The Source for Learning is proud to participate in NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child, celebrating 50 years of early learning with children, families, and educators!

Reading to young children can significantly benefit their development. Research shows that reading helps develop language and cognitive skills, stimulates imagination, enhances creativity, and cultivates empathy in young children. Each day of the week, we will present a collection of diverse books aligned to the 2021 WOYC themes and ideas for using them in the classroom with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Join us in celebrating young learners!

Thursday, April 15th

Theme: Art

Age GroupRecommended BooksIdeas

Infants

I Love Colors (Look Baby! Books)

By Margaret Miller

Learning about colors has never been so much fun—infants love looking at other infants! This colorful book shows off a rainbow of everyday things, from a sunny orange flower to purple sunglasses, and babies from diverse backgrounds.

Amazon

Put two colors of thinned-down tempera paint in clear bottles, add matching, colored pom-poms, that are safe for children under three, and glue on the lids. Invite each infant to roll and shake the bottles to mix the colors!

Toddlers & Twos

Pride Colors

By Robin Stevenson

Pride Colors uses gentle rhymes and colorful photographs depicting diverse children wearing or interacting with each color of the rainbow. This board book portrays different types of families and shares the profound message that you are free to be whoever you choose to be and you'll always be loved!

Amazon

Cover the wall with large pieces of butcher paper. Offer toddlers the colors of the rainbow and thick painter’s paintbrushes and encourage them to move their arms in large arches to paint unique rainbows on a wall mural.

Preschool/Pre-K

Red, Yellow, Blue (and a Dash of White, Too!)

By C. G. Esperanza

This book introduces the concept of color mixing with artistic, vibrant illustrations. The blue elephant and pink dinosaur inspire individuality, and children will feel reassured that the inevitable grayish/brownish color that comes from mixing too many colors can be useful, too!

Amazon

Post large pieces of butcher paper on a wall or fence outside. Offer preschoolers the specific colors mentioned in the book to mix. Give the children thick paintbrushes and encourage them to mix the same colors and paint different animals from the story to create a wall mural. Once it’s dry, write children’s dictated comments explaining what they did and paste them to the appropriate places on the mural.

Preschool/Pre-K

Luna Loves Art

By Joseph Coelho

The colorful illustrations in this story introduce a myriad of artists and their work while depicting different kinds of families by comparing art.

Amazon

Look for photos of Jeff Koon’s sculpture and the paintings mentioned in the story that Luna sees on her museum trip. Show large versions of the pictures and discuss the paintings. Ask children to explain what they see, how it makes them feel, and what they like or dislike about the artwork. Go online to the Musee d’Orsay, Paris and take a virtual museum tour with the children. Contact a local art gallery and ask the owner to take you on a tour (or virtual tour!) and explain the art.

All Ages

Mouse Paint

By Ellen Stoll Walsh

Enjoy this classic story about color and camouflage. What will happen when three white mice get into some primary-colored pots of paint?

Amazon

Cover a large table in white paper and place three pie pans filled with a mixture of tempera paint and soap. Give each child a giant white pom-pom, that is safe for children under three, to represent a mouse. Step back and watch the color mixing begin. Have a small bucket of sudsy water nearby so children can enjoy washing off the paint, too!