Toddler Fine Motor Paint Activity

Written on December 1, 2022

by Jordan Engdahl

Jump to Activity

I’m always looking for ways to keep my child entertained, without sitting her in front of the television all day. Although, don’t get me wrong, this child loves her “Ms. Rachel” videos. If you don’t have any idea of what I’m talking about, GO NOW. Search on Youtube “Ms. Rachel” or “Songs for Littles.” You are welcome!

Anyways, Rilynn, our very active 1 year old, can only play with her toys for so long, right? As I’m assuming many other parents are feeling the same way with their young children. 

Since becoming a “Stay at Home Mom,” I try to keep my attention on Rilynn as much as possible throughout the day. So, minimal phone or screen time, and managing my time wisely to hassle chores. With that being said, I can’t just sit there and play with the same shape sorter toy with her for hours. Especially since she doesn’t have conversations with me to keep me more entertained... yet (Haha!). 

TIP: A good way to keep a child entertained with specific toys for a longer period of time is to transition them out every couple of weeks. I usually do it every couple of months, especially because this is our first and I only have a handful of age appropriate toys worth doing this with. Though, I notice her getting bored of them quickly. Hence the purpose of this post.

We live in Michigan, so in the Spring and Winter, it’s a little more difficult to get outside and burn some energy off. Rilynn loves going outside, so she’d go regardless, but it’s not as easy to just go up to the park and play on the structures or walk the trails in the snow. BUT, always get fresh air when possible!

Otherwise, we are going to have to fill the colder months with many indoor crafts, experiments, and enrichment activities to keep us busy and her mind learning and developing. 

Side note: Before I get to the craft activity of this post, I wanted to mention, having other mom friends who are also Stay at Home Moms (or not!) is a major asset to our lives. Being able to bond with other woman that are living a similar lifestyle as you, really benefits you as a mom and your child/ren. We have a few SAHM friends that have children around the same age as Rilynn, and she thrives when she's able to socialize with other people and children. 

Check out the newest hair trend!

Craft Activity: Painting with Clothespins and Cotton Balls

Materials

• Normal sized clothespins

• Cotton balls

• Paint colors (best to use washable paint or edible paint – see recipes in 'alternatives' below)

• Paper plate or Washable paint palette

• Paper or Canvas to paint on to

Instructions

1. Pour a small amount of each paint color onto a paper plate or washable paint palette 

2. Pinch a cotton ball with a clothespin (repeat for how ever many colors of paint available to child – unless you are letting them mix the colors and would just like to use one) 

3. Let child paint their whole heartedness onto their paper or canvas as they please

Developmental Goal of Activity

• Fine motor skills: Children are able to work on their hand, wrist and finger muscle control.

• Eye-hand coordination: The child is able to control where they place the painting tool where they want it to land on the paper.

• Creativity: The child can create a piece of artwork that doesn’t have to have an end “goal”

• Expression of Emotions: The child is able to express their feelings, or work through difficult feelings by painting

ALTERNATIVES

• If your child is a little older, and can put the cotton ball on themselves, this is a great extra fine motor challenge to add to the activity.

• Make an edible paint, because the younger ones WILL eat it!

  • “Create Kids Club”: 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup hot water, food coloring

  • “TinkerLab”: 1/3 cup cornstarch, 2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar (heat in saucepan), food coloring

• Experiment with different materials as the paint brush tool

  • Feathers

  • Toy cars

  • Bubble wrap

  • Kitchen utensils

  • Fingers!

  • Nature items

  • Corks

  • Cotton swabs

Mom Hack: If you’re doing a craft with hand, foot, or butt prints and you don’t have kids washable paint, first, coat the child’s skin that is being printed on the canvas with vaseline and then the paint. 

I had our daughter do a Father’s Day craft that said “Don’t want any other Daddy Butt you!” (Thank you, Pinterest) 

We only had acrylic paint at the time, so I coated her butt in vaseline and sat her in the paint. While acrylic paint can be ok for your child to use (best to find a non-toxic brand), it will not come off of clothes and dries fairly quickly, making it more difficult to wash off of skin. The vaseline that was coated on her skin, made it exceptionally easy to wipe off with just a baby wipe.

Yes, her butt has been displayed on the kitchen cabinet all year.