What you need:
- Sponges
- Scissors
- Construction paper
- Paint
- Paper plates
What to do:
- Prepare the activity by cutting simple shapes (circles, squares, triangles) out of sponges. This is often simpler if you moisten the sponge slightly first.
- Pour different colors of paint into paper plates for dipping.
- Help your child dip the sponge into the paint and then press it onto the paper.
- As he covers the paper with paint, point out to your child the shapes and colors he is using: "Look, you made a red circle." You can also talk about the way the sponge feels and what your child is doing: "You're pressing that squishy sponge onto the paper." Toddlers are too young to recognize shapes and colors, but naming them lays the foundations for later vocabulary growth.