We criss-crossed a 'canvas' (painting 'board' from the 100 yen shop) with masking tape, and then K filled in the spaces with paint. He chose to use red, blue and green and tried not to let the same colours touch each other.
We usually do this kind of activity on the dining table, but it's difficult to do when T is around, and I don't really want K using paints in the tatami room (his Out Of T's Way room). This time we hit on one of those Why Didn't We Think Of This Before? solutions - working on the kitchen floor. Just behind K in the photo above is the little gate keeping T out of the kitchen and in the living room. K could happily work out of sight and reach of T, but I could easily see and talk to both of them and hop over the fence to spend a few minutes with each of them in turn.
So what was T doing?
Building towers.
The best thing about this little activity was the confidence-boost it gave K. When we started he repeatedly said 'I'm not good at painting'. I don't know where that came from, but as he worked he started to enjoy it more and more, ending with 'I did a good job on this, all by myself!'. Perhaps the abstract nature of the work allowed him to focus on the physical act of painting, of using a brush, without having to concern himself with what he was painting a picture of, or how best to do it.
I definitely agree that the process is more important than the product when it comes to children's art, but I was also happy to see K's pride in his work when we later peeled off the masking tape for the big reveal. Well done K.
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