This rainbow sponge painting art is so beautiful! It’s a perfect project idea for those days you are dreamin’ about spring with your kids. And you probably already have everything you need on hand to make it happen! Keep reading for some super helpful painting tips for kids.
Sponge Painting Ideas for Kids
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Painting in general never seems to get old for my kids, but sometimes it’s nice to break out of our routine and try alternative painting techniques and materials.
Sponge painting fits the bill nicely! What I love about making sponge prints is that it’s cheap. All you need is some craft paint for kids (or, you can make your own paint), and a spare kitchen sponge (that you might already have on hand). You can also find packages of 3 for $1.00 in the dollar Target bins, or Dollar Store, like we did.
This kid’s painting project is so easy! Just swap out your regular brush with a sponge. Plus, it’s super-squishy, which means it’s super fun!
Rainbow Sponge Painting
Are you ready for some colorful fun? The creations your child will make with this rainbow sponge painting project will brighten your walls, and heart!
Materials:
- Kitchen sponge
- Paint
- Painting surface (e.g., paper, cardboard, canvas, etc.)
- Smock (or use an old, oversized shirt)
- Painter’s Tape (Use this to add stripes and designs in your creations, if you would like!)
Instructions:
Add paint on to your sponge, and dab away!
My kids love blending several colors together to experiment with different patterns, and testing out various angles and amounts of pressure to see what they can come up with.
It’s the perfect activity to do while discussing the concept of absorption , which we’ve been working on lately.
Educational Sponge Painting for Kids
Crafting is a wonderful opportunity to have discussions with kids, to help them learn without even realizing! Here are some fun discussion points to share as you paint:
- Talk about how the color soaked into the sponge.
- Ask your child what happened when they pressed the sponge onto the paper.
- Investigate why the sponge could only hold so much paint. Did the amount differ between different sponges?
- Note how your child’s prints differed, depending on the size of the sponge, how much paint was on the sponge, and how hard/lightly your child pressed down, etc.
- Cut your sponges into different sizes and shapes, and explore the science behind it as you create!
Painting Project Tips for Kids
One of my favorite things to do with my kids is to spend an afternoon painting and crafting! it can be so relaxing and is a wonderful way to practice important skills while making beautiful memories.
Here are a few tricks I have learned over the years, to make sure our crafting time goes as smoothly as possible:
- Try to plan painting/ crafting time around their schedule (aka, not during nap time!) so that they are well-rested and aren’t hungry.
- Set the atmosphere with relaxing music. My kids and I totally have a painting playlist on my phone!
- Crafting is a great time to learn more about your child as a person–their likes, dislikes, and interests. Talk about your favorite artists, and your kids’ favorite artists as you paint.
- The next time you visit the art museum, connect your own painting experiences together with the work of the masters and discuss away!
- Take lots of pictures with your little artists!
- One of my daughter’s favorite things to do after a big painting day, is to set up a gallery of her work (once it dries) in her playroom. I pour sparkling cider (sometimes we even dress up!) and then she shares the stories behind her creations with us.
Clean Up Tips for Kid’s Painting Projects
The whole point of painting is to have fun and get messy, but here are some of my favorite tips to keep the mess controlled, so that you can spend more time crafting than cleaning:
- I save plastic table cloths from my kids’ birthday parties, so long as they don’t get dirty, so that I can reuse them when we want to paint or do a messy craft! Simply set it on the floor, and get crafty. Then you just roll it up to clean up, and toss away, knowing you gave it a second (or maybe even a third) life.
- I also have a “crafting sheet” which is a white sheet (well, WAS a white sheet, haha…) that I use for crafting purposes. It actually looks really cool, as it’s covered in (dry) tie-dye and paint splatters!
- Depending on how much time we have for crafting, or if we are in a hurry, I sometimes use disposable gloves on me or my little ones when painting or doing a messy craft (not every time, though).
- Take advantage of the great outdoors while the weather is nice, and paint outside! Not only is it inspiring, you can worry less about the mess.
Remember to have fun! I know it’s hard not to get caught up in the mess and list of chores as a busy parent, but try to find the joy in it, too.
More Painting Fun for Kids
To extend this activity for some painting fun, try making sponge prints with plain water or by throwing water-soaked sponges onto an outdoor painting surface (like a wall, sidewalk, fence, or deck). You could also try making sponge splatter prints by dropping paint-soaked sponges onto your paper, too. There are so many fun ways to play with paint! Check out these other painting projects:
- Art for Kids: Block Printing
- Finger Paint: Homemade Fun
- No Mess Monster Craft
We hope you love rainbow sponge painting as much as we do! Sometimes it’s fun to just shake things up. Have you used any new materials during your painting art projects lately? Have any tips or new ideas? Let us know in the comments!
