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Art and Sculpture Games |
| The Art's in the Doing |
| Ages : 3 months and up |
What "art" can a baby make? Well, to begin with, you and baby will create together. Then, as baby grows, is able to hold a marker or paintbrush, and learns through experience that not everything is edible, the art experience will change. Some things that do not change are: you must offer the appropriate supplies, model the use of various tools, closely supervise, facilitate baby's exploration,and clean up. Always remember that process is more important than the final product! Take a few minutes and remember some of your earliest art experiences. What materials did you use? Do you remember how you felt? What was your favorite form of expression? As you approach each new art experience with baby, enjoy yourself, and allow baby to show you what "artistic freedom" really means. |
| First Paintings |
| Ages : 6 months and up |
| Babies love the feel of paint, the bright colors, and the freedom of spreading it across various surfaces. Here are three fun painting experiments. Highchair painting: Spread newspaper on the floor. You then have two painting choices, either tape a piece of paper on the tray,or let baby paint directly on the tray and then wash it off afterward.You can use a fat-handled brush if a parent helps dip the brush,or try putting blobs of finger paint on the tray and letting baby follow her artistic urge. Pudding painting: This form of painting is for those babies who can't keep their hands out of their mouths and need a form of paint that is digestible. Mix up a batch of vanilla instant pudding. Divide the pudding into bowls, adding a drop or two of food coloring to each bowl. Follow the steps in highchair painting above. Naked body on butcher paper: Babies love sliding, squishing, and smearing finger paint. Why not give them a chance to use their entire body? First tape a few long sheets of butcher paper together to make a 10 foot by 10 foot square (or use an old sheet taped to the floor). Take off baby's clothes. Pour blobs of finger paint onto the paper or sheet. Let baby spread paint around however he chooses. Have the bath or wading pool ready! |
| Hands of Love |
| Ages : 9 months and up |
| Materials Liquid tempera paint (any color) or acrylic paint Plastic tray, cookie sheet, or lid of rectangular tub Several sheets of heavyweight drawing paper or finger painting paper Paintbrush Use paints to paint baby's hands or feet.Then press them onto the paper and let dry. Add a border with a marker or crayon. Date the hand/footprints and save them. As baby grows, compare her little baby hands and feet with her "big girl" hand/footprints.You can also use acrylic paint and do hand/footprints on fabric of any kind. Handprinted T-shirts, aprons, handbags, and sheets make great holiday or birthday presents. |
