Toddler Tuesday this month focused on love. Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates the people we love. There are many works of art in the museum that capture special moments and feelings of love.
Take a close look at Mary Cassatt’s study for her painting “The Sun Bath.” What do you see? The artist was known for painting pictures of mothers and children. How can we show people that we love them?
Now it’s your turn to show some love!
For this activity, you will need:
- 6 x 6-inch canvas board or piece of cardstock
- thinner paper (any color)
- scissors
- pencil
- washable paint
- plate or something else to use as a palette
- cotton swabs
- protective table covering (plastic tablecloth or newspaper)
- wet wipes or damp cloths for quick cleanups
To create your painted heart:
- Cover your work surface for easy clean-up.
- Fold your thinner piece of paper in half.
- Draw half of a large heart on the folded edge of the paper. Use scissors to cut it out, and set the heart aside. If your toddler is old enough, they can practice with scissors.
- Unfold your piece of paper, which now has a heart-shaped cutout or stencil, and place it on top of the canvas or cardstock.
- Squeeze red, pink and purple paint onto a plate or piece of paper.
- Show your little one how to dip cotton swabs into the paint, then press them inside the heart cutout. Fill the shape with different colored dots.
- Remove the heart stencil from your canvas or cardstock.
- Let the paint dry, and write your little artist’s name near the heart. Have them give their work of art to someone they love.
