There is nothing more than I love to see..... children getting totally absorbed in their play. Children letting go and exploring. Children who experiment and get super messy!!
This Gross Motor Art was like medicine to not only my daughters soul but to mine also! I can't tell you how much I loved watching this activity unfold!
I have been really looking forward to using all the items that we included in the Outdoor Mark Making Kit from Early Years Resources! We have recently decorated and had lots of wall paper off cuts that I didn't want to throw away! I rolled them up and knew they would come in for an activity of some sort.
While Neve was busy up the garden singing Mama (Spice Girls) at the top of her lungs, I rolled the off cuts out and covered our patio area. I dotted the materials around and added paint bottles.
The invitation was there and of course she took it!!
It didn't take long at all for Neve to get stuck in. The rollers were her first go to! I was so impressed with how well they worked. She reached high and low to create marks! I heard her talking about making roads, she made herself a hop scotch using them and rainbows!
She enjoyed the large pad stampers and covered them in paint using her paint brushed! She added one to each hand and splatted them down on the paper. She made remarks about the tapping noises she made, which added a real sensory dimension to her play.
Just like I did with the Tuff Tray Mirror Painting activity we did recently, I gave Little N the opportunity to do her own paint. She really does enjoy having the opportunity to do this and I have found her to be very sensible when doing so too!
Whilst I was busy observing I did wonder how long it would be before she would start painting with her hands and feet too! She giggled away as the paint oozed between her toes! She walked around on the paper and slid around. "I feel like I'm ice skating" she said.
Off she went strutting her stuff. Looking behind her to check out the marks she was leaving behind!
We have enjoyed so many fine motor skills over the last 4 years. These activities are great for developing control on a small scale however it's important to not forget to work on gross motor skills too. Fun activities they get the arms, legs and the trunk moving.
With the canvas in this activity being large and the materials for painting being on a big side too, this was perfect for encourage just that!
Lap Trays make perfect paint holders for these activities. They hold a great amount of paint. They allow room to move the rollers, paint brushes and stampers inside and also they are transportable, making them easy to move to get them cleaned up too!
When I came to my computer after this lovely activity together.... I looked back on the photos and had to smile to myself! I loved that she had glugs of paint dripping out of her hair, rainbow paints drying between her fingers and toes.... but I adored that she had clipped on her dressing up earrings for this activity! If you're going to do something - do it in style right?!
So why is it so important to work on Gross Motor Skills?
Gross Motor Skills play a huge role in a child's every day life. They aid children when performing every day functions. Activities such as running, jumping, walking, sitting up, climbing, throwing and catching - all come under the Gross Motor umbrella.
When children work on their Gross Motor Skills, their Fine Motor Skills also improve.
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