Tupperware Painting

Painting with toddlers is a messy undertaking. My solution is Tupperware painting! This is a really fun way to create some unique art with your little one. All you need is some tape, paper, washable paint, some random objects, and a large Tupperware container.To set up this activity, tape a piece of paper (trimmed if necessary) to the lid of a large Tupperware container. I like to use painters tape since it’s easier to remove, but you can use any kind if you don’t have painters tape. Then I place some objects in the bottom of the container with some paint. You can use lots of different kinds of objects, but they should have some weight to them.Some objects I’ve used are:

paper clip
bottle caps
golf balls
ping pong balls
sticks
coins
bells

Next, put the lid on and shake the container back and forth so that the objects get covered in the paint. Now, we are all set up for some fun!

Give the container to your toddler and show them how to shake it up and down. The objects inside will hit the paper on the lid and leave a paint impression on the paper. Let them shake it, turn it, do whatever they want! It’s all about having fun. This is where bells or other noisemakers make for some extra joy because of the sound they make when the container is shaken.

After shaking it with one object, wipe out the paint and repeat with different colors and objects! You’ll make fun paint impressions on the paper and your toddler will have a lot of fun shaking and seeing how the paint moves around inside (I used clear containers so he could peek inside).

Feel free to try this with different shaped containers as well. You can use a large bowl or a flat container. Some children may have more difficulty shaking a bowl and getting the objects to move enough to hit the lid, in which case a thinner, flat container would be better.

You can repeat this with as many colors and objects as your little one wants. Little arms can tire quickly, but as long as they are having fun keep going! My son loved making different sounds with different objects, so once he started to seem to lose interest, changing objects often re-sparked it.

If you like glitter, like me, let your little one take a shaker and go wild while the paint is still wet. This isn’t exactly mess-free anymore, but it’s a lot of fun! Plus it makes for a really cool addition to the painting.

Before taking the tape off the paper, make sure to let the paint dry. I made the mistake of doing this right away once and ripped the paper horribly! If you let it dry first, the tape should come off nicely, leaving a crisp border around the edge of the paper.

This is a great way to contain the messiness of painting with toddlers while still letting them get creative and have fun. Let them pick the objects and colors so you can watch their face light up as they create their own little masterpiece.

Clean up is fast and easy when you use washable paints as all you have to do is wash the container you used.

Now go out and create something amazing with your toddler!

I’d love for you to share your little one’s custom creations with me! Do you have a favorite mess-free (or mess-contained) art project?

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26 Comments

Felicia

February 20, 2018 at 3:47 pm Reply

Oh my…what a mess, but looks like so much fun!

Kat

February 20, 2018 at 9:35 pm Reply

It really isn’t messy. It’s all contained in the Tupperware and if you use washable paint, it cleans up really easily.