Oh great, what am I going to do with these infants and toddlers? If I do an art activity with them, they're going to put it in their mouth, throw it on the floor, rip it, crumple it or better yet waste paper by coloring only a small portion of the construction paper.
Have any of these thoughts ever crossed your mind? Then you're not alone.
So why bother doing art with infants and toddlers? Infants and toddlers naturally are curious and want to explore the world around them. Why not support their growth and development by providing simple everyday art experiences. Developmentally appropriate art activities allow infants and toddlers to safely and freely explore materials through their senses. When we provide a variety of materials for infants and toddlers to try things in their own way, we encourage learning. So, get messy and have fun-- bring out the pudding (finger painting), gelatin mix (makes for nice water coloring), or come up with something new.