Simple art activities for toddlers using minimal art supplies?

I need some simple art activities for toddlers...I work at a daycare. And the director only wants us to basically use crayons, markers, or paint and paper. We can't use patterns or anything like that. She said, we can draw on a piece of paper something for them to draw, but it cant be printed out on the computer. I cannot draw worth anything, and I get so frustrated when I try. I need some ideas. Some of the themes I am wanting to do is farming, thanksgiving and turkeys, sharing and manners. We have to do some kind of art activity everyday with the kids. Anyone have any ideas for me?

Simple art activities for toddlers using minimal art supplies?
She doesn't want dittos but she will let you present a model of what you want? Toddlers are supposed to copy something you draw? I don't use dittos, ever, and I don't present a model of what something is supposed to look like.





Coloring you can change up with different mediums....crayons, markers, use skinny crayons, fat crayons, skinny markers, fat markers, the chubby colored pencils, change the type of paper....color on tagboard, manila folders, big roll type paper, construction paper.





Finger paint, watercolors, tempra........use fingers, sponges, thin brushes, thick brushes, rags, etc. Change the types of paper, paint, method of application.





I will cut out the pieces of something and they get to assemble it, we did trees and I cut out trunks and leaves and they glued them wherever they wanted to on a sheet of paper......those are fun, we got trees with two trunks and no leaves, trees with tons of leaves, trees with leaves that grow on the bottom not the top, etc. That is usually not a problem.





Let them paint glue on paper and then sprinkle it with glitter, Put paint in a cup and toss in a couple of big ball bearings.....put a sheet of paper in a dishpan, drop the ball bearings in and let the kids roll them around (supervised with assistance of course) to make paintings.





Shaving cream, you can add paint to it....or food coloring, let them use brushes or little people or cars with it.





You can make a turkey, then cut out large "feathers" and let the kids paint them, or glue on glitter or feathers and then create the overall turkey. Thanksgiving is going to fly way over their heads, I would skip that. Sharing.....all you have to do is talk a lot about taking turns, take a bin of dinosaurs......oh look , I have a whole bin of dinosaurs, I am going to share my dinosaurs.......I am going to share my dinosaurs and give Ethan two of my dinosaurs. Role model what you want from them. Manners.....yes please, no thank you are the big ones for toddlers.
Reply:have them use their hands to make turkeys!





Use the crayons for them to trace their hand.





the four fingers are feathers and the thumb is the neck and head.





Then have them use the crayons to decorate and color their turkey anyway they want.





You can help them trace their hand. The parents will love it.
Reply:it is the perfect time of year to do "rubbings" of leaves


put the leaf under the paper and use the crayon long ways to rub over the leaf and it will leave an imprint of the leaf and the texture which is really fun
Reply:Finger painting!


It's messy, but toddlers love it.
Reply:Kids that age are really too young for crafts, especially trying to copy something that you've drawn. Wait until they're older. In the meantime, just stick with experimenting with different art supplies - crayons, colored pencils, watercolor, finger paint, etc. How about having them put their handprints in different colors on a piece of paper? At their age, simple scribbling is fine - and is very educational (visual/spatial, cause and effect, fine motor) as well.
Reply:another relly fun activity is to take macorni noodles which are only like a dollar and some glue also like a dollar and some construction paper wich ranges from 1 to 3 dollars and have them make a picture out of the noodles!!!!!