Masking Tape Resist Painting

I mixed up our usual painting routine by giving L and E (3 years old) some painters tape and creating tape-resist artwork.  It's really easy to do and produces neat results.  The tape (both sticking it on and peeling it off) added some new fine motor-skills practice, and the girls had a great time..

I handed them pieces of tape one at a time to adhere to their papers.  Soon they began requesting pieces of certain lengths (short/long).  I only told them to stick their tape to the paper, and did not provide any additional advice.  It was really interesting to observe that both girls (without seeing each others work) placed the tape pieces horizontally in a very similar pattern.

Then they painted over the tape:

L mixed her colors right away in her paint palette, while E mixed them on her paper.  We did some other activities while the paint dried.  Soon it was time to peel the tape off.  I started peeling the edge of each piece of tape so the girls would have an easier time grasping it.

Their finished masterpieces:

I thought this activity was more appropriate for the preschool age-group than sticker-resist painting (the large strips of painter's tape were a lot easier to peel off than stickers), and we'll be adding this one to our rotation of art activities.