Marble painting with preschoolers

Painting with marbles is a fun and engaging process!

As you might have guessed, we have been exploring marbles and you just can’t explore marbles without including a little marble painting in your planning…

Preparing the Materials

Every time I introduce marble painting to a group of preschoolers, I change the process a bit. I adjust the process based on the age of the children, the size or kind of box we will use, the kind of paint we use, how many children will paint at one time, and anything else I think will need adjusted to make the process fun and age appropriate for the children in my class…

For my PreK class, I let them squeeze out some tempera paint on a sheet of paper and then they were good to go.  You will notice in the photo above that I also set out some plastic wrap.  We would have wrapped the box with the plastic wrap if needed to help keep the marbles from falling out of the box but we decided it wasn’t needed.   By adding the plastic wrap, the children can still see inside the box while they roll the marbles through the paint with out worrying about the marbles falling out…

Building Hand-Eye Coordination

But since these children were older, they were able to manage the marbles and the box without needing to add the plastic wrap.  It was actually good eye-hand coordination and a little practice in multi-tasking for them to tilt the box, keep an eye on the marbles so they don’t fall out of the box, and direct the marbles through the paint all at the same time…

Once the marbles get a little too much paint on them, it is a good idea to rinse some of the paint off in between each child’s turn.  This helps keep the marbles rolling through the paint better. Otherwise, the marbles can get all goopy and not roll very well at all…

Using Teamwork

Some of the children had a little trouble getting the coordination of moving the large box from side to side.  If they preferred, they could have a partner hold one end of the box to help them tilt the box back and forth. Working with a partner is also a challenge because the children have to tilt the box the same way at the same time – not an easy thing to do…

Regardless of the challenges involved in marble painting, the children stayed engaged in the process. Simplifying the process does not always make the project more fun – those little challenges along the way can actually be an important part of the process…

Why we Love Marble Painting

Our marble painting turned out bright, colorful, and beautiful…

All that paint, movement, concentration, and freedom in the process and almost no mess – now how do you like that?

Can you see the name hidden behind all that paint?

 

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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