The baby has been showing so much interest in painting and whenever the older children are involved in an activity, she always wants to join in. Of course, I always let her, but I wanted to create an activity that was just for her so that I could really help her make the most of what could be an incredible sensory experience. So we decided to do some Foam Painting!
This turned out to be a wonderful experience for us both because I was able to witness the baby as she was completely and utterly indulged in her activity. And the fact that we used foam meant that the mess was kept to a fair minimum- no spills and lots of sensory play!
To make the foam paint we:
- used plastic cups left over from a party, so that the baby could hold them herself and they could easily be thrown away afterwards.
- squirted the cups two thirds full with shaving foam and added a squirt of paint.
- we stirred the mixture- the baby helped with this and we talked about the paint being frothy, blue, red, pink, white, thick, gloopy.
- we used paint brushes and so talked about holding the brush with our fingers and using them to stir and to paint.
- enjoyed dipping the brushes into the paint and transferring it onto the paper.
- liked to hold the cups herself and get her fingers inside to explore the foamy texture.
- use her feet! She painted them and wiggled her toes as the foamy paint crept between them.
- use her fingers! She realised she could transfer paint onto the paper this way and she spent some time swirling her fingers round on the paper.
- handprints- talking about how my hands were big and hers were small, and the different colours of our hand prints.
- footprints- how we could make tracks along the paper with our feet.
- splodges- how the paint brush made different patterns and shapes.
I recommend doing this activity on a wipeable floor if possible and be on hand with wipes or moist cloths to clean hands, feet and legs afterwards. I did direct the baby at certain points, but mostly I left her to explore the paint by herself, so it was lovely to see her concentration and fascination. A great one for babies and toddlers!
Susanne Remic is a mother of three and a primary school teacher, blogging at Ghost Writer Mummy and ivillage UK. She is also jumping from a plane in July to raise money for The Lullaby Trust (formerly FSID charity) and would appreciated sponsors here.
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