Water Painting: the perfect no-prep outdoor activity for kids!
Water painting might be the easiest activity of all time, but it’s a kid (and parent) favorite for good reason. It’s super fun, no prep, and entertaining for kids of all ages!
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Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to get outside and play! My kids love to play outside for the most part, but sometimes they need a little nudge to take that first step out the door. I’ve found that having a super simple activity planned to draw them outside initially is often all it takes to get their creativity flowing and they’ll stay outside long after they’ve finished whatever I originally planned.
If you’re on the hunt for a super easy outdoor activity to draw your kids outdoors, I’ve got a winner for you today: water painting!
Why we love water painting
First off, it’s so simple. Seriously, just dip a brush in a container of water and start painting on whatever surface you’ve got handy—sidewalk, driveway, patio…anything!
Second, it’s fun for everyone! Toddlers, big kids, even grown-ups can get in on the action. I’ve done this with babies who just splash their hands in the water puddles, and just yesterday my almost 10-year-old was splatter painting like a pro and creating “water land.” Whether they’re making squiggles or trying to recreate the Mona Lisa (okay, maybe not quite), everyone can get creative with water painting. It’s a great activity if you’re trying to manage kids in a wide age range!
Third, you can easily add in some play-based learning! Your child may start out painting squiggles (and that’s great!), but you can paint next to them and model writing, shapes, counting and more! While my son was making a sea monster (awesome!), I started to write his name. Then he wanted to write his name. I continued writing other letters, and he joined in, too! Pretty soon, we were racing to see if we could write the whole alphabet before it was erased by the sunshine!
What paint brushes work best?
You can use whatever paintbrushes you have on hand, but I recommend chunkier brushes for best results. We’ve used these cheap sponge style brushes and they’re great as long as your surface is pretty smooth. If you have particularly bumpy concrete, the brushes will get torn up pretty quickly. We’ve also used bristled paint brushes successfully, just make sure they’re wide ones. The skinny brushes that come in most kids’ painting kits don’t hold enough water to work very well on concrete outside.
Here are my top recommendations:
Want to give water painting a try? Keep reading for full instructions and more ideas for how to paint with water!
Outdoor Activity: Water Painting with Kids
What we’re learning:
- science (how water interacts with different materials and then evaporates)
- fine motor skills
- academic skills of your choice: practice letters, numbers, shapes, and more!
Materials Needed:
- Container of water (any bucket or empty plastic container works great!)
- Paintbrushes
How to Play:
This really is the easiest activity ever. Simply set out a container of water and give your child a brush. Then start painting! That’s it! No need for paints or fancy supplies—just good old H2O and a bit of creativity.
Want more ideas for how to make the most of this activity?
Allowing kids freedom to explore and create without any structure or instructions from you is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s a great way to encourage creativity and child-led learning! However, sometimes it can be helpful to provide a little direction for kids who are hesitant to get started, or who seem to burn out quickly. It’s also a great way to add an extra boost of learning to your water painting party. Here are some ideas:
- Write your name.
- Write the alphabet. Race to write ALL the letters before the first ones disappear!
- Use basic shapes (circle, triangle, square, etc.) to create pictures.
- Write numbers.
- Play tic-tac-toe.
- Try splatter painting!
- Trace the outline of your body.
- Paint a self-portrait.
- Try nature painting! Use leaves, branches and other natural materials as your brush.
- Make hand or footprints with water.
What other ideas can you come up with?
Want more fun outdoor activities for kids? Try these!