Step-by-Step Guidance
1. Prepare the space with a messy mat, aprons, and a clear drying area. Place paper at each place setting, with extra sheets nearby for children who want more than one.
2. Set out paint in trays or small pots. Offer a limited number of colours at first, adding more if children ask or if the space becomes crowded.
3. Arrange tools in a simple layout so each tool is easy to see and pick up. Include celery heads, forks, sponges, cardboard tubes and brushes, each with enough space to return items without mixing piles.
4. Place spring flower images where children can view them without paint splashing onto them (e.g., on a stand, wall, or a separate “look here” table). Keep the images optional rather than a template to copy.
5. Introduce the invitation briefly: name a few tools and a few flowers, and show one example of making a print without demonstrating a finished picture.
6. Support children to choose a tool and paint colour. Allow time for experimenting with single marks, repeated prints, and combining tools on one page.
7. As children work, offer language that matches what they are doing (colour words, shape words, flower names) and reflect their choices. Keep questions simple and specific.
8. Support turn-taking by offering duplicates of popular tools where possible, or by creating a clear “waiting spot” for a tool. Acknowledge feelings and help children negotiate.
9. Offer additional paper when children request it, or when they appear constrained by wanting to restart. Keep the focus on process rather than “finishing”.
10. Close the activity by helping children place work to dry and wash hands. If children want to share, invite them to point to a flower image that matches their idea, or to name their artwork in their own words.
Learning Objectives
Within Expressive Arts and Design, children may explore how different tools create different prints, textures and lines when used with paint. Within Communication and Language, children may build vocabulary by naming spring flowers and describing colours, shapes and choices. Within Physical Development, children may practise fine motor control through grasping, pressing, dabbing and brushing with a range of tools. Within Understanding the World, children may begin to connect flowers with seasons and notice that different flowers appear in spring.
Adult Role
Stay emotionally attuned by noticing children’s comfort with mess, waiting, and sensory input, and respond calmly with practical support such as wipes, a pause, or a different tool. Model language in the moment by naming spring flowers, colours and actions (press, dab, swipe, print) and by repeating children’s words back clearly. Scaffold when a child is stuck, frustrated, or unsure how to access a resource; step back when a child is absorbed in experimenting or repeating a technique. Observe tool choices, grip, pressure, and social interactions to inform what to offer next time, including whether to simplify the selection or add challenge. Hold responsibility for safe use of tools and materials, checking edges, monitoring paint use, and managing any food-allergy considerations linked to celery.
Observation Cues
Chooses between tools with a clear preference and returns to repeat a technique.
Adjusts grip, pressure or angle to change the mark made.
Uses or attempts flower names when looking at images or describing artwork.
Shows sustained attention, or moves quickly between tools and surfaces.
Manages waiting, sharing paint pots or tools, and seeks adult support when frustrated.
Communicates pride, uncertainty or sensory discomfort through facial expression, posture or gesture.
