Color Mix

Playing with paints is a great way to let your toddler express herself, experiment, and have fun.

Painting is messy, but that can also be part of the fun. Your toddler will need something to cover her clothes, and you will too! You’ll also need to cover a work surface with newspaper. Tape it over a table, on the floor, or on the refrigerator. Use watercolors or washable paints.

It is good to have lots of different kinds of brushes and paints for your toddler to try, but don’t overwhelm her with them all at once.

Offer just one or two sizes of brushes and three or four different colors. Save others for next time.
Tape down a large sheet of paper for her to paint on. She can also try painting on different surfaces, like cardboard, coffee filters, or boxes. With thicker paints she can also paint rocks, pinecones, or wood.
Try other objects to paint with, such as sponges, cotton swabs, old toothbrushes, and hands and feet!

Many of your toddler’s paintings will probably turn out brown as she experiments with mixing colors. She’ll be excited to discover that different combinations make new colors, so let her continue to mix her own.