My older son’s first painting experience was painting his Halloween pumpkin in the fall of 2006. He was just seven months old. Our second son began painting when he was just six months old. He’s now almost a year and has the ability to do so much more with his art. Painting is a weekly occurrence in our household, at least. At times, especially when the rain ceases to stop, or it’s too cold to play outdoors, we paint multiple times a week. Here are some forms of painting that we do in our household that seem to be a great hit with the boys.
Many craft stores sell wooden toys such as fire trucks or cars, or even boxes for less than a dollar. One of my husband’s Father’s Day gifts this year was a large wooden desktop box that held four photos and opened from the top to store knickknacks. I got out our washable tempera paint and many different sized paintbrushes for my elder son to use. He then spent a full hour and a half painting this box for his father. He loved it! I used red, blue and yellow, the primary colors, and allowed him to mix and match and explore. Even when I thought he was done, he wanted to paint some more. I tend to use his small plastic yogurt containers as cups to hold the paint so he has the opportunity to dip his brush on his own, controlling every aspect of his painting experience, which, at the age of three, he adores.
Watercolors and Paper
I recently introduced my three-year-old to his very own set of watercolors. They are most definitely a hit! I set before him a few different choices of brush (mostly smaller bristles) and a large sheet of construction paper, the color of which was chosen by him. Then I brought over a small plastic cup of water and demonstrated how to use the water and the paint to make a picture. He spent well over 45 minutes painting with these watercolors and has enjoyed them many times since. They’re a bit different than your everyday finger paint and he enjoys watching his water turn different colors as well as stroke the brush against the paper.
Finger paints are a staple in our household. We take them out all the time! Sometimes we’ll make it simple and I’ll place some paint on a large sheet of paper for both my children and let them mess up their hands. Other times we’ll choose one of the following:
Brushes: My elder son especially enjoys paintbrushes. I give him choices of brushes that vary in sizes from small to large. My younger son gets a chunky paintbrush to use and he’s beginning to understand what it is that large tool in his hand is suppose to do. 🙂 I like the science behind the brush strokes for our oldest – use a larger brush and your strokes will probably be on the larger side, use a small brush and the strokes are smaller. He likes the experimentation.
Sponges: You can get paint sponges at any craft store, or better yet, at times you can find them at dollar stores as well. My son loves to take his paintbrush and brush the paint onto the sponge and then use it as a stamp on his paper creating such things as shapes and animals. The sponges also clean off well and can be stored in a zip lock bag or plastic container.
Cars: We love to car paint! The boys have many small cars as toys and I’ll bring a bunch of them over to the table and allow my elder son to choose the cars he’d like to paint with (our youngest isn’t quite old enough to enjoy the car painting). Then I place some paint on a large sheet of construction paper and he zooms the cars through the paint making tracks along the paper. He also enjoys using a paintbrush to paint his car. Car painting is also quite the hit when my son has his friends over to play.
Apples: Apple printing is something I was introduced to when I led playdates in my former job as an Early Intervention Specialist. What fun! Take out your finger paints and allow your child to choose a few colors. Bring out the brushes, too. Then cut an apple in half and your child can paint the apple and then use that apple as a sort of stamp on the paper. If your child is old enough (for safety measures), stick a fork through the top of the rounded side of each apple to make it easier for your child to lift it from the paper.
Outdoor Painting: One of my son’s favorite ways to paint is when we take it outdoors. On a hot day, I’ll strip him down to his underwear (or swim trunks if his friends are over) and I’ll cover the ground with some paper (many arts and crafts stores sell rolls of paper which are great for outdoor painting). I’ll place some paint on the paper and let him at it! He’s painted with his hands, his feet, even his belly! So much fun, and afterward, I’ll turn on the sprinkler or get out a tub of water and let him play. Not only more fun, but it washes to paint right off his body.
Floor painting: I received a large package many months ago. The inside stuffing was actually one very large sheet of paper. I got the idea to roll this out onto our kitchen floor. I stripped both boys and brought out the paints and paintbrushes and allowed them to paint all over the paper. Both boys had so much fun! My oldest didn’t get that dirty, so I was able to clean him off with a cloth. My youngest, who was only six months at the time, was absolutely filthy! So great 🙂 I placed him in the kitchen sink and let him play in the water. Subsequent times, I’ve been able to just place both boys in the bathtub and let them splash around after floor painting fun.
