Last Updated on October 20, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Put together an easy toddler Christmas art activity using a salad spinner. This process art activity is pure fun and can be used as an ornament, too!
Toddler spin art is a favorite around here, and we welcome it even more at Christmas when so many projects tend to get crafty.
You saw how we made spin art Christmas trees.
Each year we wonder if these children will love spin art as much as last year’s class did. The answer is always YES. They love it because it’s sort of magical.
You place this piece of paper into a container. You squirt paint into it.
You make the container spin. You open it up and wow! You see colors mixed and splattered everywhere!
For those of you who aren’t keen on messes, you will really appreciate this activity. The paint splatters are contained in the salad spinner. When the activity is completed, just place the container in the sink and wash.
Oh, and preschoolers will love this activity, too!
If you’ve been following Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds for awhile, you know how much we love using a salad spinner at the art table all year long!
Here are some favorites:
Super Easy Toddler Christmas Art Using a Spinner
What you will need for this activity:
Setting it up:
Cut the paper into any ornament shape you wish. Punch a hole in the top. Pour paint into squeeze bottles.
The process:
Place the ornament-shaped paper into the salad spinner.
Let your little artist squeeze the paint onto the paper.
While some might hesitate handing over a bottle of paint to a toddler, the squeezing is an important fine motor activity that gets the hands ready for future writing.
Yes, you will need to pull that bottle away or your child will squirt the entire contents onto it. Trust me on this.
Once the paint is on the paper, put the lid on the spinner and show your child how to make the spinner move.
Watch the eyes light up when this happens!
While it’s spinning, show your child the side view of the salad spinner. Paint is mixing!
As the lid is lifted, there are more wide-eyes. Look at what happened during the process!
Adding the glitter (optional):
Have some sort of tray or box lid handy. Place the painted paper into it for the glitter. Toddlers LOVE to shake. You can use the container your glitter came in, or transfer it into a salt shaker or a parmesan cheese shaker.
Once it’s dry, add ribbon and hang on the tree!
More Christmas activities:
Toddler and Preschool Christmas Cooking Ideas
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