Why Montessori art?
Art activities are a great way to help your toddler develop creativity, strengthen their fine motor skills, and learn to use a variety of art materials at home.
But when it comes to finding toddler-friendly art activities to try out at home, there’s just one little problem.
Most of those “fun and easy” art projects for toddlers are weirdly… complicated? It takes half an hour to cut out those cute little pumpkins (or whatever) and set everything up. And then, after all that work, your child gets bored and dips after maybe 12 seconds of painting.
It sucks investing your precious time and energy into an art activity your child just isn’t that into!
But here’s the good news…
As an early childhood educator, I’m happy to tell you that the best art activities for toddlers are the simplest.
Really.
And you don’t need to spend a ton of time prepping complicated activities, coming up with a million different ideas to fill your day, or worrying about being “creative” enough. Once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to repeat these (actually) simple activities, over and over again.
So, if you want to try out some easy Montessori-inspired art activities at home with your toddler, keep reading!
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So, what is a Montessori art activity?
In general, Montessori art activities don’t look like the high-maintenance crafts you’ll find on Pinterest. That’s because Montessori is all about process art – where the focus is on the experience of creating something – rather than product art, where the emphasis is on the end result.
Consequently, Montessori art activities are a lot easier and less time-consuming to set up than traditional kids’ crafts.
Bless.
Montessori art also teaches children how to think creatively and express themselves artistically, rather than trying to copy some painting of a snowman made by an adult.
Let’s be honest: Montessori artwork might not be as cute or clever as some of the product art you’ve seen before. But on the other hand, it’s also much more engaging, educational, and enjoyable for children to create.
7 Simple Montessori Art Activity Ideas for Toddlers
Now that you know a little bit more about what Montessori art is all about, check out these fun and easy activity ideas to try with your little one at home!
Quick tips for success:
- As per usual, remember to “follow the child.” Choose activities that honor your little one’s interests and are suitable for your child’s abilities, wherever they’re at right now.
- Don’t be afraid to repeat a favorite activity over and over again – repetition is how children learn!
- And if your child isn’t feeling it right now? Don’t be afraid to back off and try again later. No pressure. No stress. Just fun!
1 | Coloring
This is the most basic art activity out there – and also the most versatile. Try using non-toxic crayons, colored pencils, markers, or even pastels. This is a great way to introduce a variety of art materials to your little one!
Plain white paper is the best investment you can make in your child’s early art exploration. You can also try offering simple coloring books, or tape a large sheet of butcher paper onto the table for a fun twist on classic coloring.
A Buddha board is another interesting, mess-free option. It allows your child to “color” with water on the board’s surface. It’s seriously so much fun for little ones (and adults, too, tbh).
2 | Painting
You might not want to pull the paints out every day. Things can definitely get messy! At the same time, paint is a super-fun, sensory-rich medium for little ones to work with, so consider embracing the mess – at least some of the time.
(And don’t forget to have a few cleaning wipes or a wet sponge on hand for paint spills!)
Here are a few easy painting activities for toddlers:
- Paint on plain paper at the table or the easel – a classic
- Create a canvas painting to hang up at home
- Paint a beautiful branch you found outside
- Try painting large, toddler-safe rocks
- Create a watercolor painting
- Take the paint outside and let your little one be inspired by nature
- Break out the recycling and start painting
- Decorate a pot for a houseplant, a simple wooden box, or something else to dress up your living space
- Go outside and try splatter painting
- Try finger painting (use edible finger paints, if your little one likes to mouth everything!)
- Use paint dobbers for less messy, low-prep painting fun
3 | Chalkboard & Chalk
Chalkboards – big and small – are fun for little ones to work with. Chalk has an interesting texture and “feel” when you color with it, making it appealing for children to come back to again and again. I like using chunky chalk with younger toddlers and regular chalk with older toddlers, but feel free to use whatever works for your child!
You might consider getting an easel that has a chalkboard side, or even using chalkboard paint to create a coloring wall for your little one at home. When the weather is nice outside, sidewalk chalk is a fun and simple option, too.
4 | Playdough
Playdough is a classic children’s activity for a reason: Little ones love it!
Manipulating playdough is also a fun way for little ones to work on their fine motor skills and use their senses through play. Clay and kinetic sand are other fun modeling dough options, if you want to try something new!
You can let your child explore the playdough on its own, practicing squishing, tearing, and rolling the dough, or offer your child simple tools, like a rolling pin or safety scissors, to enrich the work.
Your child might also enjoy making a sculpture by adding loose parts to the playdough, such as flower petals or other natural objects, popsicle sticks, small blocks, or anything else you can think of!
5 | Collage
Collaging is a fun and simple activity for toddlers! To get started, give your child a small pot of glue and a paintbrush, a piece of paper, and some prepared “stuff” to glue. Torn-out magazine pictures, craft feathers, and tissue paper are just a few options you can try.
You’ll need to show your little one how to use glue if they’re new to gluing, and give them time to practice. (Don’t be surprised if your toddler is more interested in “painting” with the glue than collaging their first few times!)
I also love using contact paper – basically a giant piece of sticky paper – to make collages with little ones. Simply tape the contact paper to a table, wall, or the floor, and then give your child “stuff” to collage with. No messy glue required!
6 | Printing
Printing is a classic process art activity. Some easy ideas include printing with a halved apple or piece of citrus fruit, sponge, leaf, or cookie cutter, but you can try printing with almost any object!
Simply show your child how to dip the printing object (the apple, leaf, or whatever) into the paint, and then press it onto the paper. That’s it!
Printing activities are a great, low-prep art activity for even the youngest toddlers.
7 | Stickers
When all else fails, there’s always stickers! Peeling and sticking stickers is fun fine motor work. Children can also explore art concepts like color, shape, lines, and spatial relationships as they work with stickers.
Look for simple, geometric shapes (like these dot stickers) or realistic stickers inspired by nature or daily life, rather than TV or movie characters, to enrich your child’s experience.
Montessori art is for everyone
Hopefully this post has helped you find a few simple, Montessori-inspired art activities to try at home with your toddler!
Know that whether or not your child has ever even picked up a crayon before, you CAN do these activities with your little one. You truly don’t need to come up with a super-creative art project idea every day, have any artistic ability whatsoever, or spend all day cutting out paper pumpkins for your child to paint.
Just start where you are, keep it simple, and have fun!
You got this.
♥ Meg
PS. Which activity will you try first with your little one? Drop a comment below – and don’t forget to share how it goes!
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