Wheels in Paint Tracks

Your toddler dips toy wheels in a little paint and rolls them across a big sheet of paper, making tracks and lines to explore how the wheels move.

How to do it

1. Tape a big sheet of paper to the floor or a low table and put on old clothes.
2. Spoon a little washable paint into a shallow tray.
3. Show your toddler how to roll the wheels through the paint and across the paper.
4. Hand over the wheeled toy and let them roll it freely to make their own tracks.
5. When they are done, set the paper aside to dry and wash hands and wheels together.

What you need

• Paper
• Washable paint
• Tray
• Wheeled toy
• Tape

Make it yours

Younger, 12-15 months: Use just one wheeled toy and a dab of paint, expecting lots of hand exploration, and keep it to a short 5-10 minute burst before attention fades. Older, 2-3 years: Offer two or three vehicles with different wheels to compare the tracks. Lower-intensity (less mess, calmer): Skip the paint and roll dry wheels over a paper dusted with a little flour, or roll wheels through water on a tray so the tracks show and dry away, giving a child who dislikes sticky, messy textures the same track-making without the paint. Siblings: Give each child a sheet and their own paint tray. Sensory note for parents: This is a messy, tactile activity: expect painty hands, and plan for clean-up. Keep single sessions short for the youngest.