The years I spent working in an art gallery cemented my love for art but also made me realize how crucial it was to expose young children to the process of creating as soon as possible. Toddlers are ready to get acquainted with art in all its forms but I found the Montessori way of introducing the subject, made the most sense.
You might be wondering what is Montessori art? Why the destinction?
The method of introducing art in Montessori education starts with isolating the individual skills necessary to produce an artwork. The child is then presented with the opportunity to master these skills without expecting or prescribing the end product.
The Montessori approach to exploring art with your toddler (as young as 18 months) is not only beneficial for your child’s development but is also far more practical for parents. Let me assure you, this does not have to be an intimidating endeavor.
How to start Montessori art activities with your toddler (18 months to 3 years)?
There are many benefits of including art and the process of creating in your toddler’s daily life.
- Builds fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Strengthens the muscles in their hands to prepare them for writing
- Aids in stress regulation through calm and mindful engagement.
- Encourages creative thinking through problem-solving.
- Stimulates brain development by activating special areas of the brain associated with creating.
- Provides a rich sensory experience
- Builds vocabulary
- Improves confidence through independence and mastery
#1 Start with practicing the basic skills first.
- Molding/Sculpting
- Drawing
- Painting
- Gluing
- Cutting
- Sewing
Your toddler is still years away from being able to create a finished artwork but they need to start somewhere. They need to start by exploring and learning about all the different art materials they can use to create. They need to be introduced to these materials in an age-appropriate way and then be allowed to practice using them.
#2 Forget about complex themes and just focus on the basic concepts of art:
- Color
- Texture
- Art appreciation
Color
Start by introducing the primary colors first and then show how you mix the secondary colors at a later stage. You can use a color wheel to show where the colors are in relation to each other as well as the difference between warm and cold colors. This step might be slightly too advanced for a toddler but they might be ready for it around 3 to 4 years old.
Texture
Offer different textures of paper or board to work on. Provide different accessories to paint with like a sponge. You can also practice texture rubbing with toddlers. All of these activities help them learn about texture and show how the texture affects the outcome of the artwork.
Art appreciation
For a toddler, this can be as simple as hanging art (or images of art) at their eye level. You can give them access to books about art and even take them to an art gallery. Expose them to as much art as you can.
*I have framed images from art catalogs that I’ve collected from gallery exhibitions over the years. They are usually printed on thicker paper and sometimes they are like little books – which my toddler enjoys paging through.
#3 Make the introduction without giving a lesson
Art is ultimately about self-expression so this is an area where you want to make sure you are not dictating the outcome or hijacking the process (as we tend to do without meaning to).
Demonstrate how to use the material (in a way that they can replicate) just enough to entice them and get them interested in exploring further. Show them how to start and how to clean up – what they do in the middle is up to them.
#4 Stick to one step activities
I think this is crucial to keep in mind to avoid having unrealistic expectations of what your toddler can accomplish with regards to creating art. I would suggest only introducing activities with more than one step after 3 years old.
Toddlers are interested in the process only – not the end product.
The first 6 art activities for toddlers from 18 months to 3 years
Playdough (18 months+)
You might not immediately think of play dough as an art material, but it is a very important and helpful medium for toddlers to use. It helps strengthen their hands and prepares them for later building and sculpting with clay.
It is also heaps of fun and offers a multitude of different applications depending on which accessories you provide.
When working with playdough, clay, kinetic sand, or any other similar material, it helps to provide your child with a plastic mat (you can use a placemat) or to cover your table with a protective cloth. You can also provide a large melamine tray but working on a flat surface is recommended.
You can provide accessories like:
- dough stampers
- Rollers
- cookie cutters
- textured rollers
- Cutting tools (dough knife)
You can also offer different colors, scents, and types of dough. You can very easily and cheaply make your playdough or sand. Keep your child interested by offering variety.
Drawing (18 months+)
A toddler’s drawing will mostly be lines and scribbling and they will only be able to start drawing recognizable pictures around age 3-4. The objective of drawing activities is to give your toddler plenty of practice holding and controlling the medium they are using (as well as expressing themselves and having fun).
When preparing a tray for drawing, make sure to offer a variety of drawing materials – but not at the same time- and in limited quantities. Three colors at a time is perfect. Don’t offer the rainbow.
- Crayons
- Markers
- Pastels
- Colored pencils
- Graphite pencils
- Chalk
Provide a blank piece of paper (secured with masking tape to the tray) and place 3 crayons/markers/pencils in an attractive holder. This could be a little glass, basket, or a wooden box with a sliding lid.
When you introduce the activity you can show them on a separate piece of paper how to ‘draw’ with the crayon/marker/pencil by doing a couple of loose lines or scribbles. Something that they can potentially replicate. You won’t ask them to copy your drawing but you don’t want to be intimidating.
Painting (18 months +)
Your toddler will need to work on the fine motor skills needed to hold the paintbrush, dip it in water, put paint on the brush, and transfer paint onto the paper. Wow! That’s a lot! So keep it simple and manage your expectations. This will be hard for them so make sure you set it up in such a way that removes as many obstacles as possible.
A painting tray must include the following items:
- small piece of sponge or cloth to clean the brush in between uses.
- Appropriate paper for the medium – secured with masking tape to the tray.
- A paintbrush that is easy to hold.
- The paint in a small cup/plate (start with one primary color)
- A small jar with water (just a little water at a time – you can refill it)
- A small washcloth to dry spills
You can try any of the following mediums:
- Tempera powder paint (already mixed)
- Acrylic paint
- Watercolors (individual bricks are best)
- Paint sticks
I would suggest starting with watercolors. Offer your toddler a single color at a time and just swap out the colors until they get comfortable with the process. Once they are comfortable and confident handling the paintbrush you can introduce two or three colors at a time.
Cutting (2 years +)
Like with most skills, learning to use a scissor is a process.
Your toddler will need lots of exercises to strengthen their hands to eventually use scissors. They can practice with laundry pegs, tongs, or a baster.
They can start by using two hands to cut while you hold a strip of paper. When their hands get stronger they can use one hand to cut while you continue to hold the paper and finally they will move on to cutting a strip of paper on their own.
Once they have reached this level, you can introduce lined strips to practice cutting on the line. After some practice, you can give them a sheet of paper with the outline of a shape to cut out.
Safety:
Provide your toddler with child-sized, blunt-nosed scissors with real blades. The reason for using real scissors is to teach proper use. This includes teaching children to sit down at the table when using scissors, how to properly hold the scissors
Here is a helpful article by Montessori Services
on how to teach your child to use scissors
Gluing (2 years +)
Before you jump for the glue stick, consider using a pot of paste or liquid glue like wood glue and a brush or spreader. The benefits of using a brush to apply glue are that your child has more control over the amount of glue, they are strengthening their pincer grip for future writing as well as working on becoming more coordinated.
Gluing activities should include:
- Liquid glue/paste
- A small brush or plastic spreader (approximately 10cm for a toddler)
- Cardboard to paste onto (thicker board – recycled cardboard)
- A melamine tray to contain the activity
- 6 – 8 Shapes of different colors and textures
Sewing (2 years +)
Sewing isn’t strictly art but when we think about skills needed to eventually create – sewing has some very important physical (hand-eye coordination) and practical skills to teach. It is also a good place to start to introduce crafts.
The first Montessori sewing activity for a toddler is usually a punched diagonal line on a square card. The child can then thread the embroidery or tapestry needle through the holes. You can also use yarn or embroidery thread at the beginning.
Once your child has mastered the straight line, you can move on to a square and circle shape and eventually learn how to sew on a button!
Here’s a brilliantly informative post by The Montessori Notebook explaining exactly how to introduce sewing to your toddler.
Montessori Art Supplies for toddlers – The basics
There are so many products aimed at toddlers which makes the process of selecting art materials very daunting. Here are some tips to help you get the basics to start with.
What to look for when buying art materials?
- Good quality
- Easy to use
- Non-toxic
Quality materials
Buying quality art materials for your toddler might sound counterproductive considering what I previously mentioned about their abilities and not having unrealistic expectations about the outcome. But the goal of the exercise is not to have a beautiful artwork at the end but to have a child who enjoys creating and feels empowered to express themselves. This can only happen when the child can use the materials with ease.
Better quality equals easier to use. Pencils and crayons in particular need to have good color payoff without having to press down too hard. The quality of the pigment used will determine the color payoff. Aim to provide your child with good quality materials in smaller quantities.
Materials that are easy to use
We forget how small a toddlers hands are and that they lack the dexterity and strength that an older child might have. W e have to take this into consideration when choosing art materials. Pencils, crayons and paintbrushes are easier to use when they are shorter and thicker.
Montessori toddler art supply list – everything you will need to start
Download the google sheet here
!
Painting
- Powder Tempera paint (Primary colors)
- Acrylic paint (Primary colors)
- Watercolor paint (individual bricks are better for toddlers)
- Tempera paint sticks
- Dot Stampers
- Sponge brushes
- Paint Palettes
- Plates/cups/bowls to decant paint
- Glass jars and containers with lids for water
- Paintbrushes in varying sizes (handle should be thick and short)
- Paint application accessories (Anthony Peters makes fantastic painting accessories for toddlers)
Sculpting/Modeling
- Playdough (homemade)
- Different types of clay (Air dry, mud clay, white DAS clay)
- Rollers (smooth and textured)
- Cookie cutters
- Wood stamps
- Cutting tools
- Tray or mat to work on
Drawing
- Crayons (Jumbo)
- Colored pencils (Jumbo)
- Graphite pencils (Jumbo)
- Tri-colored tip pencils
- Chalk
- Oil pastels
- Markers
Crafting
- Scissors (blunt nose) Staedtler
- Stickers
- Colored paper
- Yarn
- Wood glue
- Glue stick
- Stamps and ink pad
- Feathers
My top 10 tips for starting art with toddlers
- Describe what you see your child do (‘You chose to mix blue and green’ / ‘Wow, I see you are drawing circles everywhere’) instead of praising (Your painting is so beautiful! I love it!) or criticizing/offering correction (‘Why don’t you paint a little more there in the corner?’/ ‘Your man doesn’t have a neck…’)
- Hang beautiful art in your home – at your child’s eye level.
- Frame your child’s work and hang it where they can see it (a few select frames to be swapped out).
- Model how to look after brushes and materials by showing your child how you clean them and store them appropriately. Watch a YouTube video first if you are not sure.
- Keep it simple at all times. If in doubt – simplify!
- Make room for mistakes and mess to happen. It’s important that your child get the message that we are not striving for perfection and that making a mess is normal and to be expected.
- Focus on one medium/skill per week. This will make setting up a breeze.
- Include books about art in your toddler’s bookcase. Check out my recommendations here.
- Make cleaning materials accessible and within arms reach.
- Buy in bulk where you can – think paper (roll), glue, paint (powder and acrylic)
How to set up a Montessori Art Station for toddlers at home
Most Montessori activities are displayed on a tray on a shelf and get rotated out regularly. The only difference with art activities is that art should always be on offer and therefore deserve a separate designated spot.
Maria Montessori believed that art should be available to every human and shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions. This is why you should set up a permanent art station in your home. This is where your child will come to do whatever is on offer – painting, playdough, drawing, etc.
Your toddler’s art area will look very different from that of an older child’s art station. You will have to be very intentional about how you plan the layout and what you decide to place where.
First, consider where would be the best area in your home. Where can you clean up easily? Is there a window nearby with natural light? Remember, you can move your area around depending on what the activity is (a trolley works great) – paint might be best outside on the grass while drawing can safely be done indoors. Some people prefer setting up the area in their kitchens or some other tiled area. It doesn’t have to be a large area – a small corner will do.
Next up, decide how you are going to store/display your supplies close to your work surface. This will minimize the mess and help your toddler use the area effectively.
Keep it simple. Less is more. Your toddler will easily be overwhelmed if there are too many options.
There are beautiful images online of skillfully designed Montessori art shelves that you can draw on for inspiration but the true test of your art area will be how much it is used.
Here is a link to a very informative post showing a well designed and often used art area by The Kavanaugh Report.
What will you need in your toddler’s art station?
- A sturdy table and chair that won’t move too much when pushed against.
- A laundry rack, washing line, or something similar to hang paintings to dry (outside)
- A smock or apron to protect their clothes
- Choose a tiled floor or use a shower curtain to protect surfaces
- Shelves or trolley for displaying art materials
- Storage drawers close to the table to keep extra supplies
- Install wall hooks to hang cleaning supplies and smock/apron
- Keep child-friendly cleaning supplies closeby so they can wipe up any spills (a hand-held vacuum is also handy)
- A good light source – natural light or a bright overhead lamp.
Once your station is all set up you will likely make a couple of tweaks after you’ve observed your child and how they use the space.
Remember to follow the child and enjoy the process!