When it comes to activities for kids, there are few that are more enjoyable than painting. Here's a quick tip that you can use when your little ones feel like making some art:
Try dotting instead of just regular ol' painting with a brush. You can use a cotton swab, a cotton ball, a piece of sponge, a cut potato, a cut apple, the eraser side of a pencil, and on and on. Anything that you can dip into paint and dab onto paper will do the trick.
Here's why: Dotting will give your little one some extra good practice with their fine motor skills. Often, the simple act of dotting encourages a child to be more specific as to where they are placing their paint as compared to when they are using a brush. And, the motor coordination that it takes for a child to bring his hand up from the page and, then, put it back down onto that page (let alone in the intended spot on the paper) as opposed to on the table next to it or what have you, is no small task. The dotting also has a tendency to slow the whole act of painting down a bit. Again, this gives the child a little bit more of a chance to be that much more specific with what he is doing. Will there be kids who want to dot away like little crazy... dot-monsters.... Of course, there will be. Many, many kids will dot hard and fast. How hard and fast should you allow? As much as you are comfortable with. Bear in mind that, the harder and faster that he dots, the more paint is going to splatter. If that's not a concern, then I would consider this - everything that a child does, has a reason. H may really be just loving that feeling that he is getting from the pounding of the potato onto the paper, as it provides that good "proprioceptive" (or deep pressure) input. For our kiddos who may be a bit on the "wild side," that extra deep pressure is almost always a good thing! And, remember, lifting that dotter up and managing to bring it down on the paper each and every time - hey, that's a skill, so embrace it.
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Mr. Mike is a licensed Special Education Teacher, specializing in working with children from Birth-2nd Grade. He has spent the most time working with 3-5 year-olds with special needs of all sorts including Autism, Aspergers, PDD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Downs Syndrome, just to name a few. Having taught a full class of preschoolers as well as worked one-on-one with children in their schools and in their homes, he has also developed many different tips and tricks to help children develop a love of learning and, most important, of themselves! If you've got something on your mind or you would like some thoughts, tips, or tricks, don't hesitate to get in touch - mike@mrmiketv.com
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