Benefits of painting

Flexing your creative muscle can offer many benefits no matter what age you are – but this is especially true for toddlers. Pick up some paints and paper and prepare to get messy with your little one. It will be so worth it.

What are the benefits of painting for toddlers?

Day-to-day family life can be chaotic, and it’s easy to forget to find or make moments for your children to be creative. But with so many benefits for your children (especially toddlers) fostering creativity should be made a priority.

If you’re stuck for inspiration, why not give painting a try? Painting is mutually beneficial for parents and toddlers – it’s a strong bonding activity, creating memories and helping you understand how your child thinks and operates creatively.

Here are just some of the painting benefits for toddlers:

• Emotional: Painting and being creative more generally can help your child identify and express their emotions in a positive way.
• Creative: Being creative really is like growing a muscle – it needs to be grown and strengthened over time. The more your child expresses their creativity, the better they will get.
• Physically: The act of painting offers a host of physical benefits, from fine and gross motor skills to eye-hand coordination, visual perception and spatial awareness.

How painting allows toddlers to express creativity

Getting in touch with their creative side from an early age can only benefit your child. One of the biggest benefits of painting for babies is that it promotes individuality and creativity in children. By starting young, your child will have more time to tap into their creative side and it will come more naturally to them throughout their life.

Involving your child in creative activities will allow them to develop their imagination (a skill that is essential not only for creative pursuits but in the workforce and for their general enjoyment), become better problem solvers and know how to express themselves.

Also, in a world where screen time is so common, having a tangible outlet to be creative is invaluable. Let them try new ideas in a creative setting as a way to celebrate their uniqueness and sense of self.

How toddlers and babies emotionally develop by painting

One of the biggest benefits of painting for toddlers and babies is that it allows your child to express their creativity, which in turn helps them with emotional development. By letting their imagination run wild – coming up with fun colour combinations, painting subjects and freeform artworks – your child will grow more confident in their ideas, thus building their self-esteem.

Painting, and other forms of creative expression more generally, can also help them identify and communicate their feelings. It is often easier to paint or write about how we feel than it is to verbalise it.

Painting activities for toddlers and babies

Now that you know why your toddlers and babies should paint, it’s time to learn how…

• Finger painting is a popular way for toddlers to paint – not only is it creative, but it also provides a strong sensory experience.
• Painting with stencils is an easy way for toddlers to paint, as it allows them to follow templates and create interesting designs.
• Painting leaves is a fun activity that also allows you to get outside with your child and collect leaves.

If you’re looking for more creative activities with your child, be sure to read about our arts and crafts activity ideas for toddlers