Extreme finger painting

Painting with kids is messy – there’s no avoiding it. They want nothing more than to get their hands into the cool, colourful paint, squelch it about and see what they can create. Why not let them take it to the max with hand, foot, and even whole body painting! This isn’t one for every day, but on special occasions or when the mood takes you, it can be lots of fun and a great way to shake out some excess energy. Clear back the furniture, put down lots and lots of newspaper, make the canvas as big as you can and let the kids run free.

What you need:

• Newspaper – lots of it
• A roll of blank paper or several sheets of butcher’s paper
• A large flexible bucket
• Several plastic plates
• Paints

Number of players:

Activity:

Choose an area inside or out with lots of space and a hard surface, eg, floorboards, tiles, pavers. Lay the newspaper out several layers deep to cover a sizeable area. Place a large strip of blank paper over the top.

Squirt generous amounts of coloured paint onto the plastic plates and place them around the blank paper.

Quarter-fill the bucket with water and place it nearby.

Dress your children in old clothes that you don’t mind getting very messy or, better still, save on laundry and let them strip down.

Let them at it and stand back to watch the fun. Warning: it will get very messy.  Once their masterpiece is complete, find the quickest route to the shower or garden hose.

Notes

• Choose paints that are washable for an easy clean-up and make sure they’re non-toxic – some is bound to be swallowed!
• Once dry, the paintings can be cut up and used as wrapping paper.
• As a less messy alternative, roll out a long strip of paper onto floorboards/tiles and tape it down on all sides. Place coloured pencils and crayons around the place. Leave it as a daylong art project for your children to draw and colour as they please. This is great for parties or when friends come over to play.
• This craft was created by Greer Worsley. Greer blogs at Typically Red.