It was raining cats and dogs and we’d already read a stack of books and watched more PBS kids than I care to admit when I decided to steal this idea from my own preschool teachers Fran and Gumti. I loved it when they would roll out the paper and we could choose one of the plastic baby dolls to “walk” along it leaving prints. This painting with dolls activity is timeless because many decades later my daughter loved it. This is also a great adaptation for painting with kids feet if a child doesn’t want to use their own feet. Many kids hate the feeling of getting paint on their feet so having an option of doing it with a doll instead is a way to include everyone.
Gather your materials. You will need some dolls with plastic feet, a long roll of paper ( if you have extra wrapping paper you can use the inside of it), liquid tempra, some painter’s tape, a towel that can get paint on it, a paper plate or two, and a shallow bowl with soapy water.
Tape your paper down. Strip the dolls down and get the water and towel ready at the end of the paper.
Dip the dolly’s feet in the paint.
Walk the dolly across the paper.
Wash and dry and grab a new dolly.
She had to hold this dolly differently and it required much more concentration to keep her upright.
She loved cleaning their feet and pretending to be a mama.
After two dolls she asked for a brush and painted. That is what I love about doing planned activities, they almost always end in a new kid directed one as an add on. If I suggested painting to her she wouldn’t have done it but to just let her add on to this she did. Do what works for your kids but this always have for mine.
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Corduroy by Don Freeman was a childhood favorite of mine and my son loves it too. The story is about a lonely bear at a department store who despite being a little disheveled finds a forever home with a kind little girl who needs him as much as he needs her. There are so many levels to this book, as a child I remember being awed by the thought of toys coming alive in stores when the doors are locked and the shoppers leave. As an adult I see this as a touching adoption story . My son loves the escalators Corduroy travels on in the store ! This is another book that has lasting power and can be read for years in your home.
The Paper Princess (Picture Puffins) by Elisa Klevin was a big hit with my son. The story is about a paper princess who while being drawn by a little girl is lifted into the air and her adventure begins. As she tries to find her way back to her little girl she meets challenges and friends along the way. I really love that the paper princess changes as she faces these obstacles and my favorite bit is that we shouldn’t crumple up a paper just because we make a mistake. As my son read that I hoped that he’d take it to heart and know I am not the only parent of a perfectionist child who needs all the help they can get to deliver that message. Imperfection is not a flaw and this book shows us that in subtle ways page after page. A true gem of a book and a great princess option with true inner beauty.
The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright Do you remember this book from your own childhood? I do. I remember that my parents refused to buy it because they found it creepy and I would seek it out at the library all the time. The reason they and many other people think it’s creepy is because it is. But just because we see it as creepy doesn’t mean a child will. I didn’t until I was looking at it through adult eyes. Edith ( also my grandmother’s name so it was a big connection for me as a child) is a spoiled but lonely doll who prays for friends, and along come some bears. The father bear is very much a father figure to her and even disciplines her with spanking. Now I think this is why my parents refused the book because they were not fond of spanking either. Even as a child I found the father bear to be creepy . Still this book is loved by many. You should check it out at the library and see for yourself.