Finger painting is fun, but finger painting with sounds is really fun. Finger painting is important for many reasons, it can help children develop a sense of creativity, foster social skills and emotional skills, it helps develop large and fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and intellectual abilities that apply to imagination. If you like finger painting but don’t like the mess, here is an app that can help with that.
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App Overview
The app was created to help very young children learn to use devices that require them to tap, drag, or manipulate a screen. It could also be a good tool for learners with sensory processing issues or ASD. They will finger paint by tapping colors and dragging them around the space provided. Each color contains a different type of music or a different sound, depending on the settings you choose.
Settings:
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Tap Play to start
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Choose Multitouch or Single Touch game play
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Choose sound options
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Play with no sound or music
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Play with just music
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Play with just sounds
Play:
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Tap the Play option
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A pop-up appears that explains how to exit the play mode
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Press OK
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Tap one of the seven color options and drag your fingers around the space to create an image
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If music or sound has been selected, each color will be accompanied with a different sound or type of music as you paint
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Double tap the upper left-hand corner of the screen to exit play mode
Options:
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Once you’ve exited play mode, several options appear
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You can clear the drawing
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Save the drawing as photo
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Return to the main Settings screen
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Tapping OK will automatically clean the image and return the player to the play mode
Instructional Ideas
- Not all teachers enjoy a good mess. This app could be used as a substitute to finger painting for teachers who don’t like mess but still want their class to enjoy the free-form creative process
- Because the app eliminates the need for touching paint, it may be a good option for learners with ASD or sensory processing issues who are sensitive to specific textures
- Give students a challenge. Tell them they need to create an image with a continuous line using three different colors
Classroom Considerations
Realistically, there is no substitute for the many positive aspects and mental processes that are activated during the process of creating art. Also, the app sounds could be considered unpleasant for some learners, so headphones are suggested.
Pros
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Provides a simple mess-free way to finger paint
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Sounds and music can be turned on or off
- Provides a sensory stimulation activity that could be good for learners with ASD
Cons
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You can’t upload original music
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The music and sound options are fairly discordant and loud
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The sounds provided may not be the best for a small classroom environment
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Only visual and audio senses are stimulated
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The app neglects social and emotional aspects that typically accompany the creative process
- The colors do not mix to create new colors when they cross or touch