Painting is much more than just a simple activity. Painting is a way for children to do many important things: convey ideas, express emotion, use their senses, explore color, explore process and outcomes, and create aesthetically pleasing works and experiences.

Children form many connections and ideas of how the painting process works for them, as well as what they enjoy about it. Watch a child painting and you will see a fully engaged child. We can almost see children’s thoughts, such as, “When I push my brush flat, my line gets bigger”, or “I like stirring this, but I don’t want to put it on paper or touch it”, or “I mixed red with more red and orange, and got fire color red!” To continue with our Ten Apples Up On Top theme, we painted with apples! Using corn skewers, apples, and paper, we practiced dipping our apples into paint and creating our very own apple prints!