Painting Strokes

The children have been spending a lot of time painting with watercolors and small paint brushes.  They are creative and are becoming more intentional with their creations.  They are very interested in painting animals, and families.  In order to help the children develop their painting skills we have been exploring different ways to paint with a paint brush.  What are different ways to use the brush?  How can we create different designs? We wanted the children to make a connection between the way they use the brush and the design they created.

The children came up with names for the different ways to paint with the brush.

Lines:

Swirls: 

Dots:

Twirls:

We will continue painting and exploring new ways to use our paintbrushes.  I am curious to see how these strokes will show up in their future drawings.  These strokes are the foundation of their paintings and can be used to add detail and depth to their creations.  What are some other ways we can paint with these brushes?

Early Childhood Standards of Quality: Early Learning Expectation

1. Visual Arts: Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

2. Spoken Language: Expressive. Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.

3.Viewing Images and Other Media Materials: Children begin to develop strategies that assist them in viewing a variety of images and multimedia materials effectively and critically.

4. Creativity and Innovation: Children use a variety of developmentally appropriate digital tools to learn and create.
5. Fine Motor Development:  Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings.