{Play} Painting With Brushes, Balls and Bodies
November 3, 2011 in All Posts, Play, Toddler Activities
The other day Jane looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I want to paint.”
“What do you want to paint?”
“Something HUMONGOUS!”
My first thought was, “Where in the heck did she learn that word?”
And my second was, “What humongous paintable thing do I have lying around the house?”
Initially, I thought we could paint the cardboard in the recycling bin and maybe turn it into a house or other structure like when she helped paint Sam’s cardboard pirate ship.
But as soon as I opened the patio door, I noticed a basket of balls and the lightbulb went off!
Materials
- Easel paper, poster paper or paper bags headed for the recycling bin
- Tape
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Tennis balls (or other small balls that can soak up paint and be rolled across your canvas - golf balls or whiffle balls would make some really interesting patterns!)
Step 1
Tape down your canvas. We used easel paper from our favorite easel.
Step 2
Squirt your paints into a large container. We used a gift box which was large enough for Jane to put her hands and feet into, as well as the tennis balls and paint brushes.
Step 3
Let your toddler have at it!
At first, Jane went for the brushes and was excited by the sheer size of the project.
Then - as always - she moved to handprints.
Eventually, she discovered the ball and rolled it around the canvas
and then bounced and pressed it into the paper.
Finally, she realized she could put her feet into the paint and run around!
She made “tracks” and tried to figure out who left them, using an imaginary magnifying glass.
I think she came up with a great idea!
What projects has your toddler inspired you to set up?
For more painting ideas, check out our:
activities!
LEARN! Gross motor skills, body movement
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Chrissy – who has written 426 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.
[…] Tennis ball painting […]
[…] If you like the idea of painting with unorthodox things, you should also check out one of my fave blogs where kids painted using tennis balls and gigantic paint brushes at The Outlaw Mom Blog! […]
Oooh how! Looks like a fabulous painting session!
Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
Thanks, Maggy! (Yes, this is another comment that went the way of spam - got you out!)
Wow!! That is a great idea! My children would love that.
Thanks so much for linking to Fun Sparks. xx
Hope you guys get to try it! 30 Days To Hands On Play did something similar today, if you’re doing the challenge.
[…] painting HUMONGOUS pictures (from The Outlaw Mom) […]
Wow! What fun. I’m impressed that she used the word ‘humongous’ too…and used an imaginary magnifying glass.
Sounds like you all had a wonderful time!
Well, according to her teachers in my first parent-teacher conference today, she is quite a ham - and I’d say so, too! Everything is “fabulous” or “wonderful” these days or some other big adjective.
Thanks for coming by, Kristi
messy play, I love it!!
Very messy! I’m gearing up for the next time - we’re sticking to cleaner activities for a little while
I love this! I wish I had space big enough to do big art like this. We’re in an apartment so we’re pretty careful about what kind of stuff we do. We’ll have to give it a go when it gets warm again at the park!
Aleacia
It is pretty messy, but lots of fun - I hope you get to try it in the park! If you use washable paint, maybe it would work in your kitchen? Well, I guess without the balls, because believe me, they really roll and bounce and you’ll end up with quite a lot of paint splatter. Thanks for coming by, Aleacia
Just curious- what kind of paint are you using? The non-toxic acrylic? We are starting to do so much crafting and painting, I think I should start investing in the big bottles of the stuff.
I used to just keep the little crayola bottles but that’s not cutting it anymore! Cute photos- The white paper around looks like a photographer’s white room. haha!
I prefer the washable non-toxic kind because Jane will always have it on her skin (and lots of it!) and if Sam is involved, he might end up licking up a little! The Melissa & Doug brand has worked for us. I only use the acrylic (non-toxic, of course, sparingly, like when we did ice cube painting or for some projects where we painted wood.
I totally didn’t think of the effect of the white paper before the project, but it’s cool in the post!