Recommended ages: 1+
Young children love to paint with water. Mahogany Long, a member of CCRI’s Early Learning Team and Quality Every Day coach, suggests letting your child dip a paintbrush or other tools into water and “paint” whatever he or she can imagine. It’s an easy activity that can be done almost anywhere — great for outdoors on a sunny day or indoors on a rainy one.
Painting tools might include:
- Different sizes of paintbrushes
- Paint rollers
- Old makeup brushes
- Sponges (try cutting old sponges into shapes)
- Cotton balls
- Q-tips
- Small balls (explore different textures using golf balls or dryer balls)
Outside
Children can “paint” most anything with water — concrete, brick, or wood. Painting a surface with water and watching it disappear introduces the concept of evaporation.
Inside
Your child can dip any type of “paintbrush” into a bowl of water and create a picture using colored construction paper. Cookie cutters and cups can also help your child create a disappearing masterpiece.
Pro Tip for Ages 4+: Use chalk to write your child’s name on the painting surface. Let your child paint over his/her name to practice pre-writing skills.
Safety Tip: Never leave your child unattended (not even for a second) near water, especially children between ages 1 and 2.
Stay safe and take care.
