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How on earth do you paint with toddlers?!

(21 Posts)

By Wed 03-Jun-09 19:18:36 Add message | Report | Contact poster

Got in from work and decided it would be nice to do some painting with DS (19 months). Have never tried at home before but he does lots at nursery so he's not totally deprived.

Got the finger paints out, put a smock thing on DS and all hell breaks out! He wants to open all pots at once, use a paintbrush and his fingers, sit on my lap and run about with painty fingers! Luckily DP was on hand with damp cloths but inevitably it all ended in a tantrum and the three of us covered in paint (but none on the new sofa, which is the main thing!)

So, how do you do it?! We've already worked out that decanting small amounts of paint into an egg box might be a plan for next time, as would doing it outside but it would be a good rainy day activity so outside is not always an option. We've only got one downstairs room so there's nowhere "safe" to go. I don't mind paint on the floorboards but not the soft furnishings!

Any ideas? Or should I just stick to crayons for a few years?

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 13-Jun-09 23:07:52

take him to play group let him make a mess there - you will be less stressed he will have more fun - my son is four and we only do painting outside grin

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 13-Jun-09 22:39:36

With DS2 I discovered the joy of splat paints. I don't know what they're really called but they are little bottles with a sponge top that a toddler can have fun splat painting with. Buy the more expensive washable ones (ELC's are washable). Now DS2 is three he just won't use them anymore, grrr.

We have a special messy top which I find more useful than an apron and more comfortable. Just whip off today's top and put on the messy top which can get as stained as they wish.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 13-Jun-09 21:14:05

HensMum - just one word of warning re the soapy water - the first time we did that DD got a bit overenthusiastic and tipped the whole bowl all over the kitchen table - green water everywhere and I still can't get the marks off the table. Paint coloured water seems to do even more damage than the paint itself!

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 12-Jun-09 13:59:51

Do it outside
Dress him in nothing more than pants
Let him use his hands and feet
Get messy
Have a small bath read to pick him up and lift him into

Stick to Aquadraw and craylo mo mess paints for indoor, or you could try the paint stick/pen things in ELC.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 12-Jun-09 13:46:20

Oh, I'm not expecting a masterpiece but I think I was not that realistic in my expectation that DS would stand still!

Anyway, I've bought some paint blocks as I thought they'd be less messy and next time I'm definitely going to confine him to the highchair.

I like guitargirl's suggestion of a bowl of soapy water to clean up. He'd love playing with that.

My recent discovery, when the weather was better, was taking the chalkboard easel outside and giving him brushes and water. That was lots of fun, dried really quickly, then he could start again.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 12-Jun-09 13:36:55

I put a small blob of each colour on a saucer, and keep the paper coming, and a damp cloth handy to wipe the worst excesses. We paint on the kitchen floor (well, ideally on paper on the kitchen floor!) away from other tempting surfaces like walls.

If it's anything like my experience with DS (21 months) you'll spend more time setting up and cleaning up than actually painting.

For lower-mess creativity, a chalk board has been a great success, though Mummy and Daddy are often called on to demonstrate their (ahem) artistic prowess.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 12-Jun-09 08:47:54

You need to be realistic. It should be about play, rather than about creating a picture as he is far to young to understand that yet.

Put some different colours in small pots and let him finger paint on a big piece of paper.

or

you could fill a large tray with paint and let him explore it with his hands.

While he is playing, talk about what he is doing. About the colours, the texture, the smell, shapes you can make. Like a running commentary. He will get so much out of this. Loads of langauge skills, including mark making, which is the basis for hand writing in the future. Don't give up!

Once you've done finger painting, you can move onto brushes and sponges and rollers, but don't expect him to use them 'correctly' yet. Just let him play with them and do his own thing, he will get much more out of that way.

Rememeber, it should be fun!

Alternatively, go to Sure Start and let them do it with him instead! LOL.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Thu 04-Jun-09 06:30:55

Boffinmum

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Wed 03-Jun-09 21:25:29

stick them in the bath/shower in the buff with the paints

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Wed 03-Jun-09 21:22:14

We use aquadraw at my Mum and Dad's as their place is immaculate and I can see my Mum's hands twitching if I so much as get a packet of crayons out. But the blooming things are so boring - they're finished in 5 seconds flat and there's no lasting masterpiece(!) to proudly stick on the fridge...

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How on earth do you paint with toddlers?!