What better way to bring a pop of colors to your home than hosting a painting party? It’s almost impossible to overstate how much fun it is to host a painting party for your child and their friends. It would be an excellent chance to get messy, get their imaginations going, and entertain them. Kids are typically fond of art-making as their imaginations run wild, unlike adults who might feel intimidated if you invited them to a painting party and weren’t artistic. All kids enjoy painting, and it’s even more enjoyable when friends are present.
You can find many fantastic suggestions to assist you in hosting a painting party for your young child if they enjoy creating art. Whether it be for their birthday or another special occasion, here are some festive ideas you can consider:
Ideas for Hosting a Painting Party for Kids
1. Create cool invitations
Sending out invitations is an excellent idea if your child intends to invite their friends. Children will become excited about the party because it gives the event legitimacy.
According to your theme, you should print out traditional invitations that you made yourself. For your invitation, there are many fantastic and original ideas.
You can help your child out to make the process easier, but give them creative direction on how they want the invitation to look. You can purchase blank invitations and let your child design their invitations. Your child will have fun if you use washable acrylic paint to stamp the celebrant’s hand on the front pages of the book.
You could create an invitation using an artist’s palette as the design. You can print, cut out, and glue words like “You are Invited to Jessica’s 7th Birthday Party!” to the front page of blank card envelopes by finding or creating an image of an artist’s palette on the computer, editing it to include words, and printing the result. On the inside of the black card, write with gold and silver glitter pens. You can purchase pre-made invitations you can fill out and send to your guests if you need one less thing to prepare.
2. Tables
It would be best to gather basic supplies for a kid’s painting party and extras that can give the event some flair. You can prepare the materials as some guests want to keep their canvas, painting palette, and paintbrushes private. Otherwise, you risk starting a fight among the children.
Make sure you have a table that is both wide and long enough to accommodate your guests’ painting activities. You can arrange multiple tables of the same size and height that are protected by a plastic tablecloth.
3. Paints
Since the party involves kids, you must avoid the types of paint that are toxic and not child-friendly. On the other hand, you don’t also need to provide high-end, professional-grade paints for a one-time party. Children need paint that can bring a bright color as they please.
Provide either acrylic or watercolor paints. Both are easy to work with in painting. On the other hand, acrylic dries fast, covers well, and is beginner-friendly. Meanwhile, watercolor is convenient to use and easy to clean. Since most kids have already used watercolor in school, they know how to use it and how to have fun with it!
You first have to see to it that there’s a nice collection of paint types that the kids can use at the party. Make sure to get the primary colors!
You can get a large, non-toxic, acrylic paint set like an 8-color set or a 14-color set and let the kids get their supply to place on their painting palettes. You can provide smaller acrylic paint sets with more colors if you have a small party. You may also give them individual acrylic paint sets which they can take home even after the party.
If you prefer a more child-friendly paint type, you can give them watercolor. You can provide the kids a basic watercolor pack as this can give them the freedom to mix their shades.
4. Canvas
You can provide children with a piece of painting paper that is thick enough for their creations. To encourage them to create substantial works of art, or if you want to turn it into a finger painting party, you can give them a large piece of fingerpaint paper. Just make sure you have large tables for these or enough space for the kids to paint on the floor.
Although the paper is excellent, giving children a chance to create on a real canvas has a magical, grown-up appeal. Go for it if you have the money to do so!
Since you probably don’t want to (and don’t need to) buy many standalone easels just for the party, you can buy canvas and easel sets that are excellent for the tabletop. Alternatively, you can create a long easel ledge that will fit the entire length of the table and only require canvas.
5. Painting palettes and aprons
Painting palettes are a must when planning a painting party, especially if you’re using big acrylic paint bottles since each child must have their colors as close to them as possible. By providing them with palettes, you can also let the kids experiment with different color combinations without affecting the colors that came out of the bottles.
Every child should have a paint palette, but white paper plates are a more affordable alternative. For added appeal, you can cut a circle with a utility knife and use it as a thumb hole on one side.
You can also protect the kids from all the paint mess. Messy clothing is always a concern, but you can prevent it by purchasing a few smocks or aprons. You can ask the guests to arrive in clothing appropriate for getting painted if you do not want to provide smocks, or you can ask them to bring an apron or smock of their own.
6. Paintbrushes and water cups
You can provide an assortment of paintbrushes for your guests or give each kid a basic paintbrush set of different sizes. You’d be surprised at how many the children can use in a single painting party!
Additionally, it would help if you had water cups for rinsing the brushes. Tap water would be fine in disposable plastic cups. Use heavy glasses, such as mason jars, as paint water cups to avoid spills. You can also use different cups to avoid any confusion.
7. Protection for the floor
You should cover your floor when painting with kids because it can get messy. For this reason, washable paints are the best option, but if your floor surface is porous or carpeted and you don’t want to remove it, it is best to add a layer of protection.
If you have a non-porous material for your floor, you should cover it with taped-together old newspapers or a canvas drop cloth that you can use again when you paint your house. This trick will make cleanup following the party simple.
You might prefer a plastic drop cloth if the kids work on the floor.
8. Decorations
Decorations are necessary for a successful party. You still need to create some art, even if the kids are.
You can place your buffet table against a wall and decorate it on top of it. Use a colorful birthday banner with pompoms or hang a “Happy Birthday” banner with a paint theme. Swirl some colorful streamers into the activity area and hang them from the ceiling. On one wall, hang a “Let’s Paint!” backdrop and embellish it with vibrant balloons on the sides and top.
Use plates and napkins with an artistic theme for lunch and dessert plates. Or you can purchase a package that includes everything you need for your painting party, including plates, cups, napkins, a banner, and a tablecloth.
9. Food
A painting party requires creative snack ideas. Make the lunch menu colorful by including fruit, vegetables, and meat as the main course. You might want to serve burgers with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and additional colored ingredients or red hotdogs with mayo, ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
Serve cupcakes in a variety of colors and finish them with paintbrush decorations. You can set up a trail mix bar for a mix of nutritious and sweet treats. You can set up a space with numerous bowls and scoops filled with various add-ins. Make it more appealing by choosing clear bowls and allowing the contents’ colors to stand out, but be sure that the table’s additions are healthy for everyone to eat.
It’s best to be aware in advance of any allergies that any party-goers may have to nuts or other foods that you might want to include in the trail mix. You can offer nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and peanuts. You can have vibrant candies (gummy bears, white chocolate, peanut butter, Kisses, rock candy crystals, etc. dried fruit (banana chips, mango, apple slices, cranberries, raisins, etc.), and dried vegetables. ), as well as other crunchy foods (such as pretzels, popcorn, cheerios, etc. ).
Serve colorful snacks like popcorn, French macaroons, rainbow popsicles, rainbow cake bites, and the like because your painting party must have colors and art.
The birthday cake, which must be the focal point at the buffet, should be vibrant inside and out; alternatively, ask a local baker to create a fun and colorful cake, especially for the occasion. Serve miniature desserts to guests in adorable little buckets, and allow them to take one home as a party favor.
10. Drinks
A fabulous party decoration to set up is a drink station with various color options. This station will guarantee that the children will remain hydrated throughout the party.
Make a station with several drink dispensers that are all different colors. While you can make different flavors of fruit punch, it is more economical to use powdered drink mixes in various fruity flavors.
To minimize preparation, you can serve different juice boxes. Let the kids pick their favorite flavor and keep it chilled in a cooler. You can provide a sizable gallon drink dispenser for water or give individual bottles a cheery sticker to stick with the theme. Remember to serve drinking water, not just flavored drinks.
11. Party Favors
Even though it’s customary to give out party favors (especially at a kid’s party), you might only need to make something to hand out at a painting party. Allow them to take their finished pieces of art home and any painting supplies they’ve already used, such as the different paint sets, palettes, and aprons and smocks you’ve provided. You can fill some goody bags with the guests’ painting supplies before the party begins and instruct the kids to hold onto the bag so they can later take their paints home.
But if you still choose to distribute some party favors, think about the following. Use a coloring goody bag or vibrant drawstring pouch and stuff it with candies, treats, or small art supplies. The kids can use those bags again to store toys or supplies for school.
They can receive a stackable crayon that glitters or stacking buildable crayons. At the same time, it’s creative and enjoyable. Add candies, cookies, biscuits, small toys, accessories, and anything else your guests would enjoy to an art cellophane goody bag or a similar art goody bag.
12. Stay on guard
Always be prepared to assist the kids in rinsing their brushes to prevent them from drying out and reduce the amount of cleanup required after a party. Paintings can take longer than anticipated, especially when the kids are mingling, so the party’s timing is crucial. Be wary of the time so the kids arrive home early enough by starting the party on time.
To encourage children to sketch before painting, you can give them pencils. Pre-trace the canvases and draw the designs in outline form before painting. It will take longer for acrylic paint to dry if applied too thickly. Using a hairdryer for a child’s artwork can be helpful. However, it is best to operate the dryer rather than letting young children do so.
Remember to take a picture of all the kids holding their artwork after the party!
If you need more tips and ideas when it comes to hosting a party for kids, you may also read our Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Kids Birthday Party.