Splat Goes the Paint in this Fun and Easy Art Activity

Grab a wooden spoon and splat some paint! It’s messy, but so much fun, and summer’s perfect to put on some old clothes and head outside to make a colorful art masterpiece . . . or 2 . . . or 3!

In this post you’ll find:

Supply list
Step-by-step directions
Helpful hints
Clean-up tips
Variations and adaptations to extend the activity, make it more challenging, or simplify it for younger children.
Ways the activity aids children’s mental, physical, and social development

Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Large paper, any color
Tempera paints in various colors
Wooden spoon

Directions:

Lay large paper on a firm, flat surface
Squeeze puddles of various colors of paint around the paper
Splat down on the puddles with the flat side of the wooden spoon
No need to clean the spoon between colors, just keep splatting the puddles, allowing colors to mix. I did wipe the spoon off between different sheets of paper.
Repeat the process with other sheets of paper and colors if you wish

Helpful Hints:

If it’s at all breezy, you’ll want to weigh the table cloth and papers down. This is what happened before I did that.
The best splash effects happen if you splat up and down and don’t mush the spoon around

Clean up Hints:

Tempera paint is washable, but if it’s your patio or deck, you may want to put a large plastic table cloth under the splatting area. Paint does fly around and may not completely rinse off wood or concrete
Keep paper towels handy for cleanup as you paint
A wastebasket or plastic dish tub is great for keeping trash picked up and ready to throw away
The paint is thick and dries slowly, so find a safe place for your creations to dry

Variations and Adaptations:

If you put a sheet of paper over the paper with the puddles before splatting, It’s less messy, but doesn’t make the splash design as well. I kept splatting and the design improved.
If you put two or three different colors close together, you’ll get colorful mixtures.
Do papers with just cool or warm colors plus white
Do papers with just the primary colors—red, yellow, and blue
Wear your bathing suit for this activity, then run through the sprinkler to cool and wash off
Cut papers into smaller pieces for cards, posters, or keep large pieces to use to cover your books in the fall.

4 Ways the activity aids children’s mental, physical, and social development

When children make choices in creating art, it enhances problem-solving skills.
Art gives children opportunities to explore their interests and talents.
Making art enhances creativity and refreshes minds and eyes.
Creating colorful art reminds us of the beauty God has given us in the world

Before You Go

If you’d like more activity ideas for art, history, and nature, curriculum connections, and links to more resources, be sure to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free guide to 5 Ways Art Benefits Children’s Cognitive, Physical, Spiritual, and Social Development, with a Few Fun and Easy Activities for each Benefit

Visit my website where you’ll find free downloadable puzzles, how-to-draw pages and coloring pages for kids and a list of my hands-on workshops, chapels, and presentations for all ages.

Molly hopes you enjoy splatting paint. She had to stay in during the splatting, but here she is inspecting my painting.