Even though we’re all (mostly) stuck at home here in California doesn’t mean we can’t have some holiday fun. Doing art projects with your children is a wonderful way to create special memories together – and also helps your child develop those key fine motor skills, color recognition, and shape identification that will be necessary in school someday. If you have a toddler or preschooler at home and are looking for some cute art projects to do in the month of March, check out these three easy activities.
- Toilet Paper Roll Shamrocks
If you have some green paint and empty toilet paper rolls, this simple craft is for you! Get a toilet paper roll, and bend slightly at the top so that it folds inward and resembles the shape of a heart (this might take some maneuvering until you get the shape right). Then help your child dip the end of the roll into green paint, and stamp onto a piece of paper. To create a shamrock, stamp the paper three times, with the pointed ends of the heart shapes touching. Paint or color the inside of the hearts green, add a green stem, and there’s your shamrock!
- Dot Painter Rainbows
Draw a black pot or cut a pot out of black construction paper. Glue onto one corner of a piece of paper. Then, help your child paint a rainbow using the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple of dot painters (these are the ones we have: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Markers-Rainbow-Washable-Original/dp/B00004W3Y4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=dot+a+dot+markers&qid=1614639714&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOFNGT0xHMUxZU09JJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTk1NTQ1MzIzUkJVUTdISEVVQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzk4NDEzMks5UTQzU0U3Njg0ViZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=).
Talk about the different colors of the rainbow as your child stamps dots across the paper in a curved line. You can even add a cloud at the other end of the rainbow with construction paper or cotton balls!
- Q-tip Shamrocks
Q-tips make good alternative paint brushes for little hands. Young children must pinch the Q-tip in order to grip it and maneuver it around the paper, which helps develop the small muscles in the hand that are necessary for writing and grasping.
Grab some Q-tips and green paint, and help your child dip the end of the Q-tip in the paint. Stamp 3 green dots together in a triangular shape on the paper to create a tiny shamrock shape. Use a green marker or some paint to draw on the stem for each shamrock. Create as many shamrocks as your child wants! You can even add some green glitter for added effect.
Take some time and try any of these three crafts out, and your toddler will be ready for some St. Patrick’s Day fun!
