Through the Years

I used to love painting with my girls. It is so much fun, and lets them be super creative. And it is a relaxing hobby that they still enjoy as they get older. What’s really nice now, with my kids out of the house, is that I’m surrounded by many things that they painted, so it reminds me of them. Their work brightens ups the house in more ways than one! 

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When they’re really little you can put out some finger paints and paper and let them go for it. I even let the girls paint their names and handprints on one of the walls in the house. This makes me smile every day! 

Along the lines of painting walls in the house, the girls and I spray painted our office door in our house with chalkboard paint. Just make sure you have a lot of newspapers on the floor if you’re planning on giving this a try (there’s also regular chalkboard paint for less mess). What’s cute is that I wrap holiday presents in this room every year. So I write on the door in chalk, “Keep Out! Present-wrapping in Progress!”

Outside items lend themselves really well to painting. Think birdhouses, flower pots. We even have a name plate on the front of our house, “Pride Rock’ . We named it because we’re on top of a big rock, are proud of it, and are a pride :), and still love it. Consider doing something like this! You can get the kits to make this kind of thing out of clay; they are called stepping stones or garden stones. If you’re a gardener, how cute would these be outlining a flower bed?

Paint by Numbers. When they’re younger, kids get a kick of these. I see they still sell the little books that come with their own water colors. I highly recommend getting these for your little ones! I remember using them as a child! I noticed they even have them in holiday themes, like Halloween!

This is paint-by-numbers painting the girls worked on together

Paint with lines. When they’re a little older, they can do away with the numbers and just have an outlined picture. They decide the colors to use and where. This is along the lines of adult coloring books that are a thing now. Those books use colored pencils and markers, but it’s the same concept. This painting of Italy was done by my daughter, and I think she selected really nice colors!

Fabrics. Just like on the outside screen, kids like to paint fabric. Some ideas might be pillow cases, tablecloths and napkins (good present ideas), old t-shirts and sneakers. Look for dyes to make tie-dye in the craft/hobby store or Walmart section, and/or use an assortment of fabric paints. This is also a great idea for a birthday party when they’re a bit older. Check out the glow in the dark fabric paints too!

Canvases. My kids really got into doing their own masterpieces with oil paints in recent years. We like to get a variety of sizes to fit different spaces. This one my daughter made me for Christmas last year (see my handmade gifts from children post, coming out near the holidays!), and I love it- so colorful! A perfect spot for this is the stairway coming down from their bedrooms.

My youngest just asked me to bring her “painting bag” when we visited her at college recently. In her bag is a huge variety of paints, brushes, canvases, brush holder/cleaner. She and her roommate are interested in painting together to have some unique and colorful pictures for their apartment walls! I’m so happy they continue to love this activity- it’s something you can do your whole life. Paint and sip kits are so fun for a date night at home, or find a studio near you and have a great night out!

Do you have any creative painting projects or other art forms you enjoy doing with your kids, or on your own? Leave me a comment and let me know!