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 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.
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.
To create your own you will need:
- 4-5 cups of different colors of tempera paint thinned with water
- Paint brushes
- Spray bottle
- Squeegee
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.
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.
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.
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.
Some of my favorite photos of the day were taken from inside. I loved getting this peek into their creative process.
Time to clean that window and start again!
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:
Cranberry Morning says
What a fun, fun project for them!
Asia Citro says
I love this activity and I love the photos, too. LOVE LOVE LOVE! 🙂
Tina L says
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.
Kristy says
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!