Children of all ages love to paint! These painting activities for kids range from the simplest painting with a brush or hands to more elaborate spin art, marble painting, and painting a fort.
Paint is an art material that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of kids’ art activities.
Some of our favorite paints
Tempera paint is a good choice for kids because it is water-soluble, and the majority of tempera paint is also non-toxic. It has a creamy consistency that allows the paint to glide smoothly on paper, cardboard, cloth, wood, or canvas and allows for maximum coverage. It also allows kids to try out different painting techniques.
Acrylic paints mix very well together and are also richly pigmented. However, we should keep in mind that these paints are a much more permanent option and are water-resistant. It is best if acrylic paint is used on paper, wood, and canvas.
BioColor paint is non-toxic, vibrant, and glossy. You can mix the paint together, but the colors will stay separate, making it the ideal paint to use for any marbling art projects. It is also a versatile paint choice and can be used on various surfaces, including plastic, glass, metal, foil, paper, cardboard, and wood. It washes easily from skin and most surfaces.
(By the way, if you’re looking for watercolor painting activities, I had to give them their own page.)
Enjoy!
Painting for Kids – Our Favorite Painting Activities & Ideas
While we’ve done many, many painting activities over the years, here are some of the favorites that we return to again and again. These include all-time favorites, painting at different sizes, with different tools, and on different surfaces.
Whether you’re browsing for something new and interesting to try or looking for a specific project, I hope you find a fun activity to do with the kids.
Favorite Painting Ideas for Kids
These are some of our all-time favorite painting activities for children!
- 7 Fun Painting Ideas for Kids to Try
- 11 Favorite Painting Activities for Preschoolers
Painting BIG with Kids
Painting small is fine, but kids love to paint big, plus it allows them to use their whole bodies to work. Make painting for kids a whole body experience by using easels, working on large sheets of craft paper, or using large canvases.
- Large-Scale Canvas Art with Kids
- Body Tracing and Painting
- Swimming Pool Painting with Water Balloons and Balls
Action Painting for Kids
These action painting ideas are super fun for kids, whether at home or in a school or camp setting, with a single kid, an art playdate with a friend, or as a group party activity.
- Painting with an Electric Drill
- Splatter Painting
Painting with Interesting Tools
You don’t have to paint with a paint brush! Paint with rollers, car wheels, or kitchen implements. Make your own paint brushes with nature items, yarn, or pom-poms. Scrape paint with a scraper. There are so many ways to apply paint!
- Rainbows and Scraper Art
- Painting with Wheels
Mixed Media Painting for Kids
Incorporate other materials and techniques into your paintings for interesting effects.
- Yarn Art Paintings
- Mixed Media Art with Fabric Scraps
Q-Tip Painting
Q-Tip painting is fun and relaxing and allows kids to work on their fine motor skills. It is a good painting project for kids five years and older. You can find free printable templates online that you can print out. You can then take a Q-tip, dip it into whatever color you want to use and then place colored paint dots around the printable. You can also do the same with coloring book pages, or the kids can create their own unique masterpiece on a plain piece of paper.
Other Fun Painting Ideas for Kids
Want to get even more creative at home with the kids? Try these fun painting activities that you can do with some items you have around the home.
Here are some supplies to get you started:
Puffy Painting Ideas
Puffy paint is so much fun for kids! Our favorites are the microwave puffy paint and the DIY puffy paint made with shaving cream.
- Puffy Paint for Kids 5 Ways
Painted Rocks
Rock painting is also a fun painting activity for kids to try and gives them a different surface to paint on. The kids can paint flowers on the rocks, ladybugs, different animal faces, bees, cartoon characters, and so much more. The possibilities are endless. Acrylic paint would be the best to use since it is water-resistant. Want some more rock painting ideas? Check out our 18 Ways to Use Rocks in Kids Art.
Rock Painting Supplies
Here is a list of some supplies you can get for your kids for rock painting. There are so many different ways to go about creating beautiful rock art, and your kids are not limited to just paint.
Face Painting
Imagine it is a rainy day and your kids are running around the house like crazy. Yes, it happens. What we do as parents to keep our sanity during these days, in particular, is important. So, why not let the kids entertain themselves with some face painting indoors?
You don’t even have to worry about the mess that often comes along with a lot of paints. There are face paint crayons you can get that are easy for the kids to use and result in much less mess. They are also okay to use on sensitive skin.
Finger Painting
Finger painting is another creative experience kids love, and it is a suitable painting activity for all ages. It helps develop hand and eye coordination, teaches about different colors and is also a great sensory activity.
Bubble Painting
If you want a fun and creative way for the kids to paint and create amazing artwork without a brush, bubble painting is definitely something to try. So, grab those bubbles you have hidden away in the cabinet or garage and put them to good use.
If your kids are older, you can have them grab a straw and blow bubbles into the solution mixed with some paint and then press a piece of paper over the colored bubbles. However, smaller kids think straws are for drinking, so you will want to steer clear of this one for them.
For this painting activity, add three tablespoons of your bubble solution to two tablespoons of paint in a cup. Mix it together. Place a piece of paper down on the table and then dip the bubble wand or a straw into the solution and then blow out the bubbles onto the paper. Let it dry and then hang your kid’s artwork up where it can be admired.
Want some more bubble painting ideas? Check out Bubble Printing today and teach your kids how to make some amazing and colorful bubble snakes!
Want more painting activities for kids? Click to see The Artful Parent archive for the entire category!
Or, click here for watercolor painting activities.
Remember, if you’re looking for something specific, use the search form in the right-hand sidebar.
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