Get Creative When Painting With Your Preschooler

Get ready to ditch those crusty old paintbrushes and replace them with something that your preschooler will love even more! Say goodbye to the struggles of dried up paint and frayed bristles, and hello to some unique ways to paint. Here are just a few ideas to help you get creative with your preschooler without picking up a paintbrush:

Sponge Painting

1. Make a palette of paint in rainbow colors and swipe each color onto a sponge in the order of a rainbow.
2. Say the colors aloud as you swipe each one onto the sponge and have your preschooler repeat them.
3. Give the sponge to your preschooler and watch as they make their colorful masterpiece!

Bubble Wrap

1. Use a sponge to paint the bubble wrap in any colors your preschooler chooses.
2. Once the bubble wrap is covered in a decent coat of paint, flip it over onto a piece of scrapbook paper.
3. Have your preschooler press down on it so that the paint sticks onto the paper and leaves a cool textured effect.

Fingers and Hands

1. Finger painting is a great sensory activity for preschoolers which allows them to creatively express themselves in a hands-on way.
2. Let your child dip his fingers in a container of washable paint and use his fingers as brushes to paint away.
3. You could also paint your child’s hand and let her make a beautiful handprint design.

Straws

1. Make water colored paint by adding a few drops of food coloring into a small bowl of water.
2. Use a dropper/syringe to squirt some of the water-based paint onto a piece of paper.
3. Give your child a straw so he can blow the paint across the paper into any direction he wants.

Cotton Swabs

1. To make a rainbow painting, line up six cotton swabs in a row and tape them together until they are really secure.
2. Dip each tip of the cotton swab into a different color of paint in the order of a rainbow.
3. Give the cotton swabs to your child and have them press all of the tips onto one side of the paper and slide them across in a curved motion to create the shape of a rainbow. They might have to do this a few times so that the colors show up thick enough on both sides.

At Carpe Diem Private Preschool, we believe in letting children express themselves and allowing their imaginations to shine through on paper. Although we do many activities right here in school, it’s important for the fun to continue at home as well. These painting activities are just one way that you can spark your child’s creativity while adding to the growing gallery of artwork on your refrigerator.