Veronika loves cars and trucks and all things that go, so today we had fun making prints that look just like wheels, then turning the prints into little vehicles. The perfect tool for the job? Spools!

You can use empty thread spools, or wooden ones from the craft store. I set out a paper plate with a few different colors of paint, along with sheets of craft paper and some of the spools.

I showed Veronika how to dip the end of the cylindrical spool into the paint, then press onto paper.  At first she just loved that this was a way to make dot paintings.

Next I showed her that if we drew marker shapes around a few of the dots… they looked just like wheels!

We made a bus and lots of silly little cars.

She soon decided she wanted to use marker to draw more cars. What else might the circular spool prints turn into? Please share your toddler’s creation in the comments!