200+ Painting Ideas for Children

This wonderful collection of 200+ Painting Ideas for Children was created by over 50 bloggers from around the world during our Paint-A-Thon

This is the second round – last year we collected over 170 Painting Ideas for Children

READY STEADY PAINT!!

1. Ice Cream Painting + Puff Paint Recipe //  Emma Owl, Nothing says summer like a bit of art and craft in the form of ice creams! These are great to paint and wonderful to decorate!!!
2. The Scream Art Adventure Project //  Shena Leonard,  This looks like so much fun – kids love this stuff… Have you ever seen that painting The Scream by Edward Munch, this idea is a great adaption of that – who doesn’t like creating art of themselves screaming, right!?!?
3. Handprint Painted Peacock // Enrichment Studies, this is a beautiful idea making use of our favorite tools – our hands! You will be surprised at how five fingers make the perfect fanned peacock tail!
4. Flower Painted Giraffe // Preschool Powol Packets, yes you heard me correctly you can indeed paint giraffes with flowers – creative and wonderful – easy to set up too!
5. Bubble Blown Apple Garland // Teach Me Mommy, just in time for Autumn crafting season, this apple garland is sure to brighten up any room – what a wonderful process for children to explore – painting with bubbles – fun!
6. Handprint Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles // Fun Hand Print Art Blog, these guys are sure cute! Children love painting their own hands – the process of using hands to paint never gets boring – especially when their names are Raphael and Leonardo!
7. Yarn Resist Painting // Play Dough & Popsicles, wonderful art project that is suitable for kids of all ages! There is no wrong way to do this – only spectacular results!
8. Printing Okra with Flowers // Emma Owl, this funny vegetable makes the most beautiful flowers, it is as if they have ‘flowers on the inside!’
9. Fingerprint printed Poppies // Enrichment Studies, fingers too make lovely ‘brushes’ and these poppies look great in any garden!
10. Dot Painting // Kidz Activities, pointillism at it’s best! Such a wonderful technique to teach children, and of course more than great learning – it’s fun fun fun!!
11. Indoor Rain Painting // Crafty Kids at Home, what a great idea – create rain indoors and with that a beautiful pice of art! Strengthens those little hands too!!
12. Painting with Crepe Paper // Uno-Zwei-Tutu, yes you can paint with paper! Click to see how to make this spectacular art!
13. Sand Toy Painting // Raising Little Superheros, process painting is free and exciting, children love the exploration process. Just imagine painting with all the toys destined for the sand pit!! Interesting!!
14. Painting Bones // The Jenny Evolution, this is real bone painting! Such a bright colorful way to embrace nature, these pieces of art are amazing!
15. DiY Chalk Paint Recipe // Our Whimsical Days, only 3 ingredients needed to make this fantastic paint at home!
16. Leaf Painting // Look We’re Learning, nature art is always such a great idea to make with children, after a nature walk or hunt in the garden, these leaf paintings are perfect for a quiet bit of creativity and color!
17. Peacock craft dish brush Painting // Artsy Momma, wonderful bright idea that includes both an interesting painting technique and a great peacock craft making activity!
18. Texture Exploration and Nature Made Paintbrushes // Crafty Mama in Me, the best paintbrushes are homemade, especially y those you need to collect in nature!
19. Painting with Shells // Our Daily Craft, this is the perfect activity following a day collecting shells on the beach! Nature inspired, these shells make great painting tools!
20. Apple Printed T-Shirts // Non Toy Gifts, easy to set up fabric painting idea – great craft activity and they make wonderful t-shirt gifts!
21. Three Color Wet-on-Wet Painting // Rhythms of Play, only the primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – are used, and like magic many more colors appear! Great color learning and Art Technique!
22. Hand Printed Pumpkins // Craft Create Calm, pumpkin art ideas? Look no further than these super cute little pumpkins!
23. Easy Mural Painting // Beyond Mommying, we love big art! Murals are the perfect way to paint wonderful things large scale – this one is fantastic!
24. Exploring Paint & Textures // Mosswood Connections, this is a wonderful idea to create your own textured paint – and plaster a picture! Process art and sensory painting combined!
25. Potato Print Painting // Clare’s Little Tots, this is a classic and these potato stamps are a wonderful way for children to paint and explore shapes!
26. Easy Batik // Emma Owl, this is a fantastic project to do – that looks exactly like batik, yet no hot wax or dye is needed. Great gift Idea!
27. Mondrian Tuff Spot Painting // Tuff Spot Play, wonderful idea for a group or solo painting project! It works so well and is such a clever way to explore one of the great artists!
28. Crinkled Paper Fall Tree // Play Dough and Popsicles, process art at its best! Great painting technique – makes perfect fall trees!
29. Painting James Rizzi Birds // Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes, what a lovely watercolor painting idea! These birds are a must see!!
30. Slinky Painting // Fantastic Fun and Learning, this was one of my favorite toys as a child – and now you can paint with them! Great process art activity!
31. Tissue Painting Wall Art // 3 Princesses and 1 Dude, painting with paper? Yes you can! This technique is a great way for kids to paint – try something new!
32. The Science of Sunsets // Kid Minds, if your children like painting skies (normally they get painted blue) this is a wonderful painting technique to paint a different kind of sky! Who is up for a little sunset watching!
33. Salt Painting // Far from Normal, if you have not yet tried painting with salt you should! It is a wonderful technique that children love and you get to create magnificent masterpieces!
34. Blow Dart Painting // The Science Kiddo, we love active art and this is a gem!! A fun activity and art in one!
35. Easy Acrylic Silhouette // Kid Minds, here is an idea with a simple technique that creates these awesome silhouettes! Small children can do this as the process is both fun and EASY!
36. Pig Pen Pudding Painting // Life as Lanhams, including a free printable this painting activity is a great squishing and painting muddy exercise! Looks like fun!
37. Citrus Painting // Rhythms of Play, beautiful citrus printing is a wonderful process art idea for children. Stamping citrus prints create lovely designer art!
38. Rock Stamping // Emma Owl, what looks like a simple idea is actually a good start to understanding 2D and 3D concepts, try this at home!
39. Funky Sand Paint Pictures //  Peakle Pie, this is a super idea to create a painting with a texture! Easy sand paint recipe.

Looking for more great painting ideas?…

Here are some of last years top painting ideas! 51 more wonderful bits of painting inspiration for you to have a look through!

1. Spray Painting Graffiti // Emma Owl
2. Free Painting with Toddlers // Hen Family
3. Painting with Wheels Gone BIGGER // Hands on: as we grow
4. Outdoor Painting fun with Kids // Peakle Pie
5. Painting on Mirrors // One Time Through
6. Single color Wet on Wet Watercolor Painting // Rhythms of Play
7. Painting with Magnets // Emma Owl
8. Guttering Painting // Adventures of Adam
9. BIG ART for Preschoolers // P is for Preschooler
10. Bubble Wrap Roller Painting // My Bored Toddler
11. Spinning Top Painting // In the Playroom
12. Milk Caps & Lids Squish Painting // A little Pinch of Perfect.
13. Painting with Household Items // Moms and Crafters
14. 22 Fork Painting Ideas for Kids // Emma Owl
15. Paint with Food Stamps // Child Led Life
16. How to use Sponge Pouncers // Artsy Craftsy Mom
17. Beautiful Foil Fall Painted Tree // Munchkins and Moms
18. Beautiful Sponge and Leaf Tree Painting // Welcome to Mommyhood
19. Q-Tip Texture Art   // Crafty Kids as Home
20. Tape Resist Sponge Painting // Crafty Kids at Home
21. Painting clouds sensory activity // Study at Home Mama
22. Ice Painting //  My Bored Toddler
23. Muddy Animal Painting // Munchkins and Moms
24. Snow Puffy Paint // Kidz Activities
25. W is for Wheels Sensory Play  // Growing Hands on Kids
26. Acorn Painting // Play and Learn Every Day
27. Painting Pine Cone Flowers // Emma Owl
28. Nature Painting Texture Collage  // A Little Pinch of Perfect
29. Invitation to paint with Nature // Welcome to Mommyhood
30. Leaf Painting // Kidz Activities
31. Shoe Print Craft // Fun Hand Print Art Blog
32. Easy Superhero T-Shirt Painting // Teach Me Mommy
33. Co-operative Shapes and Colors // Mosswood Connections
34. Exploration Painting // Off the Shelf
35. Symmetry Painting // JDaniel4s Mom
36. Painting the Fruit of the Spirit // For the Love of Dixie
37. Partner Painting // The Inspired Treehouse
38. Matisse Goldfish //  Playground Parkbench
39. Spin Art Painting // Learning and Exploring through Play
40. The Magic of Salt Painting // Artsy Momma
41. Shake it Up! // Sunny Day Family
42. Build a Painting // Rhythms of Play
43. Butterfly Painting Craft // Super Mommy Club
44. Pointillism with Acrylics // Something 2 Offer
45. OILS and WATERCOLOR // Emma Owl
46. Fresh Fruit Paint // Play Dough and Popsicles
47. Painting with Paint Dough // Life with Moore Babies
48. Spicy Scented Sensory Paint // One Time Through
49. DiY Bath Paint // Play Dough and Popsicles
50. 66 Homemade Paint Recipes // Emma Owl
51. Homemade microwave Puffy Paint // Messy Little Monster

We have also included – just in case you don’t have paint EVERYWHERE already – kids painting ideas from all the bloggers who are taking part this year. Here are their ideas, ‘painting thingies’ they have created and inspired in the past!!