cameras and phones; accessories like watches, bracelets and sunglasses; purses and bags for imaginary trips to the moon or the beach.  Among other benefits, these props encourage creativity and socialization--which in and of themselves also enhance early literacy by building vocabulary and conversation skills.

To add an even more direct early literacy element, you only need a few extra props!  My favorites are a can or cup of thick, stubby pencils, a container of notepads and loose paper, and old computer keyboards.  Place them on shelves (labeled with pictures so they can be put back at clean up time--another early literacy tool!) and let the children play.

What I love about simply providing these tools, rather than doing some sort of teacher-led, potentially developmentally-inappropriate activity, is that the children can use them in open-ended, self-directed ways.  This naturally leads them to learn more, because they are engaged in something they have chosen to do themselves.  Aside from the obvious letter recognition that may occur with the keyboards (especially as you interact with the children during play), simply providing them with these tools is exposing them to the idea that written communication is important and a needed part of life.  This is enforced even more as you ask them to take your order at a restaurant, or write out a prescription for you at a doctor's office, or write down directions on where to meet them at the beach trip...  And of course as they play with these tools on a regular basis, they learn how to manipulate them, their fingers gain strength, and they learn to love writing even before they are capable of doing it!

What are your favorite ways to sneak early literacy into your classroom?  Do you have pencils and paper in various areas of the room?  I'd love to hear your ideas--drop them in the comments below!

Want more preschool stuff?

Simple Math Activities

Math is an area that can sometimes be a struggle when it comes to including it in a preschool curriculum.  Some teachers can feel intimidated or unsure of how to provide opportunities to develop math skills in a developmentally appropriate way.

It's important to realize that math is all over the place--you don't have to do "projects" to help children gain math skills.  Your engagement with the kids as they use the simplest materials can help them gain math concepts like one-to-one correspondence, sorting, and patterning.  Below are some examples of incredibly simple materials that build math skills naturally through play.

The shape sorting puzzle above is a math bonanza on its own, and combined with teddy bear counters it goes even further.  Children can sort both the blocks and bears by color and size; they can line them up and begin to create patterns; they can put all the red things together, or all the small things together, or create a pile of just blue and yellow, a line of alternating blue and green...  The list goes on and on.  See how they're working with the materials on their own, and enter their play at that level.  Then as they're ready, you can begin to make suggestions, or simply model another idea to get them thinking.

Even toddler toys like the linking ducks above provide math opportunities, over and above the obvious fine motor skills involved.  "Oh, it looks like you have three blue ducks in your line.  Can you help me count them?  1, 2, 3.  Yep!  You've got three.  I wonder how many yellow ducks we can add to your line?"  

Adding colored bowls, plates, or even pieces of colored paper to a set of counters adds another element of math.  Children might choose to sort by color into the coordinating bowl/plate/paper.  They also might not--and that's fine! It's all about providing the opportunity, not doing things the "right" way.  Commenting on what you see is a great way to simply make children more aware of things.  "Hey, look!  You put two purple animals in a purple bowl, and you put one purple animal in a yellow bowl!  I wonder where you're going to put that blue animal?  We have five bowls to choose from..."  Using math language really does occur naturally when you involve yourself.  Open-ended questions are the way to go, as it encourages thinking and language development.

What are your favorite math materials?  How do you encourage math skills in a developmentally appropriate way?  Comment below--I'd love to hear your ideas!

Want more preschool-related stuff?

And if you liked this blog post, you might like my other blog:

https://flannelboardfun.com/blog/

The Wind Blew

Pat Hutchins is one of my favorite children's book authors, so I loved making this set to go with her book The Wind Blew.  As with all story sets, if you know the book well enough you could use the set without the book at all.  Or, as you read the book you can add the pieces to your board. 

I would also put the pieces out for the children to use independently.  It's so cool to watch and listen to children re-tell stories.  Sometimes they remember it in a completely different way than I'd predict...so interesting to see how they understand and interpret the world!

I personally didn't use themes for my classroom or my story times, but I know that some people love to! Whether you're using a theme or just throwing ideas into the mix when the mood inspires you, here are some weather related ideas for you:

Books:  If you're looking for other weather related books for preschoolers, Here's my Pinterest board on that subject!

Make Rain:  Fill a clear cup about halfway with water, top with shaving cream, and let the children use eye droppers to drop liquid water color on top of the shaving cream. Once that "cloud" gets too full, it will start to rain!

Stormy paintings:  Provide shades of gray, white and blue paint along with black, white, blue or gray construction paper.  Add foam paint or shaving cream to the paints to inspire a cloud-like effect!

Storm Dancing:  Pass our scarves and play Vivaldi's Storm!

Shadow drawing:  Take the kids outside on a sunny day and trace their shadows with sidewalk chalk.  Go out again later, have them stand at the base of the drawings, and notice how their shadows have changed position!

Sun Art:  On a sunny and not too windy day, take construction paper and a basket of small toys outside.  Spread the sheets of paper on the ground in a sunny spot, and ask the children to decorate the papers with the toys.  Leave them outside for an hour or more.  Have the children remove the toys, and see what amazing artwork the sun has made!

   

Want millions of flannel board ideas?

Check out Flannel Friday!

Cutting Rainbows

Do you have kids who struggle to cut with scissors?  It's so tricky!  It can be really frustrating for some children, and the more they are shown the "correct" way to hold them, the more frustrated they become.  Sometimes their little fingers just aren't ready for this difficult task.

I think it's really important to ease children into activities like cutting with scissors.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to provide opportunities to use safe scissors in a variety of ways, with little or no pressure on showing them the right way to hold and use them.  Let children become familiar with the feel of scissors in their hands, encouraging them to hold them however they want to so that when they are ready to be shown the traditional grip, they already love scissors and won't feel intimidated.

One of the ways I've done this in my classroom is to cut "rainbows".  This is a fun and appealing way to get children familiar with scissors.  They don't have to coordinate two hands at once since they don't have to hold the paper, and they can try various methods to get that snipping just right!

Eventually, with practice like the rainbow cutting above, as well as other low-pressure opportunities, children will be ready for gentle guidance on holding and using scissors with one hand.  Your Open Art table (or writing center, or cutting table, or whatever you may call it) will be full of children independently cutting to their heart's content.  Save your scraps--you'll need them for all those capable cutters!

What methods have you used to help kids who struggle with scissors?  How do you introduce kids to challenging tools?  I'd love to read your comments and ideas--leave them below!

Want more preschool-related stuff?

Building Independence in the Art Area

Building independence and a sense of responsibility in young children is an important job for a teacher or for anyone with young children in their life.  When children are given little jobs or tasks to complete, it builds their confidence, competence, and self-esteem.  (A side bonus is that it generally makes life easier for the adults around them, too!)

My classroom was always busy with art activities.  Children needed to be closely supervised with certain tools, and large easel paintings had to be hung by an adult.  That busyness necessitates children helping out in lots of ways, so that the classroom can run smoothly, and so everyone can feel like an important part of their little classroom community.

I used two drying racks in my classroom.  One was for easel paintings to hang from (this was a teacher job), and one was for smaller works involving paint or glue.  It's at this drying rack that the children really helped out--they placed their own work on the shelf, carefully placing it so it wasn't on top of another item.

This is such a simple task for an adult, and at first having the children do it themselves probably makes things a bit more difficult for everyone.  They need to balance their bodies as they bend or reach to fit their paper in an empty spot; they need to keep the paper face up and relatively flat so collage materials don't fall off and paint or glue doesn't drip; sometimes they need to use one hand to pull a shelf out to get their work put away.  All of those aspects and the challenge they present for the kids are what make the job so valuable.  The children feel so accomplished when they master this skill!  They feel helpful, confident, and an important part of the classroom.  And the teachers are able to monitor all the other activity going on in the classroom with one less thing to worry about.  Win-win!

Do you encourage independence in this or similar ways?  Are you tempted to just do things for the children to make things faster?  I'd love to hear your ideas--leave a comment!

Want more preschool-related stuff?

Starting off Small

At the beginning of the school year, it's so important to start off by building strong relationships with each child. During those first couple of weeks we make an even more concerted effort than usual to spend as much quality time as we can with each child. That might be reading a story with them, joining them as they build with blocks or do a puzzle, helping them say hi to a new friend, or any of the other million and one things that are new and sometimes intimidating to a first time preschooler.

Although I'm often tempted to jump right in with providing super fun and messy art activities, those tend to require quite a bit of teacher involvement and supervision, especially since many of the children have rarely even held a paint brush! Staying stationed in one spot for most of the morning means that those important relationship building and one-on-one teacher-child interactions aren't happening with many of the children at this important stage in the game. The kids are just learning how to navigate this big new space and all the new people and things it contains, so they really need us to be with them every step of the way.

But I still want to provide something in the art area! I want them to know there will be fun activities awaiting them every day in that wonderful area. So I start off small:

A contac paper collage, with large scraps of construction paper needs little to no supervision.  It's a nice little sensory experience, and can be switched up easily simply by providing different kinds of scraps.

A tray full of large stickers (I got mine at Discount School Supply) and small pieces of paper is simple and fun, with that bonus of fine motor development thrown in there.

Tape a huge piece of paper to a table with cans of crayons and pre-cut pieces of colored tape.  So simple. So fun!

Various types of crayons spice things up a little :)

I always start off the year with my youngest kids with only one color of paint at the easel.  Looks a little boring to us, but it's new and exciting for most of the kids.  They'll quickly work their way up to being able to handle more!

How about you?  How do you start off your school year in the art area?  Have any simple activities the kids can do all by themselves?  Share down below!

Bubble Wrap Painting

I. Love. Bubble. Wrap.  It started when I was a kid, and my parents would let me pop the bubbles when a package arrived in the mail.  There is something so satisfying about that activity--and I've brought bubble wrap into my classroom for the kids to pop lots of times.  We've pinched it, poked it, stomped on it, and spread out long strips on the playground to run on (SO fun!) 

But painting on bubble wrap is a whole different cookie :)  There's no popping involved, but the process is equally satisfying in a completely different way.  There's something so...cool?  fun?  sensory?...about rubbing a paint brush over those bumpy sheets of bubbles!  Thick brushes, thin brushes, small bubbles or big--it's all just great fun!  

Painting on the bubble wrap can be the beginning, middle and end of this activity--or you can make prints too!  Just show the kids how to place a piece of paper on top of their painted bubbles, rub it lightly, and peel it off.  Bubbles!  Yay!

Have you painted on bubble wrap with your children?  Do they love it?  Do they just want to pop those bubbles? I'd love to know your ideas--leave a comment!

Painting with Tiny Tools

What is it about tiny things that is so appealing to kids (and me!)?  All those coins, acorns and rocks that end up in their pockets are definitely proof of this obsession.  So let's go with their interests! 

Painting with tiny tools builds strength in the fingers--children have to grasp these little items and try to keep a hold of them as they dip them into paint, and then concentrate as they make various marks on the paper.  Challenge them to try lines, squiggles and dots!  Watch as they come up with ideas you hadn't even thought of!

I like to use tiny (or at least small) trays, papers, and paint holders when I'm setting up this activity.  I've gone much smaller than the paper you see pictured above.  Sometimes a little loop of tape to hold down the paper is helpful.  Try small papers in different shapes to mix things up even more.  Painting on pennant and triangles can be particularly challenging (and fun!) with this activity.

Need ideas of tiny tools to use?  A short list might include:

cotton swabs

corks

marker lids

film canisters

makeup sponges

small blocks

mini shampoo bottles

golf tees

What are your favorite small things to paint with ?  Have you done this in your classroom?  I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Want more fun tidbits?

Click below!

Open Ended Play Dough Tools

The play dough table is often one of the most-used spaces in the classroom.  I switch up the color and smell of the dough every couple of weeks.  Depending on how much use it's getting it can sometimes last a bit longer, but usually it's getting a bit crumbly by day 10.

There are SO many things you can do with play dough.  If you have nothing to add to it, kids love pinching, pulling and poking the dough.  Rolling and stacking and smooshing are also popular!  Over the years I collected as many gadgets and gizmos as I could find.  I avoided cookie cutters as much as possible since they aren't exactly open-ended, though I found simple shapes like stars and circles could really add to the imaginative side of playing with dough.

(A tray that encourages the children to sort items by type as they put things away is a great way to sneak math into your day!)

 Hardware stores are your best friend when it comes to play dough tools!  That's a caster cup pictured above, and it pokes a million tiny holes into the dough.  Peeling it off is so fun, and if dough gets stuck in between those pokey parts, oh the joy of digging it out!

 Simple little cups with snap on lids (I found mine at the dollar store) are so fun for the kids to fill with tiny pieces they've cut or pinched off a big lump.  They love to stack them, fill them, take the lids on and off...

 Mini PVC pipes!  YES!!!

I always liked to have something to cut with at the play dough table, whether it was plastic scissors or knives.  These (Discount School Supply, of course) plastic scissors are great because you don't have to have a teacher hovering at the table--these can go out even at the start of the school year with 2 or 3 year olds.

What do you like to put at your play dough table?  Have you thought about the open-ended qualities of your tools?  Do you have  a favorite scent or color of dough?  Leave your comments below!

Want more fun tidbits for teachers, librarians, parents, nannies and more?