How to Get Toddlers to Paint Well

Painting helps toddlers develop essential motor skills, but the result is often a soggy, messy work of art. Although most toddlers aren̵7;t developmentally capable of painting intricate works of high art, there are some things you can do to make the final product even more worthy of display.

Instructions

    • 1

      Give toddlers a large work surface to paint on to minimize spills. Make sure the work space is the appropriate height for your child. Toddler-size craft tables are a suitable place for painting activities.

    • 2

      Cover the entire area with newspaper or plastic tarp to make cleanup easier and eliminate a mess from dripping paint tools.

    • 3

      Provide a thick, sturdy canvas for your child to paint on to reduce rips, tears and soggy paper. Cardboard and poster board are durable materials for toddler painting projects. Secure all four edges of the canvas to the work surface with painter's tape. This will keep the paper from slipping or wrinkling as your child paints on it and it also creates a neat frame around your child̵7;s painting once it is finished and the tape is removed.

    • 4

      Resist the urge to give your children a paintbrush to work with. Toddlers̵7; fine motor skills aren̵7;t developed enough to successfully control and manipulate such a refined painter̵7;s tool. Instead, give them tools that are large enough for small hands to grasp and control and can make interesting textures when used to paint with. Apply a thin coat of paint to a sponge and help your child press different colors and patterns onto the canvas. Guide your child̵7;s movements as she uses a mini-paint roller over a sponge-painted canvas to create abstract art with depth and contrast. Washcloths, silicone barbecue brushes, feather dusters and shoelaces also create interesting patterns.

    • 5

      Encourage your child to finger paint directly onto the canvas. As she applies different colors with different hand movements, interesting color blends, swirls and patterns will emerge.

    • 6

      Mix different ingredients into poster paint for textured art. Add sand, oatmeal, rice and seeds to different colors and help your child apply the paints with mini-paint rollers or washcloths.

    • 7

      Help your child tear small pieces of tissue paper and press them into wet paint for an interesting textured piece that also demonstrates consistency in its formal style.

    • 8

      Apply strips of painter̵7;s tape, in straight lines or at different angles, across the canvas before your child paints it. Once the canvas is dry, carefully remove the tape to reveal painted shapes that appear as though they were expertly painted with a steady hand.

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