Painting!

My girls love to paint. I think it’s the independence they get. Hummm…wonder who they get that quality from?

I know a lot of parents don’t ever let their children paint at home. Ever. Not outside. No watercolors (pretty easy clean up). And definitely no liquid paint!

I was always so disappointed by this as a teacher. I would get 4 year olds who had no idea what paint was when I was teaching. Now, I know we all like to have our pretty homes. Or we like to spend time doing clean activities. But please parents, by the few little things I list here and get painting! For your child’s sake. When in life do you have the excuse to be messy? When you have a child or when you are a child yourself. So let our your inner artist! Even if it is just stick people and shapes you are painting.

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(Yes, Lil’ E looks a bit tired here. I think I was just interrupting her creativity.)

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Now here’s what a 4 year old painter usually looks like. Not as messy as the one year old! Lil’ E put the brush in her mouth. I guarantee she won’t again.

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Here are some basic supplies you need to have before you begin:

-table cloth(I like the clear, heavier plastic ones)

-table cloth weights

-ziplock bags for paint

-paint cups

-paint caddy

-soap in paint, easy clean.

-masking tape

-paint shirt, or apron (really helps to cover the arms of your little artist too!)

Here are some painting tips for toddlers and preschoolers from some personal experience. I painted at least once a week in my kindergarten room for 4 and a half years. I hope that counts for something.

1. Prep your space. If you don’t do this, you will be cleaning paint from under your kitchen table for weeks. Lay out the table cloth and attach the table weights if you have them. My current table cloth sticks to the table pretty good without moving around. The moving will just be frustrating for all as you paint, so the weights help it stay stationary.

I also covered my chairs. Lil’ E is standing on a towel. I usually bring up the chairs that can be wiped down easily, but I forgot.

2. Prep your paint. I put out paint cups (I have official paint cups, but I have also used yogurt containers. Just make sure they are just over half as tall as the paint brush you are using, as it helps them to not fall over when a paint brush is left inside.) I put a small or medium freezer bag into the container and pour in paint. This is so that when you are done, you don’t waste paint and you don’t have to scrub out the containers and get all dirty yourself. You just zip up the top to save for later, or throw it out.

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I then add a drop or two of liquid dish soap (or hand soap, whatever I have). This helps those colors like red and blue be much easier to remove from the floor, your child’s forehead and your finger tips. There may be a few bubbles, but nothing major that it interferes with the creation process.

3. Prep those lil’ Artists. Put on their play clothes. Short sleeves and pants they won’t trip on. Even with the soap, sometimes paint stains, so talk your lil’ Princess out of wearing the tutu.

4. Paint!!! I always try and tape down the paper with masking tape (It removes easily) and helps stabilize the paper. If you are doing multiple papers or letting the kids go wild on a 3-D object, you may want to skip this step.

I also try and show my girls how to rinse their brush and go to the next color. But that doesn’t always work. To avoid a black picture at the end (from mixing all the colors) I usually only give them 2-3 colors right now. Eventually I will put more. If we are using watercolors, I just let it go.

That’s it! Most of all, have fun!

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Let me know how it goes! Be Brave, it’ll be fun!

 

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