Activity
Paint with Bubbles!
Bubbles plus paint equals an awesome color craft! Perfect for creating unusual paintings, this activity combines two things that kids love for an afternoon of messy fun. Popped bubbles create an interesting print on paper, and preschoolers will love creating artwork for their bedrooms.
What You Need:
- Bubble soap (1 cup)
- 2 bowls
- Straws
- 2 colors of tempera paint (1 teaspoon each)
- Whisk
- White paper (cut in half)
- Newspaper
- Smock (optional)
What You Do:
- Put ½ cup of the bubble soap in each bowl.
- Mix one color of tempera paint into one of the bowls with a whisk. Repeat this step with the other teaspoon of paint, encouraging your kid to help.
- Tell your child to blow into the bowl using the straw until she gets a bunch of colorful bubbles. Have her repeat this process with the second bowl.
- Carefully lay one of the half-sheets of paper over a bowl of bubbles, so the bubbles stick. Once that happens, lift it gently, and then lay it flat (bubble side up) on the newspaper to dry.
- With your child, wait and watch as the bubbles pop. When that happens, the paint leaves a perfect outline of the bubble’s shape on the paper, making a beautiful design.
Kids love the anticipation of waiting for the bubbles to pop so much, they’ll probably want to make multiple prints. To practice color combining, encourage your child to dip her paper into both bowls before setting it out to dry. This will help her understand how combining primary colors make different secondary colors for a color science experiment!
Related learning resources
Paint with Ice
Activity
Paint with Ice
In this fun activity, frozen cubes of paint provide your preschooler with a cool new way to paint a masterpiece.
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Homemade Face Paint
Activity
Homemade Face Paint
Homemade face paint is a safe and economical way to jazz up your Halloween costume. Even better, this easy-to-make face paint requires just three ingredients!
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Chalk Paint
Activity
Chalk Paint
On a sunny day, make some great art and start a conversation about states of matter in the process with this chalk paint project.
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Make Your Own Paint
Activity
Make Your Own Paint
Ever wonder where paint comes from? This recipe works well with preschoolers because of its consistency and its natural nontoxicity.
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Paint Like Jackson Pollock!
Activity
Paint Like Jackson Pollock!
Use marbles and paint to explore the wild world of shapes and color...and build writing strength, too.
preschool
Reading & Writing
Activity
Watercolor Paint by Number: Snake
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Snake
This fun paint by number sheet, featuring an adorable snake, has it all: color mixing, number recognition, patterning, and more!
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Bear
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Bear
This paint by number bear is cute enough to cuddle, and it's sure to boost your child's fine motor skills, too.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Tiger
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Tiger
Print out this page to give your child some paint by number fun. Can she get this cute tiger colored right?
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Toucan
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Toucan
Kids use their watercolors to paint this toucan by number, but since they only have primary colors, they need to mix their own green, orange, and brown.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Carrots
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Carrots
If not, he'll learn as he paints these carrots on this fun paint by number page.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Paint with Feathers
Activity
Paint with Feathers
...Next time you paint, replace your child's paintbrush with a feather and watch his creativity take flight!...
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Watercolor Paint by Number: Flying Toucan
Worksheet
Watercolor Paint by Number: Flying Toucan
Toucans are some of the most vibrant and colorful birds out there, but the toucan on this paint by number page is missing his colors!
preschool
Math
Worksheet
See this activity in a set:
Funky Fun Art: 9 Ideas for Creative Painting