Messy Toddler Play: Indoor Painting

Anything relating to arts and crafts will be a sure-fire winning activity for toddlers and small children.

Messy play with paints

The sensory act of painting with brushes and encouraging your little one to get their hands wet and dirty and create hand prints with paint will keep them entertained for a good hour or more, especially when bolstered with plenty of encouragement - children thrive off of being told how well they are doing. In fact Bridget loves a little round of applause when she finishes a painting.

Hand painting

It's also a great way to help teach them their colours in a fun and interactive way.

Painting outdoors in the garden is a good way of getting fresh air and keeping the painting mess to a minimum.

Some people obviously don't have a garden and painting is also a great rainy day activity too, so painting indoors must be entertained at times and I recently discovered a great parenting hack to keep the mess to a minimum.

People have long used newspaper on the floors or on tables where painting is occurring to reduce the mess, and I thought how about cling film? Bridget has a lovely easy-wipe high chair, which actually we've very recently adjusted to a stool for her to sit right at the table with us without her little tray (at nearly two she is growing up too fast). I also use the Crayola Washable Paints which do come off in our experience, but sometimes the paint might dry without you noticing; so I wrapped Bridget's tray and the seated area in cling film and then could allow her to get as messy as she wanted without constraint - she loved it.

Learning colours with paints

Happy painting face

I also encourage paint in just knickers when warm enough as a quick bath afterwards is no trouble and this prevents clothing getting paint sploshes on, but otherwise old clothing or a little painting overalll like you can get in Early Learning Centre and the likes are worth investing in.

Bridget's birthday is fast approaching and we've bought her a little art desk complete with easel and supplies so we'll be encouraging lots more messy play this winter which will be helpful when I'm in the midst of my third trimester or when baby number two has made his/her arrival. Happy painting all :-)