Fingerpaint Fun

I'm not sure it can be called fingerpainting when it usually involves whole hands and arms up to the elbows.  Well, no matter what you call it, it is a lot of fun! But why do we do it? Is there any learning going on while fingerpainting?  The answer... of course there is, especially if you help it out a little.

I started with 2 colors, red and blue and the children quickly spread the mixture together to see what those two colors made.  I also added heart shaped cookie cutters and encouraged the children to make heart prints since we are talking about Valentines this week.

Heart art is also beautiful and the children love it regardless of the medium.

Making designs in the paint is fun and very relaxing.  They can quietly run their fingers through the paint, feel it ooze between their little fingers, and luxuriate in the cool smooth sensation.  

Other than enjoying the sensory input what did we learn from this activity?

• You can mix 2 colors to make a third color
• Blue and red make purple
• Fine motors were used while trying to lift the cookie cutter which suctioned to the paint
• A cookie cutter can make a thin or thick line (turn cookie cutter upside down and use the top to make a thicker shape)
• Fingerpaint is thick and does not pour like easel paint (tempera)
• Fingerpainting encourages language as children try to describe how the paint feels
• Children count the hearts they stamp on the paper
• Children use self help skills by cleaning the paint off of their hands and arms by themselves (of course I had to scrub a purple sink and soap dispenser when the project was done)

Extensions:

• Use different sized cookie cutters to encourage size exploration