Sometimes I feel like a total failure. I look at my little guys and realize I haven’t painted with them in absolutely ages. With my older three we seemed to always paint, do play-doh, and make crafts. The little boys play so well together that sometimes I forget to plan structured activities for them to go along with their daily play and school.

Last week I was reading my favorite kids activity book, Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun. It’s an amazing book full of information and ideas on keeping kids busy, happy, and learning at the same time. WITHOUT the television! (Not that we watch much at all, but just to have some ideas is wonderful.)

Anyway, I decided to set up the kitchen table so the little boys could paint. They had such a great time. And the best part? It was totally easy. It took two minutes to get out all the supplies, another two minutes to get them ready and covered up, and two minutes for them to be done! Just kidding – they really enjoyed painting and I enjoyed watching them explore their world further.

Supplies you need:

• Children – helpful but not totally necessary I suppose!
• Paper
• Paint
• Water
• Brushes
• Individual plates so they don’t have to share, because sharing is terrible. Awful and terrible!
• Patience and some fun spirit!

Who out there paints with their kids? Were you at all like I was, and feeling like it took too much time? I hope you do it more often than I did – I know I will!!   Diane