Last Updated on July 18, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Looking for an easy toddler process art activity? Try painting with sensory balls!
Painting in a box lid? Tipping the box lid back and forth? Yep, that’s what this toddler painting with balls activity is all about.
And it’s fun.
Real fun!
This technique is very similar to our golf ball painting, except we use sensory balls. These types of activities involve the upper body as the children focus on not only holding the tray or box lid, but also move it back and forth to move the balls around. Our busy children especially love this activity since it involves movement.
Ready?
Toddler Process Art Using Sensory Balls
What you will need:
- Sensory balls
- Washable tempera paint
- White paper
- Trays
- Cardboard box lids (or a plastic container with sides)
Setting it up:
- Pour some paint onto a tray. We used 2 colors so we could watch them mix.
- Add the sensory balls to the tray and roll them around a bit in the paint.
- Place paper in the box lid and dip the nubby balls into the paint.
Get started!
Show your toddler how to hold the ends of the box and move it back and forth.
The ball will leave a trail of painted dots as it rolls across the paper.
It takes great concentration and hand-eye coordination to keep the ball moving back and forth, but once the children master this skill, they often want to do it over and over again.
If your toddler is having a hard time maneuvering the box lid, tongs or a large spoon can be used to move the ball around. I chose tongs for the extra fine motor challenge.
Of course, using the tongs had its own fun. Our toddlers were quite interested how they worked.
When finished, place the balls back onto the tray and remove paper to dry.
More Toddler Process Art:
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Love the use of these textured balls! So fun!