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Finger painting is a fun and messy way to get your little one using new words. Don't be afraid of getting stuck in and messy!
Check out the film for some fun finger painting play ideas.
How does finger painting help a child's development?
- Finger painting is a great sensory activity for toddlers - they'll love playing with the paints and getting messy with you.
- Painting together is a great bonding opportunity for the two of you.
- Chatting while you paint introduces children to a lot of words for textures like 'sticky' and 'slippery'.
- Letting your child take the lead and choose what they want to paint encourages them to use their imagination and use words to describe the shapes and colours of their paintings.
- Painting with fingers is great for developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Top tips for finger painting with toddlers
You and your little one might want to wear clothes you don't mind getting messy, otherwise you might want to cover them with a special overall.
Spread paints on a paper plate, ready for your child to dip their fingers in. Try and keep a little space between the paint splodges if you can - otherwise they'll run into one and you'll end up with only brown!
Encourage your child to dip their fingers in. Be sure to use words like 'dip' or 'splash'. Describe the texture of the paints - ask your child if it's 'sticky' or 'slippery'.
Let your child have fun drawing and splodging the paint on to paper or card. Ask them simple questions like 'What's that? / What shape is that? / What colour is it?'
If they name the pictures, shapes or colours, repeat them back to them. So if they say 'yellow', you could say 'the cat is yellow'.
Have a go yourself - ask them questions like 'what should I draw?' and 'what colour should it be?'
What paint can you use for finger painting?
Look out for washable, non-toxic paints that are safe for children and fine for skin contact. Some are sold as kids' paints or labelled specifically as finger paints. You could even try making your own paints using water, cornflour and food colouring.
If you don't have paints to hand, why not try painting with teabags?
Getting crafty with your toddler
You don鈥檛 need to be super artsy to get creative with your child and you shouldn't worry about creating beautiful artwork at the end of it all 鈥 just focus on bonding and encouraging your little one. And be ready to get messy.
Here are some great craft activities for you to try:
- Painting with teabags is a fun and messy way to get your little one using new words.
- You can make homemade playdough with just a few ingredients.
- Making a nature collection is a great way to get your toddler to learn new words and explore the world around them.
