This is a perfect example of process not product, during this activity your child is discovering how the big brush and sponge make big prints on the paper while their little fingers make little tiny prints. There is no wrong way to do this, just let your child explore.
- Gather your materials. You will need some big paper- I like to use the reverse side of old Christmas wrapping paper I am sick of, some paint, a large sponge, adult size paint brush and a pan to put the paint in.
- Mix your colors and pour your paint into the pan.
- Start with finger painting. Talk to your child about how their little fingers make small dots and squiggles on the paper, with older children you can ask them if they know how they could make bigger marks like a hand print.
- Next paint with the paint brush. Ask questions like ” If you had a whole house to paint would you want to use your fingers or a big brush?” with toddlers you can simply say things ” Whoa that’s big!”.
- Next paint with the giant sponge.
My son loved this one! Before we dipped it in the paint we explored the sponge, feeling it and squishing it.
Books!
” How Big Is A Pig”by Clare Beaton is such a sweet board book. Fun rhymes all about different farm animals accompany stunning illustrations that are really photos of fabric patch work! I love just looking at this book, my son loves it too.
” Big Fish , Little Fish” by Ed Heck is a good introduction to opposites for little ones, it’s not as good in my opinion as ” Dinosaur Roar” by Henrietta Stickland but it’s worth a look especially if like my son your child is presently obsessed with fish! Also the final page’s message is rather reminiscent of “Swimmy” by Leo Lioni .
” When I Get Bigger” by Mercer Mayer addresses what it feels like not to be big enough to do things you want to do. Little Critter makes a list of all the things he wants to do when he gets bigger. I remember feeling like this , and to 4 and 5 year olds who desperately want to be big kids this book will strike a chord!
5 Responses to “Big Sponge Painting”
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That giant sponge looks like so much fun to paint and print with! Thanks for the idea!
Amy @ Let’s Explore
Great idea!
Also had a random question for you. Is there any theory behind the order in which you are introducing letters to your son? We recently started the Letters of the Week and I’m curious if I should just go in alphabetical order or try to teach the more common letters first. My son is about a month older than yours.
No I have been doing them in random order, because I do them as the craft sorta fits his interest so the idea will stick. So Mountain M was done after we talked about the mountains. In school I never followed the alphabet because we wanted the letters to be broken from that order so kids know that they stand alone.
As young as our boys are though I would say we are only introducing them and any exposure in a relaxed environment is awesome!
Eek, that looks like a nice cake pan – did the paint wash out?
I like this idea – I think my 2 year old would have a blast w/the big sponge and paintbrush – grown-up tools!
Enjoying the blog!
Yeah the paint came out no problem
My son loved the novelty of painting with “Daddy’s Brush” . I need to do this again with him, this post was written in early May.