Using sandpaper as an art canvas, your toddler will explore and create pictures using yarn and felt pieces. This activity encourages hand and finger skills and will introduce them to simple shapes.
Learning Area(s): Physical Development; Sensory and Art
MATERIALS
- Sandpaper with lower grit number so that the yarn will stick to it better (sandpaper can be glued to cardboard if more durability is needed)
- Felt scraps and shapes
- Yarn of various lengths, widths, and colors
LET'S PLAY
This activity works best at a table. Lay a large piece of sandpaper on the table. Give your toddler a pile of yarn pieces, cut from different colors, and small felt pieces of various shapes. Encourage your toddler to stick the yarn and felt to the sandpaper to create a picture or make shapes. Model how to use the materials–for example, say, “Let’s make some squares and circles.”
Encourage your child to make her own designs. Once she is finished, she can tip the sandpaper over and the yarn and felt will fall off or can be easily removed with her fingers.
TIPS
- Be sure to talk with your child about what she is creating and experiencing during this activity. You can use vocabulary words such as: yarn, sandpaper, felt, rough, soft, long, short, stick, picture, color names (blue, gold), shape names (circle, rectangle), etc.
- If older toddlers are showing interest in numbers and letters, you can use yarn pieces to make letters or numbers on the sandpaper, such as the first letter in your child’s name.