How To Paint With Blocks and Learn About Paul Klee will guide you through introducing an important artist to toddlers and preschoolers. Or, if you’re looking for something simpler, it will guide you through painting with a unique paintbrush – blocks!
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How to: The Artwork
Supplies:
- Long watercolor paper or canvas boards
- Washable tempera paints
- Blocks
Directions:
It’s pretty self-explanatory. First, squirt the paint onto paper plates or something similar, so the kids have enough room to dip their blocks fully in the paint. Second, tell the kids to dip whatever shapes they want into the paint and then smash onto the paper. The younger kids (toddlers, mostly) will just want to put the shapes anywhere and may spread the blocks around like brushes. That’s okay!
The preschoolers can stack the paint shapes into building-like piles. That’s okay too! It’s process art – so it’s about the kids exploring colors and shapes and improving fine motor skills, not about a perfect product.
How To: The Program
I like to highlight process art with 2-5 year olds. Exploring famous artists and their work allows kids to see that they are capable of making beautiful, creative artwork. Plus, exploring famous artists provides a unique way to teach children about basic art techniques.
Group Activity:
Group Story:
After we got the Legos put back, I had the kids listen to The Cat and the Bird by Geraldine Elschner. It’s a picture book based on a Klee painting, this story is a little bit creepy, so I summarized a few of the pages and really focused on finding the bird, the cat, and the buildings in the illustrations. The caregivers had gotten the whole “building” emphasis, so explaining the art project instructions was easy-peasy.
Individual Art:
When I explained their art project to them, I made sure to encourage caregivers to let the kids put their paint “stamps” wherever they wanted. They were good about letting the kids enjoy the process!
We all need some more art inspired by important artists! Try these!
- Seurat brick painting
- Pollock’s yarn painting
- Matisse cutting practice
- Delaunay shapes and colors
- Da Vinci frescoes
Comment below with any unique paintbrushes you love to use!
