Kids painting with cotton q-tips

If you haven’t had your kids painting with cotton q-tips then I urge you to give this simple and creative idea a go a-sap! It is really simple to set up and you can leave your toddler or preschooler to be as expressive as they like!

Whenever my girls, Possum (aged 5.5 years) and Boo (aged 2.5 years) asks to paint, I suddenly find myself scrambling around trying to find the paint brushes. It’s almost like I’m on automatic and think that using paintbrushes are the only way to paint!

Of course that is completely false and children can use a wide variety of unique tools to paint.

Recommended ages: 2 years +
(Strict and active supervision is required at all times)

It was another one of those days that was cold and wet outside and Boo asked to paint. I remembered seeing this great idea over on Pinterest and thought she’d like to try it.

Get creative!

Turns out she looooooved it and made many sheets of widely painted paintings using the humble q-tip and some paint bricks. It was wonderful to see her being so creative and using all of the paper.

We talked lots about the colours that she was using and how some were brighter than others. We also talked lots about what happens when you use too much paint in the one spot. It, of course, can create holes in the paper. Ha!

Great for developing fine motor skills

Of course using q-tips to paint with is a wonderful and simple way to help develop a child’s fine motor skills. The fine ‘pinch’ grip required to hold the small q-tip in place and to move it around the paper to paint is ideal for building on those smaller muscles of the hand.

Next time you’re like me and looking for a paintbrush, consider getting your kids painting with cotton q-tips. It really is easy to set up and they will be painting wildly before you know.

Has your child ever painted with a cotton q-tip?