All About Me (Names)

This week at PlayAway, we focused on All About Me. I read a simple book Hands Can, which discusses all the things hands can do. We sang Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We did art with our names.

Ms. Theresa and I decided that our friends need to have a folder to bring all their art work home with them, and to store in our room since it is almost never dry when class is done. My friends like their paint and they like to put it on thick; it is half the fun of art.

This project is so simple, and yet it gets such different results. We placed the childs name on a file folder in foam letters. We supplied washable paint, smocks, and a variety of paint brushes.

We instructed the child to paint over their name and all over the folder. Some of my friends went right to it. Some hesitated and painted around it. Some painted one spot and promptly walked away. This is what happens with 1-3 year olds. You never know what they are going to love.

What my friends do not know is that they will be learning is about creating a resist with the letters and paint. Once the paint dries, we pull off the foam letters and (hopefully) their name pops through the paint as you can see in Samuel's name.

I was suprised by the response. My 1-2's sat for a really long time (10-15 minutes). My 2-3's did it and did it quick. I even had friends that cried because they did not want to finish painting. Ah, a budding artist.

Have you done name art in your home? Even thought they are young, it is never too early to help them learn their name. You can make a placemat with your childs name, you can have them paint over it as we did, you can sing it, and more.