Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to work on some art activities. I like activities that are process-based instead of following step-by-step instructions (because tired mama will end up doing most of it – and that’s no fun).
So, if you are up for some messy fun with lots of learning and pretty then let’s get this paint party started!
Why Flowers as paintbrushes?
Any time you can change your paintbrush to something else it immediately grabs a child’s attention and curiosity. For Valentine’s Day, I love to get roses or carnations and allow the kids to use them as paintbrushes.
Working with paint and creating marks – what we call, mark-making is a pre-writing skill for toddlers and preschoolers to get their hands, wrists, and shoulders ready for later on hold pencils and learn to write.
What Paint To Use
When it comes to painting I love to use acrylic paint diluted in water, because the paint is brighter, and bolder and will cover better the canvas.
If you are working with 1-year-old toddlers or preschoolers who are still exploring things with their whole body, you can work with washable paint. It is more transparent but a lot more fluid to explore the texture.
Look how much white the purple paint has below vs. the pink one at the top.
How to set up a Flower Painting Station
When it comes to setup the first thing is to cover your table. Use a plastic table cover or a bed sheet you can wash and reuse.
I love to use dog bowls or cat bowls to pour in the paint. These bowls are designed to prevent tipping and for toddlers and preschoolers, this is a great feature to have. Mine are from my local dollar store.
I also like to use 2 or 3 colors that complement each other. For our Valentine’s Day activity, I offer them pink and purple.
This way, if they mix the colors, it won’t turn into a brown muddy mix.
No matter what paint you use, or what type of flowers to use this activity is one you can recreate all season long! Allow your child to paint freely, explore their sense of creativity, and their power towards creating marks and making, and have fun while working on strengthening their pre-writing muscles.
You can let the paint dry and add stickers, glitter, glue, and other elements on top to keep building your work of art!
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