Easy Toddler Craft Ideas: Block Painting | For the Kids

In the Purtell household we have a serious amount of toys. Much like any household with a couple of toddlers does. Due to this I often remove toys from the main play areas and put them away so that I can bring them out later on and presto! New toys! I'd never thought about the fact that some of those toys could actually be used in different ways for craft activities. Until now.

We bought Punky a big container of wooden block shapes for her 1st birthday back in 2012. Inside the container was a pack of coloured wooden shape blocks and also a pack of plain, unfinished block shapes. I put the plain ones away and left the coloured ones out to play. I'm so glad I did this now, as browsing on Pinterest the other day I found the perfect use for the plain blocks I've had sitting in the cupboard for almost 2 years!

If you're looking for easy toddler crafts then look no further. If you're not bothered by letting your toddler get her paint on, this is a great activity to do with a few different learning opportunities...

Block Painting


What you need:
  • Your paint of choice (I used three cheap paints I found at The Reject Shop in the primary colours)
  • Wooden Blocks
  • Paper Plate (to put the paint on)
  • Art paper (for painting on!)

What we did:

I squeezed three blobs of paint on to the paper plate (one of each colour) so that Punky could dip the wooden block shapes in.

She then used the paint-coloured shapes to stamp a large piece of art paper that I had set up for her. As she stamped we spoke about the shapes she was using and making, and the colours that she was stamping with.

As the activity progressed we then started talking about what happens when you mixed different colours together and Punky loved experimenting with new combinations.

There was also a sensory element to this activity towards the end, when Punky explored the feeling of the paint on her fingers and the paper, as well as the feeling of the paint on the block.

All in all it was a fun activity and one we will be doing again. I only gave Punky three shapes to use this time as I plan to use different shapes the next time we do it. The finished art works will be used as wrapping paper the next time there is a birthday being celebrated.

Do you have wooden blocks lying around? What other toys have you used for toddler craft activities?



You might also like to explore these other toddler art ideas



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Comments

Kylie Purtell said…
How simple and brilliant is this??? I love your little crafternoon ideas that you're coming up with. I'm road testing them right up after you xx
Kylie Purtell said…
Such a simple, but great idea Kylie. Your post images and the way that you put them all together are just beautiful. Love the colours, love the different persepctives of the girls and their crfty fingers at work xx Josefa #teamIBOT
Kylie Purtell said…
We have these same blocks in our cupboard. I'll whip them out this week and get our paint on. I'm going to attempt it with not one but two children at the same time. One of them, not mentioning any names Smiley, is a bit of a loose cannon with paint, so it could get interesting :) I'll report back in after we're done :)
Kylie Purtell said…
So adorable <3 I tried this with potatoes once. Don't try it with potatoes.
Kylie Purtell said…
I had never thought of this!
Sadly I think my kids would be passed it now. They are into painting pictures and not just stamping. That makes me a little sad.
Kylie Purtell said…
That's a great idea!
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
Kylie Purtell said…
Great idea! I just gave away a whole bunch to younger family members but D would have loved doing this with his blocks before they went... although I think I'd find him deciding that it was ok to paint with his other toys too!
Kylie Purtell said…
What a good mumma you are, you know what I think of painting and craft - it's for Kindy!! Ha ha #lazymumma
Kylie Purtell said…
I've done this kinda thing with Kindy kids- so even the "big" kids love it. It's so zen-like for them. My Little Ladybird is hitting Toddlerdom, so excuse me now while I go and pin ALL of your Toddler Craft Ideas!
Wow. So simple but clever. My kids would love this! Using the finished works as wrapping paper is such a great thing to do too. The grandparents particularly love it. Thanks for sharing! Xx

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