What to Expect the Toddler Years (127 page)

GETTING CREATIVE WITH TECHNIQUES

Toddler art may begin with crayons, finger-paints, and clay, but there are countless other materials and techniques your toddler can explore. Try the following, then create a few of your own.

Crayons.
For some two-year-olds, chunky crayons are still the easiest to grasp and manipulate, but many prefer the standard “thin” crayon. Taping down the drawing paper still helps to minimize frustration, but you can also use an easel. If you’re using a roll of newsprint for drawing paper, you can tape a large sheet of it to the kitchen table and have your toddler create a mural, which you can then hang on the bedroom wall.

Finger painting.
This old nursery school standby is a favorite with toddlers who derive tactile pleasure from squishing their fingers through gooey paints. Some toddlers, however, resist finger painting because they dislike the messy feeling of paint on their fingers. Don’t push it. Another, cleaner option: “finger painting” with shaving cream or a foam soap in the tub (but supervise so the artist doesn’t rub the cream in his or her eyes).

Play clay.
Squeeze it, roll it, pull it, shape it make imprints in it with various objects—nontoxic, colorful clay is great fun for toddlers. You can buy it or make your own.
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(Toddlers are not yet ready for real modeling clay.)

Brush painting.
In the third year, many toddlers enjoy painting with a paintbrush and tempera paints. A brush with a thick handle is easier to hold than a slender one, and yields a bolder, more satisfying stroke. If you buy large jars of paint, pour small amounts of each color into small, unbreakable containers that your toddler can dip the brush into. To minimize spills, cut a hole the size of each paint container in a thick sponge, then place the container in the hole. An upright easel, with a place for the paints, makes painting easier and less messy.

For an intriguing mirror image effect, have your toddler paint just one side of a piece of paper (fold the other side under so paint won’t stray). When the work is done and while the paint’s still wet, fold the blank side of the page over the painted side and press down.

Sponge painting.
Sponges that come in animal shapes or ordinary kitchen sponges that you can cut into fanciful shapes, dipped in a bit of tempera paint and pressed onto paper, make an interesting medium that’s easy for little fingers to manage. You can also turn a piece of sponge into a “paintbrush” by attaching a clothespin to one end. Other interesting alternatives to paintbrushes: cotton swabs, feathers, old toothbrushes, or nail brushes.

String painting.
Take several strings of different widths and have your toddler dip them in paint, then drag them across a large sheet of paper.

Water painting.
For outdoor artistic fun, give your toddler a bucket of plain water and a big brush to use to “paint” the sidewalk, the driveway, even the house.

Vegetable printing.
Cut root vegetables into chunks your toddler can dip into tempera paint, then press against paper, making interesting prints. This may appeal to older toddlers more than young ones.

Rubber stamping.
Store-bought rubber stamps in animal and alphabet shapes are fun for older toddlers—but be sure this activity is well supervised, or you may find your entire home “decorated.”

Rubbings.
Place a piece of white paper over an object that has an interesting texture—a piece of bark, for instance. Then have your toddler rub a crayon back and forth firmly on the paper for a fascinating effect.

Chalk.
Chunky pieces of chalk in bright colors are irresistible to most toddlers. A combination chalkboard-easel enables a child to paint on one side and use chalk on the other. If you don’t have a chalkboard, let your toddler create chalk murals on the sidewalk, front step, or on asphalt at the park. Chalk can also be used on construction paper; black paper holds chalk well and your toddler may be thrilled at finding that something finally “shows” on a black background.

Pencils, pens, and markers.
Part of the appeal of these implements to toddlers is that their parents and older siblings use them. But since pencils can poke eyes and other vulnerable areas, and inks can be tough to wash off should your toddler spontaneously decide to do some body painting, these should be used only under careful supervision. To reduce potential damage, buy only nontoxic, washable markers (again, the thick ones are easier for a toddler to grip), and don’t leave any of these tempting implements within your toddler’s reach.

Coloring books.
Traditional coloring books are not recommended for regular use by toddlers. First of all, they do not tend to encourage creativity, except in the use of color. And secondly, though some toddlers enjoy “coloring,” others are exasperated by their inability to stay within the lines. For older children, look for the more creative variety of coloring book, such as those that challenge readers to draw a part of the picture. When your toddler does use a coloring book, don’t set standards, such as staying in the lines or using conventional colors. Allow and encourage creative freedom.

Book making.
If children are old enough to scribble, they’re old enough to become authors. So fold a few sheets of paper in half, and staple them together to make a book. Add a construction-paper “cover.” Then let your toddler illustrate it. You can even offer to write words, dictated by your young author, to go with the pictures. Books can also be filled with a toddler’s favorite photos, or with cut-outs from old magazines.

Cylinder pictures.
Take any drawing your toddler’s done, and roll it into a cylinder, taping the two ends together where they meet. Your toddler may enjoy the new perspective this shape gives to his or her art. Of course, if you get objections to the rolling, drop the idea.

Collages.
With this medium, anything goes. Bits of fabric, feathers, macaroni, beans, seeds, beads and buttons, magazine pictures—just about any lightweight household material
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can be glued (with supervision and nontoxic washable glue) onto a sturdy piece of construction paper, oaktag, or cardboard to form a collage. A trip to the park can yield innumerable materials for a nature collage: leaves, acorns, small pine cones, twigs, small stones, sand. Large pine cones and rocks, though too heavy for collage use, can be painted or otherwise decorated and/or become a base for a collage. With household discards (cardboard tubes from paper towels and toilet tissue, empty spools, corks, empty matchboxes) glued vertically onto a piece of cardboard or other sturdy base, your child can build a surrealistic city. When the glue is dry, turn your toddler loose with the tempera to paint the town red (or any other favorite colors).

A note on glue use.
Small children are skilled at overdoing the glue—using so much that their work takes days to dry. Don’t spoil the fun by taking over the gluing process; there’ll be less mess, but also less learning. You may, however, discourage some of the glue abuse by providing squeeze bottles of glue, paper cups or jars filled with just a little glue (which can be applied with a cotton swab or Popsicle stick), jars of paste that come with an applicator, or a glue stick (probably the least messy).

Scissors.
Most toddlers don’t have the coordination required to use scissors, but many older toddlers like to practice with them anyway. Provide small blunt-edged scissors with cushioned handles, and supervise their use carefully.

A notebook.
Provide your toddler with an unlined, spiral-bound notebook to scribble in to his or her heart’s content—most young artists derive enormous satisfaction from filling the pages. A notebook is easy to tuck into your tote bag, and the end result is easier to save as a memento than a sheaf of loose pages.

Food.
Let your child’s plate be his or her palette. Under your supervision, have your toddler design miniature pizza faces, pancake faces with raisins and banana slices, a landscape with raw vegetables and dips, or create a cottage cheese sundae surrounded by a colorful montage of fruits.