We’ve been moving Sam away from nap time the past few weeks because his nighttime sleep was getting pretty crazy. He gets quiet time in his room instead of naps, which he is growing to like more and more. No naps in the afternoon can make for long days though. I recently whipped up this little activity for him to try out just to break up one particularly long afternoon.
Here are the supplies you will need for this project:
canvas {or paper depending on what you want to paint on}
paint {we used acrylic, but washable kids’ paint would work too}
clothespins {wood or plastic}
cotton balls
paint tray
Take two cotton balls and pinch them into the clothespins. We used two cotton balls & one clothespin per paint colour. Place your paint into the tray and you’re ready to go.I gave Sam some larger canvases to work on so that he could freely experiment with the textures & pattern the cotton ball brushes made. {And yes, he was shirtless for this project since he didn’t want to wear his dino apron that day}Dip the cotton ball brushes into the paint. The clothespins are a great size for little hands to hold onto.Sam started off dabbing the cotton ball brushes, which made footprint-like patterns.Then he started using the cotton ball brushes more like a paintbrush, swirling & rubbing colours.If the cotton balls start to get a bit gummed up with paint & tricky to use, just pull them out of the clothespin & put a couple new cotton balls in.I find watching Sam paint truly fascinating. Maybe because I’m artistic or maybe it’s just because I’m his mama, but I don’t think I will ever get tired of watching him create.The finished results are lovely. We have one hanging in our bedroom (as per Sam’s request) and another in his room.
I just tossed the used cotton balls in the garbage once he was done, and rinsed the clothespins & paint tray with water. The clothespins are now designated to art use. Hope your little ones enjoy this activity too!
