Little Art Explorers – Dotty Fingers

Little Art Explorers – Dotty Fingers
Weekly term-time sessions at the House of Manannan invite under-5s to get messy and creative, exploring a new art material each time and making bold, child-led artwork inspired by colour, shape, and play.

Get ready to get messy and creative! Every week during term-time, the House of Manannan transforms into a playground of colour and texture for our under-5s. From squishing modelling dough to splashing finger paints, your little creator will dive into a new medium every single session.

We’re turning the exhibition’s big ideas like swirling colours, wild nature, and funky shapes into hands-on fun. Whether they’re building with magnetic tiles or experimenting with sand, your child will lead the way in making “Big Art” every single week!

You’ll start with 30 minutes of play, where your little ones explore colour and shape through sensory toys, simple games, and story time. We then move into 30 minutes of hands-on art making, followed by gentle time in the gallery to look, talk and explore together, keeping everything child-led, relaxed and fun.



This week your little ones will get hands-on creating fingerprint pictures, bringing trees and branches to life with their own prints. We provide all the materials so children can dab, press, layer and mix colours while exploring shape, texture, and movement in a relaxed, child-led session.

Children will:

Make trees, branches, and leaves using fingerprints
Experiment with colour blending and layering
Develop fine motor skills through pressing, dabbing, and stamping
Explore patterns, shapes, and textures in a playful way
Follow their own ideas and creativity, not templates
Each child will create a striking, one-of-a-kind artwork to take home and be proud of.