Paint... water... and painting on the wall? What more could a kid ask for in an activity!
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There is nothing I love better than finding an activity to help us pass the time between lunch and when my big kids get home from school! My littlest misses her big siblings and is always counting down the minutes till they will come play with her.
Each afternoon when we are home and not running errands, easy activities help keep the requests to watch Paw Patrol or another favorite show at bay.
These simple activities serve as a transition activity to get kids thinking more creatively and ready for free play!
Today I'm sharing our Paint the Alphabet activity! This was a simple watercolor matching game for toddlers and preschoolers to help them explore the alphabet.
How do you get started with this painting the alphabet matching game?
First, here's what you need to paint the alphabet:
- watercolor set
- paint brush (any size)
- crayons
- large roll of paper
- scissors
- painters tape
Next, tape up some paper and draw several alphabet letter pairs on the paper.
I used the letters in my daughter's name to start with, since those letters have the most meaning to her. She calls them "her" letters.
Finally, give your child some water and a watercolor set and encourage them to paint lines between each matching letter or to trace the letters with their paint brush.
While your child paints you can paint along too! Draw lines from the big A to the other big A. As you watch your child paint, notice which letter she is painting on and take a moment to say, “you’re painting on letter ___” Talk about the shapes of the letters and the types of lines you’ll paint as you connect the letters with lines.
Color Mixing
In addition to learning about alphabet letters, using watercolors is a great medium to help explore mixing colors with kids. Encourage the kids to mix colors and then use those colors to paint lines and letters.
The “Rules”
This painting activity is totally open-ended. There are NO RULES! If your child paints on paper and maybe says the name of one alphabet letter, we’ll call it a day. This is not a high stress activity. Kids don’t “have” to connect the alphabet letters to their matches, though some will enjoy that. Kids can paint on top, around, and underneath alphabet letters. While they are painting you can talk about the alphabet letters they are exploring and “sportscast” and say what letters they are painting on and maybe share some tidbit of info related to that alphabet letter too.
The most important thing is to keep it easy and creative though! You don't want to be sitting next to your child quizzing them on which alphabet letter matches with the other one. Just grab your own paint brush, trace the letters, draw lines between them, and PAINT!
Do you love simple alphabet activities as much as we do?
Here are 25 of our favorites!
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