I love reinforcing skills in hands-on ways. Especially if process (open-ended) art is involved. Process art is especially important for toddlers because it’s all about the experience, not the outcome. Anyone who’s watched a toddler knows that’s what’s most important. They are in the moment, loving the action, and then when it’s over? They’ve moved on. This is why I chose using paper tube stamping for a toddler circle art activity. And it was loved. Just as it always is.
Paper plates also hold up to all the pounding that happens in these types of activities. (What can I say? Toddlers really get into any movement! What we used:
The centers of paper plates (save the rims for another activity, such as suncatchers) Paper tubes (if you cannot use toilet paper tubes, cut paper towel rolls into smaller lengths) Red washable tempera paint
Getting started: I set up our Simplay3 Activity Table so that 4 children could work at the same time.
I poured a small amount of the red paint into containers (we love using the lids from Illy Coffee – in fact, we’ve been using the same lids for about 3 years now and they are still going strong!) and place a paper tube in each one.
As our toddlers walked up to the table, they knew what to do. They took the tubes (that fit so nicely in their small hands), removed them from the paint, and started stamping.
If this is a concern for you, I suggest putting a plastic tray underneath the paper. That way when they are finished, you can rinse the trays.
You can see how busy toddlers would especially love this activity, right?
Every so often their circle shaped paper would move a bit closer to someone else’s. Would they be okay with that? Or did they need to reposition their paper circles?
And I learn a lot about my little friends.
When completely dried, they looked like this:
And then I did a super simple display of them on the wall.
How do you add process art to your toddler classroom?
Our favorite art materials and resources:
Itsy Bitsy Spider Circle Time Props Activities That Use Toy Cars Indoor Movement Activities Here is my Privacy Policy
