Child Care Creation: Understanding The Fundamentals

The child day care center is the perfect place for kids to get creative. Yes, you signed your child up for daycare because you needed someone to watch her while you're at work or at school, but day care has a lot more benefits than just for you. Your child is learning while she's at the center, too. Along with reading, math, science and social studies, your child is also using her imagination during artsy activities.

If your kiddo enjoys getting crafty at her child day care center, you can continue the learning at home. How? Don't worry if you aren't exactly a Picasso or if you haven't taken an art class since you were in preschool. These activities are easy for any parent to do with their young child at home.

Multi-Media Collage

The word "multi-media" might sound super-artsy, but it really just means that you're using several different types of media — or art materials.

Gather together the scraps that you have left over from all of those other projects your child does. This can include felt, craft foam, construction paper, newsprint, magazine pieces, yarn, paint, crayons, glue, glitter, and anything else your child wants to use (and that you have at home already).

Cut a piece of cardboard from an old box, reusing it and transforming it into a new art item. Give your child the chance to get as creative as she wants, layering paper and overlapping the edges, gluing glitter onto the board or painting over the entire collage artwork.

Clay Paint

Instead of getting out those messy finger paints, try this easy art activity instead. Finger painting is fun, of course, but there are times when it just isn't practical. If you don't have time to finger paint, simply pull apart soft modeling clay into dime-sized pieces. Your child can spread the different colors of clay onto poster board, cardboard or card stock paper — using a finger painting motion.

This activity helps your child build fine motor skills while she's getting crafty. She can layer the clay next to each other, creating marks that look like brushstrokes. Depending on what your child wants to make, she can try an abstract design (playing with colors) or something that looks more like a picture.

Shape Tracing

Extend the art lesson and pull math into the picture. Cut simple geometric shapes (such as triangles, circles and squares) from cardboard. Have your child trace these onto paper using markers, pencils or crayons. Make sure that she names the shapes as she traces. She can also combine shapes to make a bigger picture. For example, a square with a triangle on top is a house.

Take what your little learner is doing at her child day care center home with an art activity or two. From collage and clay painting to making math art with shapes, your child can learn, grow and develop with the help of a few creative crafts.

For more ideas, talk with the teachers at your local day care center, such as Carousel Of Learning Pre-School & Nursery.