Original ideas for painting with children at home
All children are artists. But when they're first getting started, it's not a bad idea to have a plan in place in case of an artistic mishap...
If your little ones like to draw but tend to make a royal mess or get paint where it doesn't belong, you might find these tips useful. Have a look at these ideas for painting and drawing at home with your kids, all while keeping things in order and under control. We hope they'll give you some inspiration!
Painting on the shower partition
The glass partition of your shower is a perfect canvas. The kids can take their artistic creation in whatever direction they want (well, okay, within reason). Here's what to do.
- Put them in their wellies and some clothes you don't mind getting stained, or a rain jacket that's easy to clean.
- Make sure that they're not going to slip—wellies should be fine, but best to be cautious.
- Make sure that you're supervising them at all times, ensuring that they're not playing with things in the shower they shouldn't or painting on surfaces that aren't the partition.
- When they've finished, it's up to you how long the work of art stays up. You can then easily clean it off when you want.
Materials for painting with kids
What kind of paint can you easily clean off after they've plastered it all over the shower partition? Watercolours are your friend!
This is the best way of letting them unleash their inner Picasso. They can keep them right at hand in the basket that normally holds the shampoo.
How to clean the partition after painting
Sounds great in theory, but is it really that easy to clean the partition? Absolutely! Squeegees, which are usually used to remove water droplets, can also help us easily and effectively clean glass partitions. This means you've not only got a blank surface, ready for the next painting session, you've also got your shower back, ready for it's true purpose.
Where to keep the children's paints
If your little one is a budding artist and it's something they do every day, you might consider having a special place for all their things. Why not find yourself a couple of pieces of side furniture to store it all? That way they won't be in the way, and when you close the doors, they'll be completely out of sight!
In this case, for example, we've totally customised the inside of these cabinets to make them as practical as possible. Most of the items are pretty long and bulky (figurines, paint brushes, sketch pads etc.), so what we need is height. Therefore, we've got just the one shelf, right at the top, for keeping smaller objects and drawing paper roll. That way we can easily keep everything else in the bottom section. For example, we've got the notebooks neatly stored in a pot lid organiser. And on the walls of the cabinet, we've got a perfect storage solution for the paint pots. What do you think?
Show off their art and make them feel proud
Not all of their creations are going to be temporary like the shower partition paintings. At some point, you're going to want to put their artwork on display, to show the world just how talented they are.
We've included a poster hanger just for that. Here we've put one inside the door of the cabinet itself. This solution is easy but also clever, providing real flexibility, as it can be used to hang a painting while it dries, or as an easel, or as a one-frame gallery.
An organiser for drying and arranging paintings
Sometimes they get so inspired while painting that you end up with a whole plethora of paper, pads and canvases, all full of their best creations. So what do we do with them while they dry? How can we store them or arrange them? One idea that's particularly original — and practical and easy to boot — is to put them in a lid organiser like this. That way you'll have them all in one place, where they can sit and dry and you can decide which of them you want hang up.
Not sure about how best to decorate your walls with their paintings? If you want to display them in style, check out this video for some quick and easy tips for decorating your walls:
A painting studio under the table: let's play!
Kids love building forts and creating their own little space under tables. Their imagination knows no bounds.
So what better idea than to let them take over this unique space under the kitchen table, so they can paint and craft, or simply play. They can take all their paints, canvases and games under there and spend an afternoon totally entertained. However, don't forget that you'll need to protect the area. Keep reading and we'll tell you how.
How to protect your carpet from stains
Coming up with original ideas for getting your kids painting is great, but there are certain precautions we have to take. Floor protectors, for example, prevent us from ending up with a carpet full of paint, whether the children paint directly under the table as we've seen above, or on it (as a little drop always escapes). If you don't have one, you can always use a plastic clothes cover. That way, everyone's happy.
A portable holder for materials
Pencils, brushes, paints — everything they need, organised and all in one place. Exactly how parents like it! In this storage hanger with pockets, you can store everything they need and take it wherever they're painting that day. If you're looking for another option, don't underestimate the power of storage boxes. If you choose one with handles, it'll be much easier to move it from one place to another, while still keeping all their things organised.
And there you have it! What do you think of these ideas? We want you to get inspired and create a fun and safe home for your children. That's why we've compiled this special selection of articles. Don't miss out!
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original purpose, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return them.
