Preschool art is more about the experience than the final result. Simple art techniques can help preschoolers develop important small motor skills and give them confidence in their own abilities. Painting is always a favorite with preschoolers but there are nearly endless ways to vary the experience. Show your preschooler how to paint with his finger tips instead of a paintbrush with this preschool art activity.

Preschool Art Supplies

Inkpad or Paint – I used a stamp pad from Lakeshore but you can use any non-toxic stamp pads you have on hand or make a thin layer of non-toxic, washable paint on a paper plate and let your preschooler use that to dip his finger in.

Construction Paper

Stencils (Optional) – You can certainly allow your preschooler to create any design he wants on the paper. Using a stencil allows your preschooler (especially younger preschoolers) to create a picture of something specific, which can be useful if you want to incorporate it into a preschool theme.

Instructions

1. Gently tape a stencil to a piece of light colored paper to hold it in place.

2. Help your preschooler dip his fingertip in the ink (or paint) then push it down on the paper to make a fingerprint.

3. Have your preschooler fill in the empty space inside the stencil, being sure to go right to the edge to create a strong line. If your preschooler has a hard time doing that, you can trace a light line around the stenciled shape before removing the stencil.

After your preschoolers project has dried you can have your preschooler draw additional details on the page.

Variation – Some stencil kits come with positive and negative stencil images. You can tape down the piece you popped out of the stencil, tape that on the paper and stamp all the area around the outside of the picture.

Make your Own Preschool Stencils

You can make your own preschool stencils by printing a simple image and cutting out the center. Simple shapes are the easiest to cut out. Many scrapbook stores have die cut machines that will allow you to choose your image and cut it out of any paper you choose. This will give you both the positive and negative images.

They won’t last forever but they will likely get you through several projects. If you have a Cricut machine you could use that to create a variety of homemade stencils.

 

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