Early years activity: Look what I can do

This July, we mark Disability Pride Month with a simple, sensory printing activity using paint and paper. Children make prints with their hands, feet, elbows, fingers, fists, feet, knees, choosing for themselves how their body meets the page. The resulting display celebrates the fact that there is no single right way for a body to work and that every child’s way is worth celebrating. 

Look what I can do learning aims

• Body awareness and pride 
• To view difference as a strength 
• Agency, choice, the child’s ‘voice’. 

Resources you will need for this activity

• Washable paint in shallow trays – wide enough for a foot as well as a hand 
• Large paper - one A3 sheet per child or a long roll or joined sheets for the shared display 
• Wet wipes and a washing bowl – having these nearby reassures those children cautious about having sticky fingers/hands. 

Look what I can do activity outline

1. Lay out shallow trays of washable paint in several colours, alongside large sheets of paper or one long roll. Have wipes, towels and a washing station close by 
2. Invite children to mark the paper in whatever way they like – hand, finger, elbow, foot, knee, forearm etc 
3. Educators to narrate what they see without direction. “Priya made dots with one finger”, “That’s Theo’s elbow. Nobody else has an elbow just like that.” Celebrate every mark, there is no ‘correct’ way to make your mark. 

Adaptations: 

4. For children with limited hand function, offer a hand mitt so they can make full arm movements rather than grip 
5. Position the paper on a wall for children in wheelchairs to access more easily 
6. For children who find group work overwhelming, children can be supported by an educator in a quieter area, and their work can be placed with the groups later. 

Finished piece 

7. Encourage children to point out/share their contributions. Educator can scribe what the children say about their piece of work and their words attached to the finished artwork. 

How to extend this activity

Send each child home with a photo of their art piece and a short note: “Ask me how I made my mark! Can you make one together at home, maybe with a different part of your body?” Invite families to bring their home prints back to add to the display, widening the celebration to include the whole community, and modelling that everybody in every family is worth celebrating.

NDNA products to support you with this activity

Autism Awareness - Live virtual classroom
The role of the SENCo - Live virtual classroom
Championing SEND - Training

Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.