Finger painting. At first glance there’s not much to it.

It’s simple…and messy.

Let’s look again…

1. Sensory exploration with hands, fingers…faces? The children are seeking out knowledge through their own investigations. Little to no teacher direction is needed.
2. Fine motor skills. The children are testing their increasing finger dexterity and motor control by using their hands as tools. Other tools can be used as well allowing for practice at different types of grip and movements.
3. Science. Colour mixing. Creating secondary colours from primary, shades and tints by adding black and white.
4. Language. New vocabulary for texture and colour, to start.

Now add the joy factor…these kids were IN the paint. They smiled, laughed, were startled and surprised by their own movements and the results. They covered their papers with paint, made marks by taking paint away, covered them with paint again and made something completely new a moment later. The product was completely transitory, this was all about the process.

One girl in particular began drawing in the paint and telling new stories as she went. It was as though she had all these stories inside her but had had no way to start telling them. This particular medium had given her a way to express her stories.

We can facilitate a huge variety of experiences for children, but the simple allows them both exploration and mastery. Coming back to an activity over and over again allows new skills to develop, new ideas to flourish and new forms of expression to open a door.