Preschoolers love to express themselves, and finger painting is one of the easiest ways for children to do so. While children may struggle to control paintbrushes, when they paint with their fingers they can create any shapes and designs they envision. To support this creative expression, children should be allowed to finger paint without any directions or requirements about what to paint. Preschoolers who paint exactly what they want to will feel proud of their work.
All children require sensory input. Children get this input from activities such as jumping on a trampoline, pushing a laundry basket full of clothes down a hallway or finger painting. The squishy, wet feeling of finger painting can even help settle down agitated children. Children who are bothered by different textures can also benefit from finger painting as it helps them get used to textures. Since each child has different needs, each preschooler should be allowed to paint however she wants. Some children will only stick one finger in the paint while others will coat both palms with it.
By the time they begin kindergarten, children should be able to identify and name all the colors. Finger painting is a way for children to not only use color, but learn how primary colors mix together to create other shades. Preschoolers should be provided with several different colors of finger paint and allowed to mix them up. Children should also be provided with several colors of paper so they can explore the effects of different color paint on all the shades of paper.
Young children learn through exploration and trial and error and finger paints provide an ideal opportunity for exploration. Give preschoolers a variety of substances that they can experiment with such as sponges, craft sticks and feathers. Children can drag these through the finger paints or use them like stamps by coating them with paint and pressing them onto paper.