Montessori Art Appreciation for Toddlers

This study on art will capture your child's imagination and begin to build their love for art appreciation. This study includes hands-on Montessori art activities for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy. 

Matching Art Activity

This printable is from - I Believe in Montessori: Big and Small Paintings Montessori Matching Cards. Little Bee always enjoys matching games and this was a fun one for him because he was able to closely examine each large and small painting to find its match. 

Color Mixing

There are so many fun ways to learn about color mixing. Little Bee and I have enjoyed several color mixing activities already - including mixing colors (finger paints) in a sandwich bag. Please visit - Fun Color Learning Activities for Toddlers and 25 Fabulous Color Mixing Activities.

This folded butterfly color mixing activity and printable was inspired from - Making Montessori Ours: Elements of Art - Color Mixing Butterflies. Little Bee enjoyed color mixing three out of the four butterflies. He created pink, purple, and orange butterflies by blotting the recommended colors on each side of the wings and then folding it in half.

Art Books for Kids

Here is a list of three art books that we really enjoy and recommend. Pantone Colors is a lovely book that displays bright pages of color variations. There are nine basic colors and twenty shades of each color. This helps a child learn that there are light, dark, and medium tones to each color. This book will work nicely with the Montessori color box 3 and this fun extension exercise.  The next book is Usborne The Children's Book of Art. This book has over thirty beautiful works of art from some of the best-known artists. It describes a brief history of art and gives facts about the artists. This is a wonderful book for introducing art to young children. The last book is Vincent's Colors and this book contains gorgeous art photos with descriptions written by Vincent Van Gogh about his paintings. The narrative is arranged as a rhyme and is simple to read yet descriptively beautiful. 

Matching Art to Artists

This activity includes a printable from - I Believe in Montessori: Famous Artists 3-part Cards and also art sticker books from Amazon. I mounted the art stickers onto cardstock paper and then laminated the stickers. I decided to match the art stickers to the artists by color. I made Vincent Van Gogh with a green background and Claude Monet with a purple background. Little Bee matched the art to the artist by coordinating the colors. This is a beginning art exercise for Little Bee and a fun way for him to gain exposure to some of the great artists. 

Montessori Color Box 2 Extension

Little Bee loves to work with his Montessori Color Box 2. For an explanation of how to present the color tablets, please visit - Montessori Album: Color Box 2. The work pictured below is an extension exercise using the color tablets. I cut out a sheet of colored construction paper for each color in the color box and wrote the name of the color on the paper. This helps Little Bee to become familiar with the written name of the color and is a wonderful pre-reading activity. Another option is to write the names of the colors in various languages to enhance the learning and bring it to another level.

Examination of Art

I love the look of concentration on Little Bee's face in these last sets of photos. I gave him a pile of famous art to look at and examine. I didn't realize that he would be so captivated by these masterpieces, but he was completely enthralled with the tiny details of each painting. This printable is from - I Believe in Montessori: Famous Paintings Matching Cards.

This may seem like a simple activity, however, it's important to remember that these young minds are like sponges. This simple exposure to art for Little Bee at such a young age will become a part of him. I love to see him absorbing the beauty of art!

Montessori Art Inspired by Nature (Free Printables) ~ Natural Beach Living

5 Great Ancient Civilizations: Art & Architecture (Activities & Free Printables) ~ The Natural Homeschool

Art Postcards: Montessori Art Appreciation for a Variety of Ages ~ Living Montessori Now

Our Montessori Art Environment ~ Planting Peas

DIY Art Cards for Montessori Learning ~ The Kavanaugh Report

Montessori Art Appreciation for Toddlers ~ Mama’s Happy Hive

Explore Writing Materials with Kids ~ Child Led Life

Preparing Children for Their First Fine Arts Experience ~ Every Star is Different

Our Montessori Art Program ~ Grace and Green Pastures

10 Art Essentials for Kids ~ Study at Home Mama

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