During the month of June, the toddlers have displayed an interest in not only sensory exploration but also their knowledge of colours! The white tuff tray has been the perfect tool to provide play opportunities for these two keen interests.
This month the toddlers engaged in an exciting but cold sensory, art experience!
The white tuff tray was set up with paint brushes and water colour paints along with various sizes and shapes of ice cubes.
The children were invited to explore these materials as they could paint and add colour to the ice. This experience nurtured the children’s creativity while we also practiced our descriptive language and colour recognition.
“Super cold” exclaimed Henry. “I make pink flamingo” he added.
“Im making a polar bear” shared Allie.
“Cold!” said Theo. “Hockey puck!” he added as he held up the water colour paint puck.
Some toddlers took the activity a step further as they stacked the ice and built with it!
As we engaged in small groups the toddlers participated in collaborative art which provides opportunities for personal expression and communication while also improving children’s social skills and boosting their self esteem/self confidence. The toddlers were observed sharing not only the materials but also the space as they worked cohesively with one another
Painting on ice allows for the children to utilize their sense of sight and touch while they engage in process art.
Process art focuses on the act of creating, making, experimenting, and discovering, rather than the art product itself. Toddlers use exploration as a means to discover new materials, techniques, and tools in an open-ended way that encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative learning.
Overall, our tuff tray experience fostered the toddlers desire for sensory play while also enhancing their fine motor abilities.
