Natural Printing
This week in the toddler room, the children explored using different natural materials to paint and make marks. This activity supported the children’s creative development as they experimented with colour, texture, and different ways to make marks.
Using leftover branches from our Christmas tree encouraged sensory exploration as the children felt the texture of the leaves and branches. Handling the natural materials helped to develop fine motor skills, hand–eye coordination, and early control of tools as the children dipped the branches into paint and pressed them onto paper.
As the children explored, they were introduced to new descriptive language such as rough, smooth, and spiky, supporting communication and language development. Working together to create pictures helped develop social skills, including sharing, turn-taking, and building confidence as the children expressed their ideas and enjoyed a shared creative experience.