Kids Painting Ideas
Other Tips & Alternatives
The first part of this article includes brushes to use and types of paint.
Here are some other quick tips and alternatives that your children may enjoy over the more common brush painting that can also be used for printing...
- Cotton bud painting can encourage children to paint in a different way, which develops fine motor skills.
- Cotton wool has a different feel and texture to it.
- Paint rollers are fun to use on large rectangular areas. So this would be ideal for example, if you are planning on painting a red cardboard bus.
- Cotton reels and corks can be used for pattern painting.
- Sponges cut into different shapes can be a great way to recycle and you can use both their rough and smooth sides in painting. Some examples of shapes you can use are rectangles and circles and a diamond or star. You can also purchase sponge shapes from a good toy shop, or you can order them from educational supply magazines.
- There are also many other alternatives and these include... the cardboard rolls inside household foil and plastic wrap, plastic forks or jar lids.
Here are some useful items to collect to provide your kids with an excellent range of tools to paint and do other craft activities with and to get those creative juices flowing...
- bark.
- corrugated cardboard makes a great painting base or a base for a collage or make a car etc.
- bottle and jar tops.
- wool, string, thread.
- fabric scraps, cotton, taffeta, felt etc.
- cut up orange and onions bags.
- straws.
- boxes and containers large or small. Ice cream containers are great for storing things, for example paint glue paste.
- foam pieces.
- beads and buttons.
- small sticks.
- old clean socks are great for making puppets.
- egg cartons make an excellent crocodile.
- woodchips.
- uncooked pasta.
- sandpaper.
- seeds and shells.
- cardboard sheets and cylinders.
- polystyrene pieces - the trays that you get are great for using as painting trays.
Cleanliness Tips
Here's some cleanliness tips that you might not have thought of...
- If you do not want to go out and buy an apron or smock, that is just for painting, then an old shirt or garbage bag with head and arm holes cut out makes an excellent alternative cover to keep clothes clean.
- Newspapers or old plastic bags will protect the work surface and make cleaning easier.
- Keep old rags and sponges handy for cleaning up afterwards.
- Shallow containers such as empty ice cream containers, are useful for painting and
are less likely to accidentally tip over. They are also an excellent place to store paint and glue. - Plastic lids from ice cream containers also make great paint palettes.