Did you know that paint dabbers are both a kindergarten readiness tool and fun toy? There’s just so many ways to play with them plus they when they drop they don’t spill gray paint water that overshoots the protective newspaper. Who invented these, anyway?
Little hands are painting all over a big piece of paper that will be cut-out to be a ladybug. Yes, ladybugs are not always red. Now that the big paper is dry comes the best part–adding the dots. Talking about colors can be included in the fun. Many kindergarten readiness checklists include being able to name at least some colors. This gives teachers an idea of a child’s level of thinking skills. Kids who are having difficulty learning colors may be struggling with other concepts, too. There is no doubt that learning colors is a learning challenge. There are many variations to each color and many different objects with the same color. Kids need to see lots of things that are each color and lots that are not, gradually matching shades to names.
Playing with paints and colors involves other learning too, such as doing things in order, language used to explain, following instructions, fine-motor control, patience, planning, completing a task, focusing and attention skills and more. Painting with brushes and other tools also appeals to kids and gives them different ways to play, learn and create–the basis for kindergarten readiness. What kinds of bugs or creepy crawlies might your child like to paint?