Big Brush Colour Mix
What you need
- a long sheet of paper, taped to a fence or the ground
- red, yellow and blue paint on a paper plate
- two big paintbrushes
- an old shirt to paint in
How to do it
- Tape the paper to a fence or lay it flat on the ground outside, and put a blob of each colour on the plate.
- Give your child a big brush loaded with yellow and let them sweep it across the paper in long, arm-wide strokes.
- Take a brush of blue yourself and sweep across their yellow. Where the two cross, ask what colour has appeared.
- Swap colours and try red over yellow, then red over blue, naming every new colour as it shows up.
Why it matters
Big arm sweeps move the whole body, and two colours crossing on the paper make a new one right where they can see it.
What they're learning
- Big arm sweeps
- Long strokes from one side of the paper to the other.
- Naming new colours
- Green, orange, purple: named as they appear.
- Guessing what comes next
- What will blue and yellow make this time?
What to look for
Notice them aiming their stroke to cross yours, to make the new colour happen.
A tip
Washable paint and an old shirt make it easy. A sponge on a stick works as well as a brush for big strokes.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use just yellow and blue, and look for the green
Harder: ask them to guess the new colour before the brushes cross
