This is such a great idea to make a gift for a parent or grandparent for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day or Christmas. This Mess Free Painting activity is also fun for your toddler or baby and the results look fantastic!
Mess Free Painting for Babies or Toddlers
This is a really easy (and as we said, mess free!) activity to create a nice little gift for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Of course if your toddlers like to get messy you can always do it the messy way too! My kids at this age did not like paint on his hands so this was a great alternative to finger painting.
Supplies for Mess Free Painting
Washable Paint or Non-Toxic Acrylic Paint – If the paint is sealed inside the bag then acrylic or tempera paint works well. If you think your baby or toddler will touch any of the paint after you’re done we’d recommend washable paint.
White Cardstock – you want a thick cardstock so that it doesn’t rip during the painting process and you can easily pull it out of the bag when you’re done.
Heart Template – use a heart outline or make your own.
Cardboard
Watch the full tutorial video here before you get started!
Here are the steps to make this mess free painting art!
1. First drop a few drops of paint on some cardstock in a large resealable bag.
You can also tape down some paper on a high chair like shown below. Make sure to use washable paint so that it will easily wash off your high chair!
As always, supervise your baby during this activity and do not leave unattended with a bag. Taping the end of the bag will ensure it cannot be opened.
2. Have your toddler press the paint around however they’d like!
Just let them push the paint and mix it together.
3. Scrape off any paint clumps.
Once your toddler or baby is done “painting”, take the page out and scrape off any excess paint that is too thick or clumpy with cardboard.
Now let your page dry completely.
4. Find a frame and cut out your painted paper to fit the frame.
You can also turn the painting into a card.
5. Using another piece of paper or cardstock, write a message on the top and bottom of your art or print off from your computer.
7. Now find a heart outline online or use a heart cookie cutter to trace a large heart in the center. Cut the heart out.
8. Place the white paper over your mess free painted page.
Now you have beautiful toddler created art you can gift for any occasion.
More Gift Craft Ideas
These butterfly handprint cards are also really easy to make and are perfect as a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day card! Simply just write your message or draw a picture on the inside of the card.
Looking for another Mother’s Day or Father’s day idea? Try these Footprint Butterfly Keychains! These are so perfect for a gift!
These handprint salt dough keepsakes are also an adorable craft and keepsake.
I tried this with my little ones and when I tried to take the page out the paint was stuck to the bag and the page started to rip off. What did I do wrong? 🙁 too much paint maybe? Anyone else have this problem?
Did you use cardstock Megan? If you use regular paper it would be flimsy we would recommend using cardstock and it should be easier to pull out of the bag. You can also do the messy version and just have them spread paint around without the bag too. 🙂
This is such a clever idea! My little one puts everything in her mouth, so I only use homemade paint made with cornstarch and food colouring. She loves it but the results are never vibrant enough. Will try this today!