Paper Bag Ghost

What you need

• a paper bag
• white paint
• a dab of black paint

How to do it

1. Lay a paper bag flat on a tray or an old sheet of newspaper.
2. Squeeze a little white paint onto the bag and show your toddler how to dab it about with a fingertip.
3. Let them cover as much of the bag as they want.
4. Dab two black dots for eyes with your own fingertip.
5. Once the paint is dry, slip your hand inside and make the ghost wave hello.

Why it matters

Dabbing paint with a fingertip is a small, careful movement, and turning the bag into a ghost they can wave about shows them their marks can make something.

What they're learning

Finger control

Dabbing with one finger at a time works the finger isolation used later for pointing, poking and holding a crayon.

Creative confidence

Seeing their own paint turn into a ghost shows them what their marks can become.

Pretend play

Waving the finished ghost and saying hello is early make-believe, the start of playing out little stories.

What to look for

Notice whether they dab with one finger or press the whole hand flat. Both make a ghost.

A tip

Washable paint and rolled-up sleeves. A patchy ghost looks even more like a ghost.

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