This month we explored shapes. A shape is an outline of an object. We can find shapes all around us in our homes, in the car or even when we’re walking outside. What shapes do you know? Use your finger to draw a circle, triangle and a square in the air.
Artists use all kinds of shapes to create art. Take a look at this painting by Albert Eugene Gallatin. This artwork is an example of abstract art. Abstract art is art that doesn’t look like anything we see in real life. It uses lines, shapes and colors to express feelings. What shapes can you find in the painting?
Now it’s your turn. Let’s create art by tracing shapes.
For this activity, you will need:
- paper
- washable markers, crayons or colored pencils
- a variety of objects with different shapes, such as toys, kitchen utensils or things outside
To trace your shapes:
- Cover your work surface for easy clean-up.
- Place the paper on your covered surface. Have your toddler find objects with different shapes around the house or outside. The more shapes, the better.
- Place one object at a time on the paper. Using a crayon, marker or colored pencil, trace the shape of each object on different parts of your paper. You can overlap shapes and colors to create your own colorful composition.
- Once finished, admire your work of art.
