• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mess for Less
  • Crafts
    • Art
    • Winter Activities
    • Spring Activities
    • Summer Activities
    • Fall Recipes and Activities
  • Kids Activities
    • Baby and Toddler Activities
    • Preschool Activities
    • Sensory Activities
    • Fine Motor Skills Activities
    • Learning Activities
      • Science Activities
  • Family
    • Pets
    • Parenting
  • Shop
  • Breakfast Recipes
  • Lunch Recipes
  • Dinner Recipes
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Snack Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • Crock Pot Recipes
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Valentine's Day Activities and Recipes

    • Valentine’s Dessert Cheese Ball
    • Valentine's Brownie Cake Pops
    • Valentine's Chocolate Covered Pretzels
    • Valentine Ideas for Kids - Glitter Hearts

    Winter Activities

    • Q-Tip Painted Snowman Craft
    • Winter Shaving Cream Paint
    • Pinecone Snowman Craft
    • Melted Snowman Craft

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Valentine's Day Activities and Recipes
  • Recipes
  • Kids Activities
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Valentine's Day Activities and Recipes
    • Recipes
    • Kids Activities
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Painting Activities

    Kids Window Art

    Published: May 8, 2013 · Modified: May 2, 2022 by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

    Pin207
    Share25
    Tweet
    Yum
    232 Shares


    Recently, we paid a trip to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. My kids enjoyed playing in all of the exhibits, but their favorite was a window painting area. They spent so much time here that I knew we needed to recreate this kids window art activity at home. It was a huge hit! We set up our painting activity outside so I could just hose it down at the end for an easy cleanup. Learn how you can set one up below. For more fun painting activities, check out these Drip Painted Flower Pots.

    Kids Window Art - Window Painting

    If you are interested in purchasing supplies for this activity, affiliate links are provided at the end of this post.


    This is the window painting area at the museum.

    window painting

    To create your own kids window art, you will need:

    • 4-5 cups of different colors of tempera paint thinned with water
    • Paint brushes
    • Spray bottle
    • Squeegee
    paint and water bottles

    You will need to thin the paint before using it on the windows. If you do not, it will not come off easily when a child tries to clean it with a spray bottle or squeegee. I did a mixture of half paint and half water.

    Simply provide your child with the materials and a window and let them get busy creating. We are lucky to have large sliding doors that lead out to our yard. They provided the perfect canvas for painting.

    Painting a window

    Soon an entire window was filled with their colorful creations. Painting in this manner is similar to painting on an easel and it really helps a child's developing gross motor skills as they are using larger arm muscles.

    Kids painting

    Having 3 kids working on a surface like this strengthens their spatial thinking. They needed to consider how they would use space and how they could work together and not get in each other's way. They practiced their negotiation and social skills as they worked on their art. I am proud to say they were no arguments!

    Since the paint has been thinned it can become a bit runny after painted on the window. The kids observed how multi-colored drops of paint would form on the pavement as they worked.

    Kids art activity

    When they ran out of space they used a spray bottle filled with water and a squeegee to clean the window and create a new art surface.

    Painting and cleaning a window

    Some of my favorite photos of the day were taken from inside. I loved getting this peek into their creative process.

    Window painting with kids
    Kids painting a window

    Time to clean that window and start again!

    Kids Window Art Activity
    Kids painting activity

    The kids had so much fun with this painting a window activity and they got to learn and practice valuable skills while doing it. You don't need a large sliding glass door like we have to do this. Any low window will suffice. You can also do this indoors if the weather is not cooperating. Place a drop cloth on the ground and cover any wood areas. However, the clean up won't be as easy as it is outdoors. I just took a hose to the window and ground and the paint was gone in a matter of minutes.

    For more painting activities, check out:

    Painting with Golf Balls

    Painting with Feathers

    Pin207
    Share25
    Tweet
    Yum
    232 Shares

    More Painting Activities

    • Watercolor Painted Seashells
    • Painting Activities for Toddlers
    • Painting with Rubber Band Paintbrushes
    • Dripping Salt Painting

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kristy

      October 06, 2013 at 7:03 pm

      Just wanted to say thank you for this post! We were at the same museum yesterday and had the same idea but was trying to figure out what paint to use. Thank you!

    2. Tina L

      May 09, 2013 at 1:18 pm

      Awesome, love the photos taken from inside! If you add a tiny bit of dish soap to the paint, it'll clean up even more easily.

    3. Asia Citro

      May 09, 2013 at 4:51 am

      I love this activity and I love the photos, too. LOVE LOVE LOVE! 🙂

    4. Cranberry Morning

      May 08, 2013 at 5:14 pm

      What a fun, fun project for them!

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Valentine's Day Activities and Recipes

    • Valentine’s Dessert Cheese Ball
    • Valentine's Brownie Cake Pops
    • Valentine's Chocolate Covered Pretzels
    • Valentine Ideas for Kids - Glitter Hearts

    Winter Activities

    • Q-Tip Painted Snowman Craft
    • Winter Shaving Cream Paint
    • Pinecone Snowman Craft
    • Melted Snowman Craft

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy and Disclosure
    • Recipe and Safety Disclaimers
    • About Me
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for our newsletter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Advertise

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 MessForLess