Toddler Painting 101 and a Project (Day 3)

Welcome to The Homemade Oasis and our 31 Days of Tot Activities! If this is your first time here you can find the rest of the 31 day posts here and get to know me over here. Thanks for stopping in!

 

Today I want to share a few tips for making toddler painting fun for everyone...

• Supplies: Besides tempera paint and brushes, you'll want large sheets of paper, a container to hold your paint and some painter's tape
• With toddlers and paint less is more. I only add a small amount to Charlie's dish (an old pie tin) at a time to prevent major spills.
• Less is also more when it comes to toddler's clothing and painting. I prefer stripping down to the diaper versus covering up with an apron or smock. The good Lord knew what he was doing when he made kids so washable.
• The larger the paper the better, it will keep more paint on the page and less on the...everything else.
• Tape your paper down to the surface you child is working on to prevent the masterpiece from being brushed right on to the floor.
• If you want to keep the art work from looking like mud (say for a gift for grandma) limit the color palate. Choose two primary colors and that way, when they mix, you just get a pretty secondary color! Sometimes we do two primaries and white to make pastels.

And, as promised, a simple painting project that always turns out pretty...

Supplies: Tempera paint (preferably two primary colors), paintbrush, container for paint, large sheets of paper, tape, pencil, scissors

• Tape your paper to the work surface and let your kiddo paint! The thicker and gloppier the better
• When your child is done fold the page in half with the paint on the inside and smoosh the two halves together.
• Open and allow to dry completely
• Once dry, fold the painting along the same fold line and and draw half of a symmetrical shape along the fold. (Ideas...butterfly, leaf, Christmas tree, heart, star)
• Cut out your shape, open up and hang some where to enjoy your child's pretty artwork!

 I think a wall full of big autumn leaves would be so pretty! And, since I currently have a very blank living room wall, we may be doing just that.

Come back tomorrow for ideas to display all of your little ones sweet scribbles!

In Him,
Kim

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