3-D Art

This post is authored by Anna Reyner, a registered art therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist. Anna is a nationally recognized arts advocate that has conducted over 500 hands-on art workshops for learners of all abilities. Follow Anna’s blog at Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education.

Potential Special Needs Application:

Enhances motor planning and visual motor skills.

Long Beach Day Nursery has many creative art ideas for early childhood classrooms that I could hardly decide which one to share with you first.

This 3-D Art Display was my favorite because it takes an important developmental skill (spatial relations development) and makes it easy, affordable, and fun for children of all ages and ability levels to exercise visual thinking skills. Plus the end results look great!

Simply take strips of colored construction paper and apply Tacky Glue with craft sticks to each end, then press down on both ends to create dimension. This idea makes a unique bulletin board for classrooms and hallways, as the colored paper loops "pop out" to draw in curious viewers.

Thanks to Amy Bigelow, Program Director at Long Beach Day Nursery in Long Beach, California, for sharing many creative ideas from her talented teachers. More to come, soon!