The Best Paint For Kids

Buying Guide

Whether your child is a budding artist with a talent for creating life-like scenes or a beginner who enjoys experimenting with different colors, painting is a great activity to help children use their creativity. In addition to learning about colors and techniques, painting has many additional benefits for children.

MORE: The Best Markers for Art Projects

For children who have difficulty verbalizing emotions or communicating their feelings, painting is a helpful way to express their emotions. Through the use of art, children can paint what they are experiencing. Even if they are not able to communicate those experiences through words, they will be able to express them through art. For children who experience stress and anxiety, painting can be a great way to relieve some of those feelings. Through the act of painting, the children can focus on being in the moment instead of worrying about other challenges they may face.

Painting is also a great way for children to learn about their senses. The feel of dipping the paintbrush in the paint and spreading it across the paper, the smell of the paint and the vibrancy of the colors all help children use their senses. This can teach children more about the world around them, such as the principle of cause and effect. For example, they can learn what happens when you mix certain colors together — or what happens when you touch paint before it has dried.

Holding the paintbrush in their hands, navigating it to the paint and then spreading it across the paper helps children improve their mobility skills and their hand-eye coordination. Even painting with their fingers helps them to learn how to better control their movements. When working on a small art project with a fine paintbrush, they can improve their fine motor skills. When working on a large art project, such as one on an easel, they can work on their gross motor skills.

• When buying paints for kids, the first thing you’ll need to check is the kind of paint you need. Different types of paints are useful for different kinds of art projects. Acrylic paint, for example, can be used for many different projects, both indoors and outdoors. It’s an opaque paint, so if you make a mistake, you can easily correct it by painting over it. This makes it a good choice for kids. Plus, it’s a water-based paint that’s fast-drying, so it’s easy to clean up.
• The other common paint to use for kids is called tempera paint. “Tempera is a fast-drying opaque paint that can be used on paper, wood, cardboard and projects like papier-mâché,” according to Markham. “It’s important to remember that you cannot layer tempera like an acrylic painting, because even when dry the paint is reactivated when new paint or water is added.”
• The Colorations Simply Washable Tempera Paint, 6 ct is filled with tempera paints.
• Regardless of whether you have a mini Picasso or a finger-painting fanatic, you’ll want to make sure you are providing them with a variety of colors to use. This way, children can more freely explore their creativity by learning about how different colors mix together or how they complement one another. Some sets come with as many as 18 unique colors, while other brands only include 12 unique colors. The Colorations Simply Washable Tempera Paint, 6 ct only comes with six unique colors.
• When deciding which paint to purchase, consider how your child will be using it. Do they enjoy painting over colors on the paper after they have dried? Do they like a more watery texture or a thicker texture? Do they have a tendency to put the paint on in thick layers or thin layers? According to Markham, tempera paint “can be thinned with water, textured by adding sand or thickened with glues.” Creating new textures in the paint adds a new level of sensory experience for children.
• “When dry, tempera can have a chalky finish and even have some cracks. To avoid cracking, keep the layers thin and paint on a rigid surface,” Markham explains.
• When children are concerned, it’s critical to keep safety in mind. Opt for paints that won’t be harmful to kids. Check the label for the word “non-toxic.” The Colorations Simply Washable Tempera Paint, 6 ct is non-toxic and it doesn’t require ventilation. Markham explains, “This medium is perfect for kids crafts because it can be easily cleaned up, doesn’t require ventilation and dries quickly. It can be combined with other mediums when dry, such as oil pastel or colored pencils.”