DIY Paintbrushes

Painting is a fun activity for children. Giving children a blank piece of paper and some paint and a brush is an invitation for them to create whatever they want, using their imagination. It is so much fun to see what children will create. Painting also allows children to develop their fine motor skills. Most children are used to painting with a brush, but why not make their painting more interesting by letting them use different objects to paint with. You can make your own paint brushes with clothespins and different materials you have lying around the house. This gives children a chance to think outside of the box, explore their environments for different materials and experiment with them to create pictures.

How to make your own paint brushes:

1. Have your child go through your house on a treasure hunt. They need to look for different materials they can use to paint with. Basically, anything goes. Some examples to try could be a ball of tin foil, sponges, pipe cleaners, pom poms, pasta, ball of saran wrap, feathers, sponges, velcro, cotton balls, Q-tips, ribbon, yarn, leaves, marshmallows etc.

2. Once your child has gathered a bunch of items you can turn them into paint brushes. Simply use a clothespin and pinch it onto your different materials to create a paintbrush head (as shown in the picture) Some items may need a piece of tape wrapped around them to ensure the end stays firmly grasped in the clothespin.

3. Give your child some paint and paper and let the creativity begin. Allow your children to experiment with the different brushes to see what happens when they dip them in the paint and try to paint with them on the paper. I’m sure they will come up with a lot of different designs and pictures, as they are using materials of different textures to paint with.

With the nicer spring weather now and as we head into summer, you can take your painting outside as an outdoor activity to do. Have fun experimenting and creating!!