Painting at Preschool

Kitchen scrubbies, monster trucks and kitchen utensils

We love to provide paint experiences for our students.  I am always amazed (maybe shocked is a better word) when I talk with family or friends and discover a preschool program does not have an easel in the classroom, the children rarely paint or paint experiences are very controlled or limited.  So sad...

Painting provides young children with an individual art experience---to create something uniquely their own. We also use painting to talk about shapes, develop small motor skills, and it's just a lot of fun to paint.  This is a good article on painting and young children--How Learning to Paint Benefits Children

At MCP, we have an easel for painting but we also provide the children with a wide variety of unusual paint "brushes".  I like using plastic lids, corks and spools because it's easy clean up---straight to the trash (we recycle when we reuse something!)  We also put paint into Styrofoam egg cartons for the same reason---easy clean up.

Plastic Lids

Corks, Slinkies, Spools and Push Pop sticks

Paint Trays

Monster Trucks on Road Map

Kitchen Utensils

Kitchen Art

Corks and Legos

Cover up the kitchen table (or go outdoors on the picnic table), put an old T-shirt over your child and start painting!