Spray Bottle Painting
What you need
- two or three small spray bottles
- water with a few drops of food colouring or watery paint in each
- a big sheet of paper taped to a fence or a wall
How to do it
- Tape the paper to a fence, a wall or the side of a big box outside.
- Let your child squeeze one colour at the paper and watch it drip and spread.
- Add a second colour on top: what happens where the two meet?
- Stand back together and look at the picture. What does it look like to them?
Why it matters
A brush would have been put down long ago, but a spray trigger keeps their fingers squeezing for one more burst of colour.
What they're learning
- Squeezing a trigger
- Strong fingers, again and again.
- Mixing colours
- Blue and yellow running together.
- Aiming
- Pointing the nozzle at the paper.
What to look for
Notice them squeezing slowly for a mist and hard for a squirt.
A tip
Old clothes, and spray away from faces. Food colouring can stain, so use washable paint if you'd rather.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: one colour and a big target drawn on the paper to aim at
Harder: tape a paper shape onto the sheet first, spray round it, then peel it off to find the outline
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Fine motor activities · Toddler activities with paper · Toddler water activities