Whilst we have tried a bit of stencilling and tracing, it is still a bit fiddly for my toddler and she ends up getting frustrated with it.
Here we decided to use watercolour paints with our stencils so that she could more easily create the little pictures whilst still practicing the coordination required to hold the stencils in place while filling in the inside.
Ta-daaa! Look at the shapes!
Some tips:
- Start with very basic shapes with very young children and use the experience to not only practice their coordination and fine motor skills but also to talk about the colours being used and the shapes they are making
- Extend this activity by cutting out the shapes once dried to use in a story, craft or picture OR cover a large piece of paper with your water coloured stencil shapes and use as wrapping paper.
- Make your own stencils by cutting shapes out of thick cardboard
- Talk with your child about what they are doing. This will help them understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as giving them the vocabulary to describe it.
- Listen to your child talk as they go through their experiences. This will help you determine where they are at with their learning, knowledge and understanding and help you to develop the activity (or future activities) to their level and interests.
Debs :)
