Finger Paint Fruit

from 12 months · 10-15 min · Fine motor

What you need

Draw three big fruit outlines on the paper: an apple, a banana and an orange.
Tape the paper flat on a tray or the floor and put a blob of each colour on the plate.
Dip a finger in the red and dab it inside the apple, saying "red for the apple".
Let them fill the fruit however they like, inside or outside the lines.
Look at the finished fruit and name each one together.

Fingers are the easiest paintbrush there is, and the fruit gives them something real to colour in.

Pointing finger: Dabbing with one finger is the same movement they use to point and press buttons.
Making marks: Each dab is a mark they made, right there on the page.
Naming colours and fruit: Red apple, yellow banana: two kinds of word in one go.

Watch whether they stay inside the lines or paint everywhere. At this age paint everywhere is exactly right.

Use washable paint and have a wet cloth ready. A painted finger heads straight for the mouth, so stay close.

Easier: draw just one big apple and use one colour

Harder: add a pear and a grape and see which colour they pick for each