Painting is:
- Fun
- A great learning experience
- A way of communicating
Painting encourages:
- Creativity
- Muscular co-ordination
- Language development
- Sharing and co-operation
- Visual discrimination, spatial perception and conception
Equipment:
The paint should be thick and plentiful. Use three or four primary colors with separate brushes. Make sure that the paint is washable and non-toxic.
Encourage the young artist to experiment and mix his or her own colors.
Paper:
The paper does not have to be expensive. Butchers paper is great. Most newspaper printers will sell the ends of the roll for a minimal price and it will contain many meters of paper. Other things to use – brown paper, newspaper, and cardboard. Some local council’s even have recycling shops/factories where all sorts of materials can be purchased for a few cents or dollars.
Brushes & pots:
Thick brushes are best as they can be easily grasped by small fingers whose muscular co-ordination is not yet fully developed. Paint pots which prevent spillage are recommended (makes the painting much more enjoyable for mum as well as child) and can be purchased from kids toys stores or from department stores such as Big W, K-Mart and Target quite cheaply. Otherwise, recycled yogurt pots, margarine containers etc can be used.
Shirts/Aprons:
A necessity for the young artist and mum! There are a variety of plastic aprons available these days from department stores which cover clothing. (I recommend ones covering sleeves from experience!) Old shirts can also be used and turned back to front. When my children were young I used to cut off half of the sleeve and insert elastic to make a gathered sleeve which prevents cuffs dragging in paint.