Get inspired by these fun painting ideas you can do with 2-year-old toddlers. Grab your favorite paint and let’s get started!
What type of paint can you use for toddlers?
Toddlers tend to paint more than just the paper they are provided, so start with washable paint and use an apron. Once you are ready you can experiment with acrylic paint.
Acrylic paint will have a thicker color, stronger pigments making the color brighter while washable paint are more watered bases therefore easier to clean on surfaces, but that also means you need more layers when painting things like wood or salt ornaments.
What crafts can a two-year-old do?
Toddlers about to 2.5 and closer to 3 years old can do more guided simple crafts, but when it comes to painting process art is best. Crafts that just allow them to express their creativity, allow them to choose whatever color they want and use the brush in their own way to explore how paint feels when pressing hard or gentle.
Toddlers at 2 years old are still learning to control their hand muscles. A critical skill to learn later on how to hold a pencil and write.
Working on developing the hand muscles is a crucial early development skill you should work on at this age. Art is a great way to work on this skill.
Magic Mixing Paint Art Activity
Mixing paint is a great activity to learn colors.
Create Art with handprints
Finger painting is something babies and toddlers can do to discover art materials. Free painting with not just the fingers but the full palm is one of our favorite free activities to do!
Add some paint blobs around the page as let yourself toddlers paint freely. Provide a second paper and show them how you can stamp your handprint but hitting the paper. You have to make the motion and sound effects too and make it sound super cool… then as they catch the idea the motions don’t have to be so expressive.
Painting with Nature Paintbrushes
Go on a nature walk and collect a few flowers and leaves. Then head over to your art table and use those as paintbrushes.
Paint on Foil Paper Art Activity
Painting on different surfaces and textures is a must-do at this age. Grab kitchen foil – or my favorite: foil wrapping paper! And lay it out with some acrylic paints and different size paintbrushes.
The sound, the glare from the light, and the soft textures will make this a super fun experience!
Painting Homemade Clay ornaments or sculptures
Creating ornaments or their own creations using our homemade clay (that does not need to be baked) is a great art material to paint. The clay dries so soft and bright that any color you use will pop! Is a great gift for the grandparents, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day!
Get our homemade clay recipe here
Painting with Puffy Paint
Puffy paint is is such a fun painting activity! We have done puffy rainbows and the lasted one has been puffy melted snowman!
Follow our easy puffy paint recipe and make the melted snowman at home! (Yes they might want use their hands and paint but just insist they use the paintbrush or you will have a very fun and messy art activity!)
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