The Benefits Of Finger Painting - For All Ages!

With its range of benefits and simple execution, finger painting is the perfect way to fill time and have fun while you're at it! Traditionally the domain of very young children, finger painting can actually benefit adults as well - so let Spotlight show you how to get the most out of this fun, messy and unpredictable activity.

Quick Links

• What is finger painting?
• The benefits of finger painting
• What you need for finger painting
• Finger painting for all ages

What Is Finger Painting?

Finger painting is the process of applying paint directly to a surface using only the fingers and hands. Painting with hands and fingers is usually practised by babies and toddlers, although older children and adults can also enjoy this hobby.

Finger painting creates a crazy mess of colour when used by children, while adults can create whimsical, abstract artwork with the right finger painting techniques. Finger painting ideas are usually easy to bring to life as this style of art leans towards the abstract and whimsical, giving you the freedom to paint without restriction!

The Benefits Of Finger Painting

Finger painting has a lot of great benefits, for both children and adults. Some of our favourite finger painting benefits include:

• Young toddlers and babies can improve their fine motor skills by finger painting with hands, fingers and even their feet. Finger painting can also strengthen neck, shoulder, back and arm muscles depending on how your child is positioned as they paint (ie. on their stomach on the ground, sitting up or standing).
• Finger painting with bright colours is a great way for babies and toddlers to develop their brains. This is because strong visual stimulation helps cells multiply and form connections in the brain, causing the optic nerve to grow, the retinas to develop and your baby's brain to thrive! Bold and bright colours are essential for this to happen, and this should also extend to your baby's toys and nursery decorations.
• Finger painting can be a relaxing and enjoyable activity for adults and children alike, as it can positively affect four out of the five senses. The cool squishiness of the paint is a wonderful sensation both adults and children will enjoy - very young children can enjoy squishing paint in a zip-lock bag for minimal mess. The bright colours, the scent of fresh paint and the soothing sound of finger painting make this hobby a sensory delight for all!
• Adults will enjoy the creative freedom finger painting provides. Painting with hands and fingers allows you to create intriguing textures, as well as affording you an amazing amount of control that you can't always achieve with a paintbrush. Plus, your painting will never be perfect when using your fingers - there's no pressure to create a faultless image when you're finger painting!

Other finger painting benefits include an improved knowledge of colour theory, layering paints and even an improved state of mind - this hobby is very relaxing and rhythmic, allowing your mind to focus without effort.

What You Need For Finger Painting

You don't need many supplies for finger painting, but here are a few essentials:

• Acrylic paints (non-toxic and/or edible for young children)
• Scrap paper or tarp to protect your space
• A small tub or bucket of water to wash hands and dilute paint if needed

Young children should also either wear coveralls, a smock, or clothes you don't mind getting stained.

The best paint for finger painting

We recommend acrylic paint as the best paint for finger painting, as its smooth consistency and bright colours go on well with minimal water, plus most acrylics can be cleaned from skin and clothes with soap and water.

Watercolour paint is not the best paint for finger painting as it will be too watery, although it is a great stepping stone for kids who want to start painting with brushes.

Oil paint is lovely and thick, but has a strong smell and is extremely hard to get out of clothes, furniture and carpets - plus certain colours are toxic. Avoid using for finger painting with kids, and interested adults should wear gloves and paint in a ventilated space.

How to make edible finger paint

For young babies and toddlers, it's important that the paint they use is safe to eat, as the likelihood the paint will end up in their mouths is high! This means making your edible finger paint out of food-based products, including the food dyes.

Popular foods to make edible finger paint out of include yoghurt (greek yoghurt is a tasty and healthy option) or a cornflower + water paste (bland enough to discourage eating).

Once you have your blank 'paint', separate it into jars or disposable bowls, add between one and three drops of food colouring and stir until fully combined into a solid colour. If you don't want to use synthetic food dye, you can use everyday foods to get a similar effect - think mashed-up blueberries, pumpkin, peas and raspberries for bright and bold colours!

These edible paints must be refrigerated after use and won't be safe to use forever, so be mindful of how long they will last before going off.

Finger Painting For All Ages

Here are some tips and tricks for finger painting at any age.

Finger painting for babies

Finger painting is an excellent activity for babies during tummy time! It will strengthen their neck, back and arm muscles, plus paint will delight all five of their senses (but make sure it's a non-toxic paint).

It will probably be best for your baby to just be in their diapers for this activity, as it will make washing up a lot easier, plus part of the fun for them will be getting paint on themselves too.

You will probably need to add the paint to the paper for your baby - add the colours in separate pools that are not too far from each other, and let your baby mix and blend them as they please.

Finger painting for toddlers

Toddlers have a little more control than babies, but edible paint should still be used just to be safe. Toddlers can paint in a high chair or even standing, if you choose to hang some paper against a wall or have an appropriately-sized child easel. Make sure to tape the paper down wherever you have it, so your toddler's motions don't move it around and expose an area you don't want painted underneath.

A smock or old clothing is a must here, as toddlers will probably wipe their hands on themselves a lot as they mix and change colours. And finger painting for toddlers can mean stray paint marks on your walls and furniture as your toddlers walk around - so keep some wet wipes handy at all times in case your toddler starts to wander!

Finger painting for kids

Once they start school kids can start finger painting with student-level paints. These will usually still be non-toxic but won't be designed to be 'edible', so they will act more like regular paints on paper.

An art smock and child-sized easel are perfect here, although kids can also paint on a flat table instead if you have the space. A drip mat or scrap paper is still a good idea, although hopefully won't have to worry about the paint being flung around like you would for younger age groups.

Finger painting for adults

As an adult you'll have a lot more flexibility in how and where you choose to fingerpaint. You can even choose to wear gloves if you are worried about the paint staining your skin!

Finger painting is surprisingly good for painting a subject with - if this is something you are interested in, start off painting something simple like a bowl of fruit and work your way up to things like flowers, landscapes and even people.

Get Messy Finger Painting At Spotlight!

Painting with hands and fingers is a wonderful activity for painters of any age and experience, so let's bring your finger painting ideas to life with us at Spotlight! We have a beautiful range of acrylic paints and paper you can use, both online and at your nearest Spotlight store.

For more info on choosing the right paints, read our paints and mediums buying guide before making your purchases. And for some painting inspiration, check out our create blog and painting projects!