Paint Play, Printmaking Play

Caterpillar Painting

This process based art play is a great way for your 2-6 year old to experiment with a variety of materials within a seasonal context.

Materials

  • Paint (I use washable green tempera paint thinned with water on a sponge in a bowl to reduce mess)
  • Paper
  • Pom poms
  • Round sponge brush
  • Dot paint
  • Dot stickers
  • Thumbs
  • Use what you have! There is a world of possibility with this project. Many things can be used to print caterpillar parts.

Instructions

  1. Set up the paint play invitation
  2. Model the possibilities of how to use the materials
  3. Let your child explore
  4. Your child can be invited to draw details like legs and antennae on their caterpillars when the paint is dry

PROCESS OVER PRODUCT

Art play for children is about the process, not the product. When your child is “done”, the paper could just be a green paper without any visible “caterpillars”. Don’t interfere. Celebrate their process for what it is.

Have fun!

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