From trying their hand at recreating some famous works to making up their very own masterpieces, these painting ideas will keep them busy, happy, and totally engaged.
Now, painting with your little ones is fun, but it's got some serious perks too! Here are some of the many perks of breaking out the paintbrushes and getting a little messy:
Benefits of Painting with Kids
- enhances fine motor skills
- boosts creativity
- increases concentration
- helps them express their feelings
- improves visual-spatial understanding
- builds problem-solving skills
- promotes relaxation and stress-relief
For more benefits of painting check out our ultimate guide to painting with kids.
Painting Ideas for Kids
If you have young children you might also want to check out our lists of baby painting ideas and painting ideas for toddlers that focus more on process art. We also have a list of mess free painting ideas for those days when you don't want a big clean up!
For lots more painting ideas check out our book, 'Fun Painting Projects for Kids', which is filled with 60 fun painting ideas for kids to enjoy.
If you are looking for easy painting ideas that are ready to go then check out our pack of printable painting prompts. There are lots of fun painting ideas to get children's imaginations going included in this pack.
Our list of canvas painting ideas is what you need if you are looking for a special painting idea to hand on the wall!
Scream Painting for Kids
Recreate Edvard Munch's famous Scream painting with a personalised twist. Kids will have a blast painting the dramatic backdrop using the template provided, then adding a snapshot of their own "scream" to the figure.
Easy Heart Painting for Kids
This easy heart painting activity is all about colour. Using oil pastels, kids create concentric outlines of hearts and then fill in between with vibrant watercolours. It's a fantastic way to experiment with bright and bold colours.
Paul Klee Magic Scratch Art Project
In this unique fish painting, kids will explore the magic of scratch art. Underneath a layer of black acrylic paint lies a vibrant canvas of oil pastels waiting to be revealed. This technique encourages fine motor skills and opens up a world of creative possibilities inspired by artist Paul Klee.
Easy Tree Painting for Kids
Create a beautiful tree painting against a colourful backdrop on a simple circle shape. By using paint sticks in circular patterns and black paint for the trees, children can bring a piece of the great outdoors into their art. This activity helps develop hand-eye coordination and introduces the concept of silhouettes in art.
Claude Monet Inspired Art Project
Introduce young painters to the world of Impressionist art with this Claude Monet-inspired painting. The bridge-over-a-pond with water lilies scene is recreated using a tape-resist technique. This project familiarises kids with Monet's iconic style and teaches them about different painting techniques.
Superhero Rock Painting for Kids
Transform simple rocks into superhero symbols with this fun superhero rock painting activity. From Captain America's shield to Hulk's fist and Spider-Man's symbol, kids can show their admiration for their favourite superheroes. They'll make great paperweights or decorations for the kids' rooms.
Bubble Painting Activity
Young and older kids alike will love this exciting bubble painting activity. By blowing air into a colourful bubble solution with a straw, kids create unique bubble spills on the page. This method gives each creation its own unique texture and design. Plus, it's loads of fun and perfect for sensory play!
Water Pistol Painting Idea
Water pistol painting is an exciting, outdoor art project for a sunny day. Fill water pistols with paint (thinned with water, if needed) and let the kids create their own explosive masterpiece on a canvas. It's a blast of fun that encourages creativity, outdoor play, and gross motor development.
Van Gogh Sunflower Painting for Kids
Create a vibrant (and great-smelling) sunflower painting inspired by Van Gogh's famous art piece. Using the printable template, kids paint sunflowers in a vase, but here's the twist – they'll use colourful spices! This unique painting activity is a great sensory experience.
Flower Fork Painting for Kids
Who knew that a fork could be an amazing painting tool? In this flower fork painting activity, kids use forks to make beautiful tulip prints. Experimenting with new tools in art is a terrific way to encourage creativity and thinking outside the box.
Pointillism Leaf Art Project
Learn about pointillism with this leaf art project. Make beautiful, dot-filled leaf designs using a cotton swab and a small paintbrush. This technique helps develop fine motor skills and introduces children to this classic art form.
Pour Painting for kids - Flower Pot Art Project
Upgrade your flower pots with this exciting pour painting activity. By squeezing various colours of paint over the pot, kids can see the magic of colour blending and create stunning, one-of-a-kind designs. It's an excellent project for outdoor fun this summer.
Salt Painting for Kids
Have you ever tried salt painting? It's a fun technique that involves tracing a design in glue and then applying salt to the glue. Once that's dry, you can use a paintbrush to apply watercolours, which the salt absorbs, creating a beautiful, textured autumn tree painting.
Painting with Coffee
Add a fresh aroma to your painting session with this fun coffee painting idea. Using coffee instead of traditional paint provides an interesting sensory experience for kids while introducing them to unconventional painting mediums. It's a stimulating, educational, and fun way to explore art.
Blow painting with Straws
Put the paintbrushes down and paint using a straw instead! Blow painting with straws is so much fun. You can either have fun with the process and create a piece of abstract art or follow our directions to make a flower painting like the one below.
Rainbow Cork Painting Activity
With a printable rainbow template and some paint-dipped corks, kids can create their stunning rainbow cork painting. It's a terrific way to encourage reuse of materials while exploring the colour theory of rainbows.
Colour Wheel Painting Activity
If you want to learn a little about the relationship between different colours then have a go at making this turtle color wheel for kids. Paint the primary colours onto the turtle colour wheel template and then mix the primary colour paints together them to make the secondary colours.
Painting for Kids
Sunset Silhouette Watercolour Painting for kids
Capture the stunning colours of the sunset with this silhouette watercolour painting from Projects with Kids. Paint a beautiful watercolour sunset as the backdrop, then add silhouettes of buildings, palm trees, or hot air balloons in the foreground. Use this activity to explore contrast and learn about creating depth in a painting.
Leaf Printing with Watercolour Paints
Let nature inspire your child's creativity while making this leaf printing with watercolours from The Best Ideas for Kids. Paint the back of a leaf with watercolours, press it onto the paper, and voila! You get a beautiful, organic print that's perfect for turning into greeting cards or wrapping paper.
Sponge Painting Elmer the Elephant Activity
Celebrate diversity and individuality with this sponge painted Elmer the Elephant craft by Buggy and Buddy. Just like Elmer's unique patchwork colouring in the popular children's book, kids can create their own vibrant and diverse patterns. This activity offers a creative and fun way to discuss themes of acceptance and uniqueness with children.
Seashell Painting for Kids
Bring the beach to your home with this seashell painting activity from Fun-a-Day. Using watercolours, kids can decorate seashells with beautiful, vibrant hues. Work on blending colours and using different painting techniques. The shells will make beautiful keepsakes of your beach vacations (or you can use craft shells instead).
Patriotic Smush Painting Activity
Go crazy with red, white, and blue with this patriotic smush painting activity from Our Kid Things. By smushing red, white, and blue paint beneath a layer of plastic film on black cardstock, kids can create their own abstract celebration of the stars and stripes. It's a fun, tactile way to explore colour mixing and patriotic themes.
Balloon Splatter Painting for Kids
Make a big, colourful splash with this balloon splatter painting idea from Hello, Wonderful! This activity involves filling balloons with paint and popping them over a canvas for a spectacular, splatter effect. It's a thrilling, hands-on way to create abstract art, and it's sure to get plenty of giggles too.
Salt Paint Mermaid Tail Art Project
Go on an under-the-sea adventure with this salt paint mermaid tail craft from Our Kid Things. The salt gives a glittering, magical texture to the mermaid's tail, making this a dreamy art project for any mermaid-loving kid.
Van Gogh Starry Night Fork Painting
Get inspiration from the masters with this Van Gogh Starry Night fork painting from Projects with Kids. Use forks to recreate the iconic swirling patterns of Van Gogh's masterpiece. It's such a creative way to put your own spin on a classic work of art.
Scrape Painting Lion Art Project
Kids will have a roaring good time with this majestic scrape painting lion craft from Kids' Craft Room. Paint the lion's head by scraping paint across the page, creating a vibrant mane in the process.
Pom Pom Painted Rainbow
This cheerful pom pom painted rainbow craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning is a great way to brighten a rainy day. Dip pom poms into various paint colours and dot them onto a paper plate to form a beautiful, vibrant rainbow. Painting with pom poms is a great way to improve fine motor skills.
Sponge Painted Train Craft
All aboard for this fun and creative sponge painted train by Buggy and Buddy! Each sponge print becomes a train car, forming a colourful locomotive when completed.
Germ Blow Painting Art
Learn about germs in a fun and visually appealing way with this germ blow painting art from Simple Everyday Mom. Blow watercolours across the page using a straw and spread the paint in a pattern that ends up looking like germs under a microscope. It's a fun blend of art and science!
Mandala Painting for Kids
Try making mandalas with this simple mandala painting activity from Woo, Jr. Starting with a basic pattern, kids can explore their creativity and focus while crafting their very own mandala. It's a great introduction to creating balanced, symmetrical designs.
Field of Flowers Painting
Paint a beautiful field of flowers using acrylic paints (or watercolours, if you prefer). This landscape art by Projects with Kids shows step by step how to make the grassy field using a combination of painting with paintbrushes, forks, and straws.
Handprint Rainbow Painting
For this handprint rainbow from Kids' Craft Room, kids will paint their hands in a range of rainbow colours, from fingertips to palms, then press their handprints onto the page to create a pretty rainbow. Isn't this one of the cutest pieces of keepsake art you've ever seen?
Kids Painting Ideas
If you are on the look out for even more painting projects then check out these lists of painting ideas for kids. We also have a list of homemade paint recipes.
Baby Painting
In our list of baby painting ideas we have included simple painting activities that are suitable for babies, as well as including lots of baby safe paint recipes for you to try.
Toddler Painting Ideas
Our list of toddler painting ideas includes lost of simple painting ideas that are ideal for toddlers and preschoolers. Lots of these painting activities focus on the painting process rather than what the final painting looks like.
Watercolour Painting for Kids
If you love using watercolour paints then you will love this list of easy watercolor painting for kids. There are lots of fun painting techniques to try.
Q Tip Painting Ideas for Kids
If you have some spare q tips lying around you must give some of these q tip painting ideas for kids a try. Q tip painting is so simple, but it can look so effective!
If you enjoyed looking at these painting ideas for kids, pin the post to come back to anytime you're looking for a fun painting activity.
No comments