Easel Starters OR "How to get Your Preschooler to Create Art!"

As promised and just in time for the weekend, here is the second idea in our series on Easel Starters:  Glittering  Snowflakes! (All you require is pictured above). This time, you may wish to spend a little more time setting the scene depending on how ornate you want your snow flakes to be. If you want the result to resemble an honest to goodness snowflake, feel free to fold the coffee filter in half over and over until it is a smallish triangle for your little one to cut out with safety scissors. Normally, I like to be sure that my child simply stumbles upon the Easel Starter but in this case - it can't kill anyone if you take a brief moment to show your Little Artist how to cut neat shapes along the edges of the folded coffee filter - avoiding the corners.

Once you have a few shapes that resemble snowflakes- scoot! Leave the room quickly and maybe take the scissors with you. Now your child can enjoy the process of painting his snow flake with glitter glue and brush! I've found this to be a beautiful, mindful masterpiece for your little one to create. The delicacy required to paint the coffee filter without ripping it encourages a certain gentleness and focus that is just right for this age. The fine motor skills required to apply a gentle brush stroke and the thought processes required to determine how much glue to add to a thinner surface are all opportunities for growth, judgment and patience. If you need to help on occasion to ensure that the process remains a positive one- don't hesitate to do so!

Et voila! Hang the masterpiece in the window and get ready for more snow... sigh...