I once saw a photo in Nursery World of an orange baby. It was in an article about an activity a nursery had been doing with paint. I was supposed to think it looked wonderful fun, but, as a parent and practitioner (and daughter of an NNEB nursery nurse!), I couldn't help questioning the activity on three levels.
One, what did the child gain from being covered in paint? Two, does the EYFS stipulate that creative play has to be this extreme? Three, do parents want us to strip their babies and encourage them to get covered in paint?
From talking to parents, I've discovered that some love this sort of play, because they feel it absolves them from painting at home. Some are indifferent - they're not going to complain, but wouldn't feel a child's care was lacking without such activities. Others aren't keen - they don't even like paint getting on clothes, let alone in inappropriate places!
The Creative Development - Exploring Media and Materials section for 8-20 months states: 'Explore and experiment with a range of media using whole body'. Does this mean covering the child's whole body in the media? The planning example is 'place big sheets of plastic or paper on the floor so that babies can be near or crawl on to it to make marks ... '.
The intention is to move away from old-fashioned two-dimensional play and ensure that babies are given opportunities to explore textures, express themselves and experiment with mark-making in a physical way. However, I believe it's wrong to assume that all parents will welcome an extraordinary level of bodily involvement.
And what of the child? Being stripped, sat or laid in paint, then wiped down (few nurseries have access to baths) might be fun to some, but frightening or stressful for others. Will they actually learn any more than they would have done by painting with hands and feet?
There is also the possibility that we're creating confusion for children. If we encourage them to roll around in paint, how can we expect them not to paint the floor or walls? Children cannot understand different contexts in the way adults can.
I'm not criticising the use of paint with babies (though doubtless some will accuse me of being unnecessarily boring!). However, I believe we can satisfy the EYFS and allow babies great joy in investigating and experimenting with paint, without necessarily turning them orange.
- Saffia Farr is a director and manager of Bristol Childcare, a family-run nursery group established for 39 years. She has three young children and writes on parenting issues at www.saffiafarr.com