Preschool Activity: Painting Squares

The other day while browsing the aisles of my local Dollar Tree, I spied one lonely sink mat sitting on the shelf. So I picked it up, put it in my cart and knew I’d figure out something to do with it---well, besides putting it in the sink! :)

I have been trying to be more intentional to include time each week to experiment with different art techniques. Since my toddler and preschooler have been working on patterns and shapes, I thought that using the sink mat as a stencil would be a fun project to try.

 
Supplies:

checkerboard sink mat or stencil
child-friendly paints
foam rollers or foam pouncer/daubers
masking tape
watercolor paper or cardstock

Place the piece of watercolor paper onto the table. Line up the stencil and tape the edges down. Then tape (mask) every other row.

Have your child pick one color and roll/paint over the surface of the grid, making sure the exposed squares are painted.

Next tape over the row of squares that were previously painted. Remove the tape from the rows that need to be painted. Pick a coordinating color and paint.

Remove all the tape and unveil your square masterpiece! You can leave it as is, or use it as a background for another art project.

Extensions:
-- Use Unifix cubes or other objects to make pattern trains.