Do you need an easy activity to get you through the day or help you make it to bedtime?
We are so excited to have Mandisa Watts of Happy Toddler Playtime sharing a simple water activity with us today for toddlers and preschoolers! She has so many amazing activities on her blog and Instagram. Keep reading to hear more!
Once a month at our house we are inundated with Amazon Prime boxes! I always keep a few of the really big ones for activities. Cardboard boxes make fantastic canvases for painting, colouring and more! This time I decided to try something new and my kids (aged 4 and 14 month old twins) loved it!! Check out this fun and relatively mess-free cardboard box activity using water!
Looking for more easy activities for your toddler? Check out Cap Drop and Post-it Push!
Here's How to Set Up Cardboard Box Wash and Paint with Water!
The set up for this activity is super easy. I had all three of my kids involved in this activity so I laid out a waterproof picnic blanket on the floor underneath the box. To help keep your floors dry, you can lay out a shower curtain, plastic tablecloth or towels.
In order to prevent the cardboard box from moving while my kids washed and painted, I placed a heavy tin of olive oil inside in the box. You can also use a few heavy books to achieve the same result.
Then I grabbed several different types of paint brushes, sponges and a few of our colorful IKEA bowls for water.
A Little Goes a Long Way
To wash and paint the box you only need a little bit of water. I knew the twins would dump out the water the first chance they got, so I filled the bowls with just a small amount of water.
Then I invited everyone to wash and paint the entire box with water! At first, my four year used the paint brushes but then started using the sponges and decided that instead of painting she was going to 'wash' the entire box! And she loved it!!
Painting with Toddlers
This was a great way to introduce 'painting' to my little toddlers. With a small amount of water they were able to see the results of painting without a massive mess. (You can imagine what painting with one toddler is like, with two...!!).
Like most 14 month olds, my twins still put things into their mouths. When they did I would gently steer them back to painting and washing. Be sure all your brushes and sponges are clean if you are doing this activity with little ones that still put things into their mouths.
Total Hit!
This was a massive hit with all my kids but especially the four year old. She loved washing the box and did it several times! The cardboard box dried quickly and by the time she finished all four sides, the first side was dry again! The twins enjoyed it as well and love playing with the water, using the paint brushes and their fingers and sponges to wash and paint!
This will definitely be a staple activity in our house whenever we get an Amazon Prime delivery!
Materials Needed for this Cardboard Box Painting Activity:
- Water
- Large Cardboard box
- Bowls for the water
- Various types of paint brushes
- Sponges
- Plastic Sheet
- Heavy books to place inside box to prevent it from moving
WILL YOU TRY CARDBOARD BOX WASH & PAINT WITH WATER WITH YOUR LITTLE ONE? Pin it for later!
About the Author
Mandisa Watts is the creator and owner of Happy Toddler Playtime, a kids’ activities blog for ages 0-6. She is the mom to three happy kids (ages 4 and 14 month old twins). Before working from home she was a CPA in Toronto, Canada. Now she's a busy stay-at-home mom who loves expressing her creative side by sharing all the fun and easy ways that she keeps her kids busy. Follow along in her journey on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
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