Nature Shake Paintings are perfect for a lot of kids and situations. They are perfect for…

Kids who are active.

Kids who like to collect rocks.

Times when you are outside.

Times when you are inside.

Times when you don’t have a ton of time.

Times when you don’t want to clean up a big mess.

You get the idea.

This simple activity works great for different ages, inside or outside, and for active boys and girls (aka pretty much every kid under the age of 5).

This activity combines art and movement – two of our favorite things.

We did this Nature Shake Painting activity twice. Once at home with rocks we had collected on a hike and once while we were camping. Both times the procedure was similar.

How to do Nature Shake Paintings with Toddlers

ALSO READ: FAMILY CAMPING AT TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GEORGIA

Materials + Set Up:

Gather materials. You will need:

• Box (I recommend 1 box for every 1-2 kids so there isn’t much waiting)
• Construction Paper (cut to fit inside of the box)
• Rocks (gather – or have your toddler help find some when everything else is ready)
• Paint
• Masking TapeMake sure to cut the paper down to fit into the box before hand – again to decrease waiting around (waiting is basically toddler kryptonite).

Activity

Invite your active one to join you for rock painting.

Help them fill a box with a piece of paper, a handful of rocks, and some squirts of paint.

Tape the box shut (very securely) and then hand it back to them for some vigorous shaking.

Encourage them to shake, even run or dance around with their box. When they are done, help them open the box up and discover what their painting looks like.

Easy! So easy you could do it all over again…and again…and again just like your toddlers will probably want.

Clean up:

The rocks are going to need a rinse if you are planning to keep them around. Otherwise, clean up is super simple with this activity.

Hang the paintings, everything else can be put away or tossed.

More A-Z Play Ideas

This week we are sharing ideas for the Letter N.

Naming Game from Teach Me Mommy

How to Make a Potato Clock (with nails) from The Gingerbread House

I hear the squeals from the stairs followed by the quick patter of twin feet down the stairs. I know what that means – they spotted the huge piece of paper on the dining room floor.

Art in all sizes and forms has value, but I love big art. There is something about an immense canvas that is exciting.

Clearly my kids agree.

While it would be fun for just one kid to attack a huge piece of paper, I also love the collaborative aspect that is added when kids work side by side on a huge work of art.

Here is how to do both with toddlers.

Individual Big Art: 

For one week, I took down all the art on our art wall and hung large pieces of paper for each kid. (Think really huge 4X3 foot paper).

They could come and go as they wanted and work on their picture during playtime.

Simple rule – the markers need to stay by the paper. We have been practicing this since they were tiny tots so they pretty much have it done by now.

Group Big Art: 

We started the month with this DIY Picture Frame Wallpaper from Artful Parent. This also stayed up on the wall for about a week. It required a little more negotiation about space and ideas.

In the middle of the month, was our biggest project. This we creatively called our Big Painting Project.

If your kids love art, also check out this awesome book full of painting ideas!
Fun Painting Projects for Kids

Big Painting Project

(Set Up) 

During nap, I moved the table out of the dining room and covered the floor in paper. I recommend doing this on a washable floor – white carpet is not a great idea unless you are okay with some stains. Where is your biggest washable surface? Kitchen? Bathroom? Make the best of what you have.

I taped the edges of the paper to the floor to prevent them from sliding around.

Then I laid out paint in various colors in cups with paintbrushes.

I put our paint shirts nearby.

(Activity) 

When our kids woke up, they saw the paper immediately and were super excited. We put on art shirts and they got to work. We’ve done this a few times, so no real direction is needed at this point.

The first couple of times we did this we established some basic rules for painting:

1. Keep the paint on the paper (some paint will get on the floor. take a deep breath. it’s okay – tempera paint can be wiped up with a wet wash cloth when they are done)

2. They need to stay in the paint area until they are done. Some projects they can come and go from all day long, but my kids walk away from this one covered in paint from head to toe.

Otherwise, they just paint.

This time they painted storm clouds and families and houses. They still mostly do their own thing, but this time there was some conversation about the sky and the ground and where they thought things should go.

When they were done painting they weren’t ready for me to pull up the paper, so we made a plan. The next day, when the paint was dry, we came back to it with markers and crayons and added more.

When they were done drawing they declared it finished. We found a spot and hung it in the staircase. Once I got it taped up (with the help of a broom) they both stood looking up at it in awe.

Big art is worth it.

It’s worth the mess. It’s worth the paint covered children. It’s the worth the (slightly) longer prep time. It’s worth it.