3 Tips: What is finger painting and how do you do it?

Many children love finger painting, especially because they can paint everything. When you are older, finger painting is also a great fun activity. We give you the best tips for finger painting.

What is finger painting and why is it good for you?

Finger painting is an activity that has many positive qualities for children of all age groups. Children around 4 - 7 years old develop fine motor skills, colour recognition and see how mixing paints produces various results. Children over 7 years old can focus more on creative points and developing their creative skills.

Tip: Are you ready for a fun hobby for young and old? Go Paint by Numbers! A wonderful hobby where you paint the boxes with the supplied paint pots.

Babies and young children: What's the best way to finger paint?

Finger painting is often young children's first experience with painting. The paint splatter on the table and the mess that is created is negligible compared to what this wonderful learning experience can bring to the children. Step 1 is to choose a room where your child can use (water) paint. Protect the floor and table with a tablecloth. Roll up your child's sleeves and use clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.

If you are new to finger painting, you could start by placing a few different colours of paint on a piece of paper and helping the children spread it into a rainbow shape. Our tip is to start witha primary colour, such as red, blue or yellow. Also, use other colours so your child can mix them and see how they change. Talk to your child about what finger painting feels like and how the colours change.

Put on music that makes the children want to move their fingers. Show how he or she can paint something with fingers. You can make a print of your child's finger painting drawing by placing another piece of paper of the same size or larger over the painting and pressing gently.

Also nice to read: Tips for a successful children's party

Older children:What is the best way to finger paint?

Because finger painting with older children may be more boring, it is important that the older children have a real challenge.

Finger painting can be very detailed and show a beautifully layered and colorful representation. Introduce the children to the work of the famous finger painter. For example, you can search YouTube for popular finger painting videos.

As a painting suggestion, you can think of everything you see in the sky or a colorful forest.

Painting with your fingers brings you closer to your painting work. You could also try painting on a large canvas paper to make a real eye-catcher.

Reading tip: Crafts with children.

What positive qualities does finger painting have?

Are you curious about the positive qualities of finger painting for young children? Or how finger painting helps your child's development? Wehave listed a number of positive qualities:

1. It is an educational, tangible experience.
2. It stimulates your child's senses, such as touch/feel, smell and sight.
3. It stimulates the development of your child: Mixing various colours will create new colours.
4. The child uses his or her creativity and imagination.
5. It is calming and soothing.
6. Cognitive development is developed.
7. It develops fine motor skills
8. It's fun to do and children don't get bored.

Can you also make finger painting more fun?

Of course this is possible. Is the little one completely finished and would you like to offer some variations? How about:

1. Add glitter or other decorations to the canvas.
2. Make an agreement with the group about what you are going to paint, like everyone paints their pet.
3. Paint another object with your fingers, such as an insect hotel or birdhouse.

What do I need for finger painting?

1. Finger Paint
2. Canvas, paper or cardboard
3. Old clothes - Read tip: Removing acrylic paint from clothes.
4. Tablecloth

What tips are there for finger painting?

1. Use finger paint only. Thisis non-toxic and made on a water basis. Other types of paint can be toxic.
2. Cover all furniture with cloths and the table with a tablecloth.
3. Help the little children get started by demonstrating it.

Adults: What does it mean if you like to finger paint?

Finger painting, as we also explain in our blog article, is usually linked to children, especially very small children who have very little motor skills and like to smear just about everything: with their food, with paint, etc. This is how a child experiences that he can make a trail, that he can have control over something,can set something in motion.

This is great with finger paint, because you can then spread various paint colours together and new colours are created. A child who is finger painting experiences new insights. As adults you can also create new insights, just like children do.

The new insights continue at this age. Because of their experiences and drawing lessons at school, adults usually know what happens when you mix colours. Smearing the paint with your fingers and applying the colours to the paper with your fingers is a lot of fun.

Finger painting is a feel-good activity. You are in touch with yourself, with your feelings, when you spread the paint with your hands and fingers. You are literally feeling: you feel the paint, you feel the canvas and you feel your wet fingers sliding through the paint.

Finger painting is united with your emotionsbecause it appeals to your feelings. When drawing, finger painting is used to consciously bring you into contact with your emotions. You always name which emotion is going on and in what colour you are going to apply it with your hands. Once you have done this a few times, see which colour the last emotion needs and then name the quality or emotion that belongs to that colour.

Finger painting can also be a form of meditation. When you observe with great concentration, completely in the moment, what happens to the colours when you apply them to the canvas, you end up in a meditative situation.

Finger painting can be a creative art form. When you train yourself to strategically use your fingers and hands with the different colours, they function like a painting instrument, which produces a very different image than if you were to use a brush.

If you like to finger paint, it could mean that you would like to practice with a painting material other than a brush or palette knife.

Frequently asked questions

How does finger painting work?

Which paint should I use for finger painting?