Easy Toddler Craft Ideas: Ziplock Bag Painting

If you've read my blog before then you might have an inkling about the fact that I am a lazy girl. I am always looking for shortcuts and easier ways of doing things. Ways to make life less stressful and more laid-back.

Unfortunately for my daughters I have the same philosophy when it comes to toddler crafts. If it's too much effort it just won't happen. Which is why I've been on a mission to find simple, minimal-mess and fuss-free easy toddler crafts. And the toddler activity idea I'm sharing today doesn't get any more mess-free than this!

Ziplock Bag Painting

I've seen this on a number of websites since I first discovered it on Pinterest and it is gold! The first time I did it with Punky she was a little confused and couldn't understand why there was no paint on her fingers, even though she was "touching" it. This craft activity is great because the kids get the joy of painting, and you get the joy of having no paint to clean up!

What you need:
  • A ziplock bag
  • A few different colours of paint in squeezy tubes
  • White paper, preferably cardstock (thicker card makes it easier to remove from the bag afterwards)

Insert the cardstock in to the ziplock bag, squirt a few splotches of paint on to the paper in the bag (careful with this as it sticks to the top of the bag so you might get a bit of paint on your fingers or the tube as you the second & third colours).

Once you've added the paint seal up the bag. You might like to sticky tape it on to the table so that it stays still while little fingers are pushing around the paint (and also gives an added barrier to toddlers trying to open the bag!).

Now sit back and watch your toddler push the paint around inside the bag and decorate the paper. Be warned though, that the paper can sometimes be hard to get out, which is why cardstock is much better, thin paper will rip apart. It may also smudge in the removal process, but that just adds to it in my opinion!

Alternatively, you can leave the paper out of the bag and just have it sitting underneath on the outside. There won't be a painting to keep at the end (which some of us with masses of toddler craft floating around might say is a good thing!), but they will still be able to see the way the paint is swirling and mixing in the bag easily.

This craft activity is a great way for kids to experiment with mixing colours. It also provides a bit of sensory stimulation, feeling the paint squish under their fingers as they push it around the bag.

Have you tried ziplock bag painting with your kids? Have you discovered anything extra you can do to enhance the experience?

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