As the summer holidays start approaching, parents the world over start frantically thinking of ways to keep their little ones gainfully occupied. Swimming pool painting is something most kids love and it keeps them outdoors and out of your hair. After all, which kid doesn’t love playing in water and if you can give it an artistic twist then there’s nothing like it. This super fun summer art activity for kids just requires a kiddie pool, several balls dipped in paint and a large sheet of easel paper and before you know it you have an abstract piece of art with some of the best swimming pool paint colours. And it doesn’t even matter if they make a mess as when they are done painting, you can simply hose everything and everyone down.
Swimming Pool Painting
For this awesome painting activity get together some construction paper or easel paper, tempera paint, shallow dishes to hold the paint and assorted balls or water balloons.
- You should start the activity by taping a large sheet of construction or easel paper to the bottom of a plastic kiddie pool.
- Pour the tempera paint into the shallow dishes. With kids it is best to use plastic or metal dishes.
- Ask your kids to collect an assortment of balls like tennis balls, bouncy balls and softballs are all great options. Water balloons work equally well and once the painting is over, your kids can have a blast with a water balloon fight.
- Place the balls or water balloons in the dishes with paint and cover them completely with paint.
- Next, drop the balls covered with paint in the swimming pool and roll them all around the pool by tilting the pool.
- You can add as many balls and different colours as you want and keep rolling. You can even put in a fresh piece of construction or easel paper in the pool and start again.
Kids simply love this activity as it involves everything that children love — water, paint and the outdoors.
Slide Painting Activity
This swimming pool art allows your kids’ imagination to run wild and they can get as creative as they want. And of course, it is loads of fun at the same time. The best part of this art is that apart from paint you don’t really need any other supplies.
- This activity can be done in a kiddie’s pool that has a slide leading to it.
- You can take 4 to 5 different coloured tempera paints which have been watered down till they are quite runny.
- You can ask your kids to stand at the top of the slide and gradually pour the different coloured tempera paints from there.
- This creates interesting drip designs as the paint gradually trickles into the pool.
Kids love watching the paint drip at different speeds because of the difference in viscosity of the paint and it’s also a great way to teach them about the effect of gravity on paint.
Foam Brush Painting
This is another great activity for children in swimming pools as they hardly require any adult help and it keeps them busy for hours. To top it, the end result can be really motivating for them.
- Encourage your kids to make their own foam brushes by cutting designs like flowers, fish or clouds to name a few out of sponges and sticking them on some paint sticks.
- Washable paints are by far the best for this activity, so give as many different colours to your kids.
- Your kids will then dip the foam brush into the colour of their choice and press them on the surface of their pool.
Allow your kids to get as creative and imaginative as they want with their water themed paintings and see their pool transform into a masterpiece. The best part is that they are out of your hair for a significant amount of time.
Salt Painting
Another cool outdoor activity for your kids in the swimming pool where they can make water themed paintings with the help of salt.
It’s also very easy to remove them when you want as the salt just dissolves in the water.
All you need for this activity is some glue, watercolours and quite a bit of salt.
- Outline a design in the pool with a pen or marker.
- After that, trace the lines of the design with glue.
- Pour the salt over the glue.
- When it’s dry, drop different coloured watercolours on top.
- Your kids’ art will come off the pool because of the cool salt texture.
Black Glue Jellyfish
This particular swimming pool painting is a bit more permanent as acrylic paint and glue are used.
- First of all, mix together black acrylic paint along with glue and trace an outline of a jellyfish in the pool.
- Once the glue outline is dry, your kids can use watercolours to add colours and bring their jellyfish to life.
Children find this activity very exciting and put in their creative best to make the jellyfish.
Handprint Ocean Animals
This swimming pool painting activity is as hands-on as it gets. They may need a bit of help as they handprint ocean animals.
- Let your kids dip their hands in paint and transfer their handprints to the pool
- After that, encourage them to let their imagination run wild as they transform their handprint into their own marine animal.
This is a great activity to foster creativity and learn about ocean animals.
Smack and Splatter Art
This swimming pool activity is rather messy but who cares when it is so much fun. And anyway, all you need is a hose once they are done.
- Take a big kitchen spoon, some small sponges, acrylic paint and go outside.
- Soak the sponges in different colours of paint and put them in the pool.
- Arrange the sponges in a design or pattern and then give them a smack with the kitchen spoon.
- These splats will create bold paintings and put a smile on your kid’s face.
These are some great swimming pool painting activities for kids which will keep them entertained and busy for hours together. It will give them some great outdoor time as they soak in the sun and explore their creativity as well. For more pool paint ideas, get in touch with the EuroKids website and your kid will not have a single boring moment in the holidays.
