Halloween Art Ideas for Toddlers and Kids
If your child is old enough to sit up securely and keep their hands out of their mouth, they are old enough to enjoy art. You just have to be okay making a little mess. Messes are often when the best memories are made so don’t hold back. This was my daughter painting her first pumpkin. I suggest taking this project outside especially, if you have a toddler. I used regular craft paints. I placed a little of each color I selected onto a plate. I got my own hands dirty and showed her how to dip her hands in the paint and then onto the pumpkin. At this age, I think finger painting is best. Word of caution: If your child is anything like mine, they will rub the pumpkin until all of the paint on the pumpkin is mixed into one not-so-lovely color. This wasn’t an issue for me. I like to go with the flow, but you could limit the colors to just two or three that would mix well. I used craft paper to sit on and paint. I made sure I was in clothes that could get paint on them, and that she was in just a diaper/pull-up. Once we were done, we just carried her right to the tub to get cleaned up.
You could also take this a step further and use a black paint marker to draw a design on top of the painted pumpkin once it is dry. Then, you will have an art collaboration. How fun is that!
We enjoyed this so much that we continued this the next year. She was old enough that I felt comfortable enough to paint inside with a covered table. This year we used a paintbrush. It was still a huge hit, but you can see I didn’t learn my lesson with the paint colors. LOL
Another version of this (for the slightly older) is to have them draw a face on the pumpkin for you to carve. Once you have the pumpkin carved, allow them to paint it. This is what we did the following year. You can see I still offered all the colors, and she started to keep them separate on the pumpkin. It is so amazing to see how much they develop each year.
If you liked these ideas, I have a FREE guide that you may like as well. Go get your copy of How to Support Your Homeschool Art Student now.
Until next time…