Mother’s Day is right around the corner so I thought it was the perfect time to share a simple art project that kids of all ages can create. This canvas painting project is low cost and requires minimal supplies. It also turns out incredibly cute, which makes it an awesome gift idea as well.
What you’ll need for the canvas painting…
First, let’s talk about the supplies you need. You’ll need a blank canvas per project. You can use cardstock or poster board if you don’t have any canvas boards lying around.
For some reason, we had quite a collection of them among our craft supplies. I’m going to blame the sales.)Next, you’re going to need painter’s tape or masking tape. These two tapes will stick to the canvas during the painting process but are easy to pull away at the end.
The last things you’ll need are paint; any colors will do and a brush. We used a foam one.
Let’s start painting!
Next, we need to set up our project. If your kids are little, like mine, you’ll want to do this step for them. If your kids are a little bit older, they will enjoy doing this part with you.
Use the tape to create trees or another design on your canvas. You can see in my picture how I kept things simple by tearing the tape in a few spots and sticking it on. Make sure the tape is pressed down so that the paint doesn’t sneak up under it.
Now it’s time to get creative! Pull out the paint and decide which colors you’ll use. You can use one or multiple.
I personally like the look of multiple colors blending together. We used blue, purple, and black to create the look of a night sky. You could easily adjust these to create a different look on your canvas.
Paint the entire thing. You can paint right over the tape even because we’ll be taking it off later. This helps keep this project simple for the little ones.
When you’re finished painting, lay your canvas somewhere safe to dry. Drying time will vary depending on the type of paint you used and how thick it was applied.
When the paint is dry, slowly peel the tape away to reveal the final project. Sign the artwork with your little one’s name and it’s ready to go.
We hung our artwork above our play shelf but you could also gift it to mom or grandma for Mother’s Day, a birthday, or Christmas. Since you can customize this project with different pictures and colors, you can create multiple gifts for different people and none of them will be the same!
Meet the Author…
Pam is an early childhood teacher turned stay at home mom. She has two boys that call her mama. She is the founder of Little Learning Moments, a play-based learning blog and community. She shares simple activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers using common objects from around the house. She believes that learning starts at home and wants to give parents the tools and confidence to play and engage with their child even on the days that seem rough.