Painting with Toddlers

One of the newest activities that I started doing with my almost three year old is painting.  We’ve done some fun things with both washable paints and watercolors, and I’ll be sharing ideas for specific painting crafts and projects in the coming months, but today I simply wanted to give you a few tips for enjoying the art of painting with your little ones.  It can be messy, but it’s so fun!

Supplies

Some supplies I’d recommend having for a successful painting afternoon with your little ones:

1. brown grocery bags, butcher paper, or newspaper to lay out over your kitchen table

2. baby wipes or wet paper towels to clean hands that may get a bit too messy during the process

3. multiple sizes of paint brushes {for variety and to avoid colors getting mixed}

4. plain white paper or card stock

5.  scotch tape to secure the paper to the table {it bothered my little guy if his paper moved around a lot}

6. paper plate or plastic paint palette to monitor the amount of paint your little one uses and to keep it contained

7.  an old shirt, art smock, or no shirt at all {it’s washable, but in my opinion I’d rather not have to wash it out of a nice shirt if I can help it}

8. small bowl of water if you’re using watercolors

9. an area to let finished masterpieces dry

 10. snacks and juice {because everything is better with a snack, right?!}

This particular day was our very first time using washable paints together.  I set up everything that I thought we might need during his nap, so when he woke up, I was ready for the excitement and mess that was about to commence!

He grabbed a brush right away and got busy.  He also continues to use his left hand when using any kind of a writing or eating utensil…I’m thinking we’ve got a lefty in the family!

I’ve got a few kid painted projects up my sleeves and can’t wait to share them with all of you in the coming weeks!