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Paint
Tuesday, September 07, 2010 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
I work in the arts. When I brought my munchkin home, bringing music into her life was a high priority. I didn't think much more about the arts at that time (quite frankly, eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom were at the top of my to-do list). However, after a couple weeks of having her home, I decided to venture into painting. Yes, painting. With real paint (non-toxic, washhable - of course).
Painting with a newborn? Seriously? Absolutely!
The idea for attempting this was an outcome of getting formal (in the studio) pictures taken when she was 10 days old (Note: be sure to get plenty of pictures in those first days! There's nothing quite as beautiful as a newborn, and soon they will lose that newborn look as they quickly blossom into a beautiful baby). As I put the picture into a small frame, I wanted to capture more of this beautiful time. The next thing I knew, I had my hubby helping out as we placed our baby gently on a towel and began applying paint to the bottom of her teeny tiny feet. I then gently placed these little feet on a piece of canvas board. "Ta-da," - it was one of the most beautiful pieces of artwork I had seen.
Around 3-4 months, as her little fingers began to open and she began to explore, I introduced that paint once again. This time, she was propped up and I held a small artist canvas board out in front her. I moved her hand across the paint. She smiled and seemed to enjoy the sensory experience. It was only a few minutes of an activity. Be sure to have a warm wash cloth ready, and don't freak - as I did - if your munchkin tries to put their hand into their mouth. After all, a baby's natural way to learn is through sensory exploration via their mouth. The artwork that was the outcome will be treasured forever.
I've continued painting with my kiddo. She's now big enough that she doesn't attempt to eat the paint and is even starting to use a paintbrush.
There are many benefits when it comes to painting with babies. These include providing appropriate sensory explorations and supporting fine motor development. These are great outcomes. Still, my favorite is capturing her development and celebrating it each and every day as I look at it hung on the wall.
Have you tried painting with your munchkin?
Enjoy!
