Babies learn from the world around them. It is important to fill their world with art by playing, building, and creating. Engaging babies in art activities can be a wonderful way to stimulate their senses, promote sensory exploration, and foster early creativity. Here are some age-appropriate art activities for babies:
1. Finger Painting: Use non-toxic, washable finger paints and large sheets of paper or cardboard. Allow your baby to explore the paints with their hands and fingers, smearing and spreading the colors across the paper. This tactile experience encourages sensory exploration and introduces them to the concept of cause and effect.

2. Sensory Bags: Create sensory bags by filling sealable plastic bags with safe materials such as colored gel, water, or hair gel. Add small objects like beads, buttons, or sequins for visual and tactile stimulation. Seal the bags tightly and tape them to a flat surface for your baby to press, squish, and explore.
3. Texture Collage: Collect a variety of textured materials such as fabric scraps, tissue paper, cotton balls, feathers, and textured paper. Glue these materials onto a large piece of cardboard or poster board to create a sensory collage. Allow your baby to touch and explore the different textures as they interact with the collage.
4. Edible Art: Create edible art activities using safe and baby-friendly materials such as mashed fruits and vegetables, yogurt, or cooked pasta. Offer these materials on a high chair tray or a plastic mat and let your baby explore the textures and colors with their hands and mouth.
5. Exploring with Safe Objects: Provide your baby with safe and age-appropriate objects such as wooden blocks, plastic toys, or soft balls. Encourage them to stack, sort, and manipulate the objects in different ways, promoting fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
6. Music and Movement: Incorporate music and movement into your baby’s art experiences by dancing together with colorful scarves or ribbons, playing musical instruments like shakers or drums, or creating simple sensory bottles filled with colored water and glitter to shake and observe.
7. Outdoor Art: Take your baby outdoors to explore nature and engage in sensory-rich art experiences such as exploring grass, leaves, flowers, and sand. Allow them to touch, feel, and observe the natural materials around them, fostering a connection to the natural world.
8. Mess-Free Art: Explore mess-free art options such as water painting on a chalkboard or easel, using water-filled spray bottles to create art on pavement or walls, or using washable markers on large sheets of paper taped to the floor for your baby to crawl and scribble on.
Remember to always supervise your baby closely during art activities, especially when using small objects or materials that could pose a choking hazard. With these engaging and age-appropriate art activities, you can provide your baby with opportunities for sensory exploration, creativity, and playful learning from an early age.
