Fun Occupational Therapy Painting Activity

This week I tried another activity that turned out to be a big hit with my students, as well as their parents! To get started, you will need a set of finger paints, a small canvas, a small paint brush, and a spray bottle of water.

Have the child finger paint on the canvas, covering as much as the surface as possible. (I placed the canvas on a vertical surface while the children painted.) This was a great tactile experience! Be sure that the child covers the edges of the canvas as well as the front. You can work on finger isolation, having the child point with their index finger to paint the narrow edges.

Once the surface is covered, have the child mist the canvas lightly with water. You can place the canvas flat, or keep it horizontal. (Squeezing the spray bottle is great for hand strength. You could also clean the blackboards while you're at it!) Allow the painting to dry completely. Once it's dry, take the paint brush and paint the child's hand completely with a contrasting color. Then have the child press their hand against the canvas. You now have a sweet piece of artwork that any parent would be excited to hang on their wall! Fun, fun!!!

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