Finger painting is a fantastic way to get little hands exploring new ideas. This activity is fun for both child and parent as it’s full of opportunity for messes but very easy to clean up (and non-toxic too). Painting with any medium offers an opportunity to explore colors and how they mix with one another. Finger painting is unique in that it also encourages the use of touch along with other senses while being creative and encouraging imagination.
The Creative Space:
Make sure you have a nice clean open space to finger paint. Allow for some good elbow room. Unlike water color painting, kids need room to move around a bit to really explore. Because this is literally a “hands on” activity, make sure your child is wearing a full paint shirt (dad’s old t-shirt works great) and your table is free of clutter.
The Paper:
You need a slick coated paper for finger painting so that the paint glides on the surface rather than soaks into the paper. You can easily find paper specific for finger painting, however if need be a parchment paper should work well. Wax paper will work for the painting aspect, but won’t dry/set up very well.
The Paint:
There are a number of recipes available to make your own finger paint if you’re worried about tiny hands going into tiny mouths. However all use some kind of a food coloring, gelatin or kool-aid for color which tends to temporarily stain little fingers. Instead try using edible items such as pudding mix or yogurt as the paint. A finger painting kit, however is the best way to go as it offers the best colors, is washable and comes in resealable packages ready to use.
There are no rules of finger painting. Just add a spoonful or two of paint to the paper and let the kids have at it!
Note: You might have to get your own fingers a little dirty, showing your child how to paint, be careful, you might enjoy it.
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