Printing Fun

As a teacher, I’ve always been interested in the balance between process and product in art activities. Is it better to carefully prepare everything so that every child gets a picture that is a pleasure to look at and whose subject matter is obvious, or should we give children a choice of materials and let them experiment before carefully asking what it is?

As a parent, I’ve found this question even more significant. While it is lovely to get a gift or picture which looks almost professional, I would much rather have a stick person with one leg longer than the other and a crooked smile hanging on my wall and know that my son has spent time sitting getting the spiky hair just to his liking!

Personally, I am much more interested in process and allowing children to develop their skills by selecting and testing. However, process can be achieved within boundaries, which is the purpose of this craft.

Printing is always a fascinating medium for children to explore, and it is a quick activity to set up when you suddenly need to fill some time.

Materials:

• Paint (I usually give a choice of three colours)
• Paper (I prefer to use A3 so they have more space)
• A variety of boxes, lids, pieces of card, etc.
• A plate or tray for the paint that is large enough to be used with your printing items

Instructions:

1. Pour some paint onto a plate or tray (or different colours onto different plates)
2. Offer the children a few different items to print with. If they are unsure, you could make your own picture beside them. See the photos for ideas.
3. It does not matter how children use the items; the purpose of the activity is to explore. While my sons were making their pictures, I made a boat and tractor picture, which inspired my five-year-old to turn his picture into a fire engine.

Karen is originally from Scotland and now lives in Zurich with her husband and two sons. She is a qualified primary school teacher and now runs her own tutoring business, Smart Owls, offering English tuition for children and workshops for different age groups. More information can be found at smartowls.wordpress.com.