It’s easy to find games for kids, and this fun activity will keep your little ones occupied. Your child will have lots of fun creating these wall decorations, and he or she will get the chance to be creative and imaginative when making these works of art!
Although this activity is a bit messy, it won’t be a problem if you are prepared! It’s a good idea to wear old shorts and a t-shirt, or perhaps even a swimming costume! As this activity will involve painted hands and feet, it’s also important to do this activity either on a surface that is easy to clean (like a kitchen floor) or perhaps outside.
What you will need:
- Big sheet of paper, an old roll of wallpaper, or an old bed sheet
- Poster paint
- Disposable plates or a paint roller tray
- A bucket of water to wash your hands and feet when you change colour
- Imagination!
Instructions:
Lay out your paper, sheet, or wallpaper and stick down the edges either with masking tape or just by weighing it down at the corners. Using a separate plate for each colour of paint, pour in enough paint to coat the bottom. If you place these plates around the outside of your paper then you will be able to access them easily without having to walk onto your paper (which could put paint where you don’t want it). Some people also like to rinse their hands and feet between colours so as not to mix them together; if you want to do this, then have a bucket of water and a cloth at the side of your painting, too.
Now, the fun can begin – get your shoes and socks off and get painting!
This activity is great for younger children, as you can do abstract work using lots of bright colours and movements, looking at the patterns that they can create. It is especially fun for younger kids to see the bright colours and feel the textures of the paint – but mainly because it’s messy and experimental!
For older children you can do more complicated designs that can fit with whatever it is that they enjoy. If you are confident, then you can even branch out and start using your arms and legs, too!
3 Ideas for Fun Designs
Here are some handy tips for different themes that you could give a try.
The Sea:
For this, you will need lots of blue paint. A good idea is to ask your kid how the sea moves and see if they come up with any unique ways of showing that. For this it doesn’t matter if the entire paper is blue – sometimes the best way to get your colours to stand out is to put in your detail in first and just paint around that. You can make great fish by using your feet for the bodies and fingers to make their eyes and scales. Outspread hands also make great sea weed in green or even a jellyfish in pink.
If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can split your paper into three parts creating a beach with sea, sand, and blue sky.
The Rainforest:
For this one, you’ll need lots of green! Feet walking in straight lines make wonderful tree trunks. Experiment with green on hands and feet to make different shaped leaves. Weaving around while walking with toe to heel, with a different colour on each foot, can make a windy stripy snake.
Space:
This looks great if you have black or blue paper and then mix your colours with white so that they stand out. You can make planets by smudging with feet and hands, and stars look great with fingers. Adding an alien or space ship lets you bring your own imagination to outer space!
How to Clean Up
Once you’ve got your picture looking exactly how you want, you can let it dry by hanging it on a washing line or sticking it on a wall that you can easily clean (like the bathroom). If you have space, you could also leave it for a while on the floor.
Using poster paint means you should easily be able to mop the floor clean and dirty clothes can be washed, back to normal, in the washing machine. However, hands and feet will definitely be need to be washed after all that messy fun!