Teacher-tested and Student-approved!
ALL of these easy painting ideas for kids have been designed by myself (Jenny K.) and used with my students. I won’t share anything with you that hasn’t been tried and tested by yours truly. Why is this so important? The foundation of Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), and associated blogs of Teacher Authors who share on TPT, is that educators and students try and test the resources and lessons. This means that you won’t have to stumble into a lesson to find yourself in the middle of a hot mess, unsure how to get out. That said, you might find yourself in a hot mess—but I’ll always warn you it’s coming and how to get out of it 😉 Having this teacher-approved guarantee makes a big difference—especially when it comes to something like paint! Wouldn’t you agree?!
So, in other words—I’ve got you!
12 Easy Painting Ideas for Kids: A Year of Painting Projects
I have taken the time to go through all of the content on my blog and in my TPT store to bring you 12 Easy Painting Ideas for kids. I have organized these ideas by month, and they very loosely correspond to popular American holidays—with a few exceptions.
Above all, I hope you have fun making art with your kids.
Let’s get started…
January
Snow Globe Marbleized Paper: Marbleized paper using shaving cream—my all-time favorite art “magic trick.” I have taught this lesson HUNDREDS of times over the course of my career, and it NEVER fails to amaze (the kids or me!). I have done this project with children as well as adults. All ages from pre-school to high school. It is my go-to amazing art activity that I can always count on.
I’ve used this shaving cream marbleizing technique for just about every occasion. One of my favorite times to use it is in January, to make winter-scene snow globes.
I am not the only one that likes to use this lesson. At the time I am writing this post (2021), there are over 22,000 downloads of my free lesson on TPT. My free resource breaks this project down step-by-step. It even includes a free teaching video. If you’d like to try this lesson, you’ll find it HERE or by clicking on the button below.
Snow Globe Marbleized Paper Project HERE.
February
Textured-paper Valentine’s Day Hearts: Making textured paper is another one of my favorite art things to do with children. Also, it is another activity I have done countless times and for countless reasons.
Today, let’s focus on Valentine’s Day. Using my textured paper heart project, your students will be able to create a unique art project to take home to their families for Valentine’s Day. You will find all the details for the project by clicking on the button below.
Textured Paper Project HERE.
March
Robert Indiana LOVE Shamrocks: When it comes to easy painting ideas for kids—comes in near the top! I know you might be thinking I’m pulling your leg after starting this post with shaving cream and textured paper. But trust me, those were the two hardest lessons in this post (also some of the most popular). It really does get easier!
This Robert Indiana-inspired St. Patrick’s Day LOVE painting can’t be any easier. I have a complete YouTube video that teaches the lesson for you. Use it to show your students, and let me help do the teaching. My video actually has my daughter demonstrating this lesson with me. You can watch it HERE.
Robert Indiana Inspired LOVE Paintings HERE.
April
Poetry Month Art Lesson: It was hard not to put this project in one of the hot summer months because of the cool, refreshing ice cream theme. However, it truly belongs in March—Poetry Month. Being dedicated to helping classroom teachers infuse art into their classrooms, this lesson makes my heart melt (sorry )!
Make connections in your classroom for National Poetry Month when combining art and poetry to create these fun, fantasy-flavored ice cream cone paintings. These imaginative ice cream cones are inspired by the poem “Bleezer’s Ice Cream” by Jack Prelutsky. Ice cream flavors like tutti-frutti stewed tomato, and tuna taco baked potato should certainly catch your students’ attention.
Students will create this fun, and easy painting project, while learning about alliterations. You will find my entire blog post, with all the instructions you need, HERE or by clicking on the button below.
Poetry Month Alliteration Art Project HERE.
May
Painting with Tissue Paper: It’s May! That means you’ve been working hard all year with your students, and summer is around the corner. This month try painting with your students—but using tissue paper instead of paint. Huh, you ask? Keep reading…
This project is a fun way to show your students to think outside of the box. It also teaches them a new technique. Tissue paper is very affordable, and it’s fun to “paint” with! You’ll find all of the instructions on my blog HERE.
Painting with Tissue Paper Project HERE.
June
Rainbow Octopus Art Project: This blog post is full of easy painting ideas for kids. THIS rainbow octopus project might be the easiest painting lesson in this post. It’s easy—but it’s just as fun as all the rest of the projects.
If you decide to try this lesson with your students, you can show them the teaching video I have for this lesson HERE.
Rainbow Octopus Lesson HERE.
P.S. If you have Netflix, I HIGHLY recommend that you watch the documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” It’s a touching story of an octopus and human friendship that will blow you away.
July
Unlikely Friends Art Project: If you did my lesson last month, the Rainbow Octopus, and watched the documentary, I bet you thought the octopus and human were pretty unlikely friends.
This month, keeping with the idea of “unlikely” friends, I want to share with you my art project by the same name. I have done this project a few times with my students, and they always love it. The idea is simple—children draw two animals that you wouldn’t “normally” think of as friends, and they turn those two drawings into a painting.
You can find all the details of this painting project HERE or by clicking on the button below.
August
Andy Warhol Art Projects: This month, the easy painting ideas for kids projects I have for you are centered around Andy Warhol. This is because August 6th is his birthday. He was born in 1928 and died in 1987. In that short amount of time on this planet, he made quite a lasting impression in the world of art.
I have created Andy Warhol painting projects for kids several times over the years. From working with preschoolers (there were over 50of them—long story) and using watercolor paint, to working with upper elementary/middle school and creating pop art paintings on canvas. I’ve even created time-saving Andy Warhol resources that I share in my TPT store HERE.
I invite you to join the celebration of Andy Warhol’s birthday this month. You will find a variety of my Warhol lessons linked to the buttons below.
September
Dot Day Activities: Did you know that September 15th is International Dot Day? This day is inspired by the book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. This is the story of a little girl named Vashti and how she learns to “make her mark.”
Teachers love the message of this day, and it’s an easy way to infuse art into your classroom.
By the way, did you know using books in combination with art projects is one of the simplest ways to integrate art into your lessons?
If you’d like to do something fun for “Dot Day” this year—check out my post HERE or by clicking on the button below.
October
Pollock Pumpkins: It’s October. If you’ve been doing my easy painting project ideas for kids this year, I applaud you! No matter if you have started with us in January or jumped in somewhere through the year—these ideas are lasting, and you can slowly incorporate them into your teaching over the years.
This month try my Pollock Pumpkins. Pollock is a fascinating artist to children. There is no doubt that once you introduce him to your students, you are going to hear, “I could do that.”
To which you can show this:
Sorry, a little modern art joke there!
All the instructions for this project are available HERE or by clicking on the button below.
November
Have some fun with kids this month while creating Pop Art Pumpkin Pie Paintings. This lesson focuses on color, pattern, and design. I’ve included a free, downloadable handout on how to draw a slice of pumpkin pie so everything you need is included in this lesson. I provide the instructions—you provide the materials and the creative kids!
Get all the details about this project, including the free handout, HERE.
December
Pour Painting Ornaments: Oh.my.goodness! I am not sure I’ve EVER had as much fun as I have with these pour painting ornaments. Well, maybe I have, but this is my NEW favorite activity of all time. Pour painting works for EVERYONE.
I have done it with students and adults alike. It’s fun. It’s mesmerizing. And it’s easy! All you do is pour paint. You can do this on all kinds of surfaces, from canvas to holiday ornaments.
While this project is straightforward, there are a few things you should know about pour paint. I have that all explained, in detail, in THIS post, or by clicking on the button below.
Christmas Pour Painting Ornaments HERE.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, Easy Painting Ideas for Kids, as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you.
Jenny K.
