How do you do painting without getting paint everywhere?

[Sarah72]

I am not really that house proud, but painting in the house really stresses me out. How do you do it? Even when I cover the floor, ds will still manage to put paint handprints everywhere. He is just 2 and doesn't have much of an attention span for craft things.

Any advice?

Thanks

[Khalam's Mama]

If you water  the paints down a little it does make it easier to get off of things especially fabrics. Someone posted about letting them paint with water which disappears when it dries. Best suited outdoors but maybe he could do it on a chalk board or something like that indoors.

[mini me]

We have always done it in the high chair for that reason and also to keep DDs concentration going. Now she's bigger she paints at the dining table in her booster seat, so she can't just get down when she wants to, she has to wait for me to clean her up ... much the same routine as eating. She now waits automatically if we paint/eat/colour/plastercine at other houses for me to wipe her and give her the go ahead.

[deemum]

I'm an art teacher and childminder working from home so I am forever cleaning paint off things! All I can say is I wouldn't stress about the surfaces, if its watercolour it will come off, its great that you are giving art and crafts time from an early age, don't worry about the concentration span, even two minutes will do, its just the experience is so good for them.
x Dee

[squeakersmum]

I would go with the high chair - at the mo it's where we do all really messy activities.  You can tape the paper/card to the tray and it all wipes down pretty easily.  You can also get a couple of those floor mats to go underneath (or actually cheap waterproof tablecloth material works even better IMO).

Or if you have a garden when it gets warmer (wherever you are) you can paint on the grass (not literally-lol).  There are lots of pictures of me as a toddler covered in paint standing in just my nappy in front of a little easel!!

[mum101]

we paint outside, on the patio in nappies and undies!  Then I look away until it's done... Then it's bath time.

[JudyLee]

Yep - the high chair is a great place. They can only reach to far and I've got an old showercurtain on the floor and stick the paper down - I buy it on the roll so it's one long piece.
Then of course you also control how much paint is made available ...

Enjoy though - it's great to see it, and I love getting DD to do the hand prints and we have collected them so we can see how she is growing and her coordination is improving in that we are getting clear prints now.