Toddler Friendly Painting with Aluminum Foil

Have you hit your 2023 stride yet? Some days I feel like I’m accomplishing all of my goals and other days feel like a slow trudge through mud. Thankfully the temperatures have been a bit more tolerable and make getting outside a tad easier. I plan to share more about our journey to 1,000 hours outside later this week, so check back if you want to read my perspective on this challenge so far.

On to today’s activity! This is a bit messy, but easy to clean. The easy clean up makes it more approachable in my mind, so I hope your kids find it just as fun as mine did!

kids painting with foil on paper easy clean washable paint

If you are looking for a painting activity that isn’t too messy, this is for you. No brushes needed! Grab some aluminum foil, paint, and paper and get ready to watch your little artist create a masterpiece.

Here’s What You Need

Aluminum foil.
Paper. I like to use easel paper rolls for these larger or messier activities, just be sure to check if you need 12” or 18” easel paper before you order. You could also use smaller paper if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
Washable paint. I love this set of washable paint. It washes out of everything so well and I never feel stressed about stains when using it. Plus it comes in great colors and lasts a long time!
Paint palate.
Smocks. I’ve had this set of smocks for 2 years and they have held up well. I don’t wash them after every use, but they have definitely seen the inside of a washing machine about once a month. I wash them with towels and in warm water to avoid making them brittle. I try to use the delicate cycle, but I’ve forgotten that part more than once without any noticeable effects. Air dry and they will be ready for the next activity in no time.
Tash bag or towel to put under your paper. We used a trash bag and set up on the floor instead of the kid’s table because Ellette was joining us. This keeps things more accessible for her at 16 months old.

Set up

2 minutes

Let the kids pick out their paint colors. You can determine how many colors will be out at once. My general rule is 3-5 colors per person to avoid mass chaos. If I think I might display the artwork or we are gifting it to someone, I try to avoid a muddy brown mess of mixed paint. In that instance, I usually let each child select one color and then offer a few options that coordinate or compliment and let the kids pick from a narrowed pool of colors.
Get your foil pieces ready. I tore them off the roll this time and let the kids crumple them. The more hands on my kids are in the prep work, the more likely they will be invested in the whole process. If my 5-year-old would have been home, I would have let the kids practice tearing off the foil, but that was not in the cards flying solo with the 3 and 1 year old. I try to be intentional about including my kids in daily activities, however sometimes I need to prioritize my sanity. It is absolutely OK to skip a step or lean out of an activity that doesn’t feel aligned to your priorities or capacity!
Pour paint into the palates. I usually have the kids help with this step, especially with this paint. It is a thicker and slower moving paint, so it’s easier for little ones to control.

Clean Up

3-5 minutes

Let the artwork dry if you are saving it.
Rinse out the paint palate and handwash or put in the top rack of the dishwasher.
Rinse and wash smocks as needed.
Throw away the paint covered foil.
Wash the towel or throw away/fold up the trash bag you had out to protect your floors/table. We re-use our activity trash bag multiple times before tossing. I just let all the paint/glue/markers dry before folding up and storing with our art supplies.
Get a wet dish towel or paper towel and clean up any stray paint. I had some on the floor, cabinets, and walls, but it cleaned up so well even after sitting for 10-15 minutes. I simply do not use any other type of paint when my kids are this young. We just started using non-washable acrylic paint when I can give my full attention to the 3- and 5-year-old, meaning there are no babies or toddlers walking around threatening to get paint everywhere!

The kids thought it was so fun to paint with something other than a paintbrush! We were able to mold different shapes with the aluminum foil and the end result was pretty cool! Think ball, cylinder, flat fan, square, triangle, or other shapes. There are so many possibilities and both girls really liked this part. In my mind, I thought they would have one foil piece each and dip in all the paint colors, but really the highlight for them was switching which shape they were using.

The foil was much easier for Ellette to hold than a paintbrush, so she was very much interested in this activity. Normally she loses interest after 1-2 minutes of frustration with the variety of paintbrushes we have, but she was engaged and entertained with this activity for closer to 15 minutes. She needed quite a bit of modeling and encouragement from me to stick with it, but I think this was one of the first times she enjoyed painting with an instrument.

I’ve discussed this before, but the key to “messy” activities for me is adjusting my expectations. We’ve spent a lot of time working on attention and following directions, but it is very likely that someone will lose interest within 10 minutes or get paint in places where it doesn’t belong. Not every activity is a hit with the kids, but I try to share ones with you that were successful.

Admittedly, sometimes I get irritable if I spend a lot of time setting up an activity only to have to discarded or completed in 2 minutes. For this stage of life and motherhood, I’m all about the low cost and minimal set up activities. While I think there is a time and a place for more structured activities, that usually only works well for me with my 2 older children. I usually stick to easy set up and easy clean-up activities with toddlers.

I also try to set myself up for success by not using materials that annoy me. I don’t mind wiping up washable paint from our floor or walls, but that might drive someone else absolutely bananas. I’m not a huge fan of playdough crumbs on the floor, so that activity is a no go on days I don’t have the capacity to clean up the mess. We are teaching the kids how to clean up after themselves (does that ever end?) and while they generally do a decent job, it is reasonable to expect they will need help cleaning. Including the cleanup time as part of the activity helps me be less annoyed. If we have 30 minutes total, I usually give a 5 minute warning at 20 minutes if they are still actively engaged, then we start picking up at the 25 minute mark. That leaves 5 minutes for everything to be cleaned up and we can still keep our routine or get to where we need to be. I adjust as needed by giving us 10-15 minutes to clean up if there is paint or small objects involved that need to be picked up individually.

One last tip that applies to this activity, but also to my parenting journey in general: it is OK to veer away from your original plan. This is a skill that I’ve been working on over the last few years and will probably continue to refine in the years to come. When it comes to painting, playing, or coloring with your children, they might not follow your “plan”. In fact, my kids rarely do. The same holds true for raising children that are kind, compassionate, loving, brave, and healthy. My motherhood journey has been far from what I envisioned, but it truly has been wonderful when I take a step back and see all of the time I’ve spent and knowledge I’ve gained.

I’m saving this artwork and plan to hang it on the wall. Objectively, it isn’t really anything to write home about, but I love the daily reminder that something messy can also be beautiful. When I look at these splotches of paint, I can see the delight in Ellette’s eyes as she figured out she had control over what went on her side of the paper. I can hear Vaila’s laugh when she accidentally poured paint all over her hands. I didn’t set out to experience any of those moments when I set up this activity, but I’m grateful nonetheless. Maybe you will also save a bit of your children’s artwork as daily reminder of the beauty and challenges of your parenthood journey so far.