Scratch Painting with Preschoolers

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

09 Oct 2008 05:05 AM

Here is a great rainy day activity that you can do with your preschooler. Not only is it fun, but it can be educational, too. Preschoolers can be creative, practice letters and numbers and learn how to hold a pencil. Plus, you'll have some great artwork to hang on the refrigerator or send to the grandparents.

The idea of scratch painting is simple. You start with a blank surface that is usually black, although it doesn't have to be. Your child takes an implement, such as a stylus or dull pencil (although anything with a bit of an edge or point would work, such as a plastic fork, a ball pen that no longer works, even a twig) and uses it to create lines, shapes, letters, etc. Underneath the top layer are bright colors that come out when the top solid surface is scratched.

Today, you an buy specially made paper and kits sold by the Crayola company under its Color Wonder line of products. These papers work very well, but they can get expensive after a while. If you want to put in a little effort, you can do what we did as children before these special papers were available and make them yourself. You can also enlist the help of your preschooler, and this will be a learning experience, too.

Take a piece of white paper and some crayons. Choose bright colors for your base, such as red, yellow, orange, etc. With a firm pressure, color areas of the paper. You want to saturate the areas well with color. Don't worry about being too neat or having a pattern, just form solid blocks of color any way that you like.

Next, brush off any crayon crumbs that might be on the paper to create as smooth a surface as possible. Take a black or other dark crayon and completely cover the surface and make all of the colors completely hidden. Crayola crayons work well for this. Other brands that have waxy crayons may not cover as well. Again, you want a nice thick layer on the paper.

When your child draws on the surface with one of the implements mentioned above, it will remove the black crayon and reveal a bright rainbow underneath that will color her drawings.

Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.

The Power of Finger Paint

Free Kids Activities at Lowes

Field Trip Tips

Creating a Rich Environment for Kids

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger