Paint like Michaelangelo

Paint like Michelangelo

Setting: Dining room, playroom or classroom

Materials:

Paint

Paper plates

Paintbrush

Towels

Water

Cups

Desk or table

Tape

Paper

Instructions:
Tape paper to the bottom of a desk or table.

      Set out paint, paintbrushes and paper plates (to act as paint pallets) and put water in cups to allow for switching colors.

     Put towels down on the floor to allow for comfort.

     Allow individual to lay down on the floor and paint upward like the famous Michelangelo ceiling.

     After have a discussion on what the children drew and why they chose to draw that specific thing.

Purpose: This is a fun way to promote emotional expression by allowing the individual to pick what they draw and colors and then having a discussion increasing their verbal ability to speak their needs and also understand their own needs and emotions. Range of motion is needed in the upper extremity in order to lift the arm upward while painting and also grasp is enhanced in use of the paintbrush and fine motor skills are used in the actual painting process and in swirling the different paint colors. Grasp and fine motor skills are needed to manipulate a pencil necessary for writing and independence in ADL’s such as dressing themselves. 

Bowker, Amy. (2012). Paint like Michaelangelo. Classroom Collective [Blog post]. Retrieved from: http://classroomcollective.tumblr.com/post/18346664496/paint-like-michaelangelo