Table top easel painting in preschool

Last summer I made a whole set of small table top easels from cardboard and today, we used them for tabletop easel painting…

I also made paint palettes from cut up strips of empty apple cartons. I filled the cups of the ‘disposable’ paint palettes with different colors of paint and gave each child their own paint palette to work with…

As the children painted, they freely mixed the colors in their own paint palette. Although the children really didn’t need water for this, the children asked for a cup of water anyway to rinse off their paint brushes. It somehow made the children feel like they had the complete artist package just by adding the cup of water…

The children asked for more paper and paint as they continued to explore the painting process. I just kept adding paint on top of the old paint and we didn’t worry about whether the colors were getting mixed up a bit on the palettes. Painting is all about mixing colors….

Some of the children held their paint palettes while painting and others kept them on the table to work with. After lots of use, the paint palettes get a little flimsy so the children only used them on the table. I let them figure that out as we went along…

And some of our children enjoyed exploring the difference water made when painting. They discovered the texture and the color was quite different if you added water to the paint or paint brush…

We used terms and sentences like paint canvas, paint palette, thinning the paint, mixing the colors, stroking with the paint brush, and so on….

We also used a variety of different types of paint brushes. There wasn’t much thought that went into which brushes we used, I just handed them out randomly…

In time, our painting space started looking – well – very artistic!

I wish everyone of you could have been there to see this experience because I honestly don’t know how to give it justice. It wasn’t that the children walked away thinking, “I just made a beautiful painting,” although I think they were all quite beautiful, it was that this was a beautiful experience…

My students kept telling one another – “I am making this painting for you!” and “Come and look at what I painted for you!” and “Don’t you love it?”  They all made me smile at their generosity towards each other…

My students have grown as artists throughout this school year and this was an amazing experience of art expression, dramatic play, color mixing, independence, generosity, and creativity. One of my students’ said, “We are like real artists!”  And I must say, they truly were…

This post is linked to Red Ted Art’s Blog: Kids Crafts Linky Party  and to Kreative Resources!

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.'

Subscribe to My Newsletter

Latest Blog Posts

P is for Pizza!

While learning about the letter “P” we decided to explore with pizza! Pizza is an all-time favorite food for many preschoolers, and activities involving pizza

Read More »