Hand Painting for Kids: 4 Steps to Colorful Abstract Art on Canvas!

Hand painting for kids on canvas: how I got the idea

Mother’s Day is coming up so I thought of this hand painting for kids activity we used to do in the Montessori classroom. This painting on canvas makes a great gift for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day! I originally got this idea from another Montessori teacher and dear friend of mine at a school I worked at in Manhattan.

She created an after-school art class for preschoolers called “The Little Artist” where the kids created abstract art with paint on canvas. I assisted her with this class. She provided the kids with their own oversized canvas.

The teacher dripped acrylic paint on the canvases and the kids used only their hands to tap the paint on the canvas each week. The teacher also dripped small collage items (such as tissue paper and pencil shavings) to the canvases to add texture, while the kids were tapping the paint on the canvas.

The class was an eight-week session, so by the eighth week, the kids each had a really cool unique abstract art piece they could take home!

My experience with hand painting for kids on canvas

When I was a Montessori teacher in another school after we moved, I took this idea, hand painting for kids, as a project in the classroom. I thought it would be a fun idea for the kids to have their own canvas to work on for several days (or weeks) and bring it home as a gift for Mother’s Day.

Below is a picture of all the kids’ canvases from my classroom. It really is amazing how they all turn out unique. What’s really great about this art activity is that the kids completely create their art pieces by themselves. The teacher just drips the paints on the canvas and the kids use their hands and tap to create their abstract painting.

Each week (or day) is a new set of colors, so the kids are adding a new layer of color, adding to the depth and richness of the art piece.

 

Color mixing

There are different directions you could go with this. You could incorporate a color mixing lesson while painting, which could be an extension of a Sensorial color lesson. For example, for each painting session, you could choose two primary colors that mix to make a secondary color; blue and yellow make green for the first session. Then let the colors dry and for the next painting session, choose red and blue to make purple, and so on.

Or, you could have the kids completely choose whatever colors they want and have them explore with color, even if the painting gets all muddy brown at the end. It’s all a great experience. After it dries, you could always just start over and add another layer of paint!

My experience with hand painting for kids on canvas at home with my older toddler

I thought it would be fun to do this painting activity with my older toddler (almost preschooler). She is two years and 8 months old and she loves to get her hands into things. She loves water, painting, kinetic sand, sensory bins, and play dough. Mother’s day is coming up. After this painting project, we’ll have canvases to give as gifts for both grandmas, aunt, and mom (me)!

Bonus: the hand painting for kids on canvas also makes a great father’s day gift, too! Also, check out my coffee filter flower color mixing craft for another mother’s day gift idea.

 

You will need:

• Canvases – we used 8″x10″ canvases. You can use smaller or larger canvases, but I find this size is perfect for little hands and a nice size for a gift (or whatever is on sale at your local arts and crafts store). We painted 4 canvases (2 for grandmas, 1 for aunt, 1 for mom).
• Acrylic Paints – I used a non-toxic, Craft Smart brand in larger sizes (8 oz). Supervise your children at all times while using acrylic paint and wash hands immediately following the painting activity. It says non-toxic but keep acrylic paints away from babies and very young toddlers, as they have a tendency to put things in their mouths.
  • If you prefer, you can always use washable kids’ paints like tempera paint, but it won’t have the same staying power on the canvas or the richness of color as acrylics.
  • Acrylic washes off of hands and hard surfaces with soap and water, but it can stain clothing and porous surfaces so be sure to use a splash mat and an apron or old painting clothes.
• Splash Mat – drop cloth, or tarp to protect your floors and furniture.
• Apron or Art Smock – to protect your kids’ clothing. Or you could have them wear old painting clothes.
• Collage items (optional) – For added texture, you can use pencil shavings, tissue paper cut into little squares, yarn cut into 2-inch pieces, and/or glitter.

Here are the 4 Steps for Hand Painting for Kids on Canvas!

 

Step 1: Set up your painting area

• Place a splash mat or tarp on the floor for your kid(s) to paint. If you prefer to work at the table, you can place the cloth on the table to protect your furniture.
• Have your kid(s) put on an apron/art smock or have them wear old painting clothes that you don’t mind getting full of paint.
• Place the canvases on the splash mat and have your kid(s) sit in front of them. If you’re doing multiple canvases for mother’s day gifts, your kids can work on all the canvases at the same time. You could push them together like they are one canvas.
• Get your acrylic paints that you will be using out and ready to go.

 

Step 2: Drip the paint on the canvases

• Ask your kid(s) what color they would like to start with. Start with the primary colors. If she chooses blue, then ask what other color she would like, for example, she chooses yellow. You can incorporate a color mixing lesson and say “blue and yellow make green.”
• Slowly drip the paints on the canvases. If you’re using an 8″x10″ canvas, you don’t need a lot of paint – maybe a tablespoon of each color on each 8″x10″ canvas.

 

Step 3: Let the magic begin! Your child paints with hands on the canvas!

• Step back and let your child be creative! Let them tap, tap, tap their hands on the canvas to move the paint around freely.
• I noticed that the kids want to smear the paint, like windshield wipers. Instead, see if your child can tap like on a drum. This way, you really get a brushstroke effect on the canvas.
• If the colors look too dark, you can drip white paint, or add drops of the secondary color they are making. For example, your child is tapping blue and yellow to make green, you can just drip white and green paint to their creation and have them tap in with their hands
• Optional: while your child is tapping the paint on the canvas, drizzle some collage objects on their painting for them to tap on. Just use one type of object at a time for each session, like yarn, tissue paper, pencil shavings, or glitter.

 

Step 4: Let the painting dry and repeat all the steps as many times as you like!

• Let the canvas completely dry. For each new painting session, have your child choose a new set of colors. If you’re doing the color mixing theme, choose different primary colors and go from there. For instance, your child chooses blue again, so pick out red and say “blue and red make purple.”
• Remember to tap, tap, tap (instead of smear) to get the brushstroke effect.
• Add in a different collage object, if you’d like.

Concluding Thoughts

We did 5 layers of paint for the canvases, but it’s up to you how many paint sessions you’d like to do. I find that you’ll just know when the artwork is completed. Your child will have her very own Jackson Pollack-style painting!

This hand painting for kids on canvas activity is a wonderful hands-on experience for the children. The canvases always come out so unique. It’s cool that you can start over again with a new layer of paint as many times as you like. And you have a beautiful abstract art canvas to give as a gift. Try different size canvases and different color combinations.

Have you tried this paint project with your kids? Do you have any kids’ hand painting ideas and tips? Leave a comment!