Painting is always a hit, but make it even more creative by using alternative brushes. Any painting surface will do. Start out by using one "brush" at a time and help them focus on the marks by only offering one or two colors of paint (preferably primary colors) at a time. As you rotate through the "brushes" point out how each mark is different. After you have explored each "brush" individually, begin a new painting and allow your child to chose their favorite "brushes" and use multiple colors of paint. This project is fun to try over and over again with new brush creations and on different surfaces. Art is about process first. Explore and create!
Materials:
Tempera paint or activity paint
Water container
Paper towels
Paint shirt
Painting surfaces (paper, canvas, card board, etc.)
optional "brushes":
Comb, doll brush, sticks, sponges, wire whisks, string, beaded necklace, plastic flower parts, pine needles, chenille stems, card board scraps, small rubber ball, toy car, the possibilities are endless!
"The relationship between high self-esteem and unfettered creativity is extremely strong. By its very nature, creativity is a deviant act. It says, `I see things my way and I am willing to let you into my private, perceptual world.'... Studies show that the freely creative youngster is high in self-confidence, emotional maturity, calmness, and independence. He has the capacity for sustained concentration and involved absorption in his projects. Education must concern itself with children's emotions and self attitude or it does not deal with the whole child. It is only as a child's total uniqueness is respected that he can permit his individuality to unfold."
--Dorothy Corkille Briggs, Your Child's Self Esteem, (Doubleday, 1970)
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