Last Updated on December 13, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: This toddler Christmas tree art is an easy way to work on fine motor skills. Plus, it looks festive hanging on the wall!
Have you discovered how toddlers love to dip paper tubes into paint and make prints?
After doing paper tube printing for many years, I realized it’s the up and down motion that they love.
After all, toddlers love to move, even at the art table!
For the Christmas season I decided to use this method on simple tree shaped paper.
The children loved “putting the lights on the tree” as they stamped colorful circles on their green triangles!
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know how I love a good fine motor activity.
For my younger students, I especially appreciate anything that offers larger movements.
Any time I invite my students to use paper tubes, it’s a hit.
They can use their entire palm to grasp the tube, then use their entire arm and shoulder to move the tube up and down, over and over.
See all of our Christmas fine motor activities here.
Normally we recycle paper tubes for these types of activities, but in this case someone had donated a huge box of white craft tubes to our preschool and I used those.
But recycling paper tubes is so easy, so make sure to save some for activities such as this!
Related: 10+ Ways to Use Paper Tubes
Speaking of recycled products, see that white plastic square tray in the above photo?
That’s recycled!
I get more messages asking about those than just about anything else.
They were also donated to our preschool and appear to have been some sort of packaging.
We have used them countless times for so many things!
Related: Recycled Crafts for Preschoolers
So, let me show you just how easy it is to make this toddler Christmas tree art!
Toddler Christmas Tree Art
Supplies:
- Green construction paper
- Brown construction paper
- Paper tubes
- White glue or glue stick
- Tempera paint, assorted colors
Preparation:
- Cut green paper into long triangles
- Cut brown paper into small squares (trunks for the trees)
- Glue the trunks to the bottom center of each tree
- Pour several different colors of paint into each tray
In the above photo you will notice that I covered the entire table with paper.
I do this with action art because often toddlers will want to keep on going, in this case right off of the trees and onto the yellow paper.
When I don’t cover the table, I use individual trays, one for each child.
Invitation to Create:
Activities such as this toddler Christmas tree art don’t need a lot of directions.
Simply show them how to dip the end of the paper tube into the paint and then onto the tree.
See how the palm is covering the top of the tube?
This is why I love using paper tubes with young children.
They are easy for smaller hands to hold!
Since the tubes are easy to hold and move, there is no frustration.
As toddlers build fine motor strength, they might hold the tube from the side, as shown below.
Some toddlers might go back and forth, from using the palm to holding onto the sides of the tube.
Since our art table is set up during centers time, children can come and go as they wish.
And since our centers time is an hour long, there is no rush.
Related: How I Manage Our Art Center
And that’s it!
I told you it was simple!
Once dry, these look so cute as a wall display. (I actually taped some to our windows, too!)
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