There is just something about Spring that gets me in the mood to let the kids get really messy. Perhaps it is the fact that we can now do art outside. Or maybe it is the fact that the warm spring sun has melted the ice from my mind and I can think clearly.

Because messy art is really fabulous for children. It is important for their sensory development and their language development. It is important for their creativity, imaginations, and problem solving too.

So let’s have a cup of coffee and build up our bravery, you and I. It is all for a really good cause. Come on — let’s let them get MESSY:

There are so many fabulous ideas on this list. I am sure the kids would go nuts if you showed them and had them choose for themselves. I know my little guys will be ALL over the swing painting. What would your little one love to do?

Really Big Art for Preschoolers – I loved seeing what my son’s preschool teachers had set up in his classroom recently. This amazingly big-scale art was so fun for the kids.

Cardboard Box Splat Painting from TinkerLab – Use filled balloons to let your little artists play with giant paint splatters.

Soap Foam Printing from Fireflies and Mud Pies – Make gorgeous watercolor prints with colorful bubbles! Bubbles AND paint? What kid wouldn’t love that?

Drop! Splat! Painting from Fun-A-Day – Children can explore gravity as they experiment with dropping paint-dipped pompoms from different heights.

Melting Insect Sensory Painting from Crayon Box Chronicles – What happens when you create art with frozen paint? The kids will certainly find out with this idea!

Rolling Rainbow Painting from Fantastic Fun and Learning – Get moving and painting with ramps and balls with this messy play invitation.

Swing Painting Process Art from Homegrown Friends – Talk about art in motion! This is big, messy art at its finest.

Ice Art from NurtureStore – Build transient art using homemade, colorful ice blocks. This would be great any time of the year, whether it’s done in snow or during the heat of the summer.

Freeze Dance Painting from Coffee Cups and Crayons – Let the kids get their feet super messy as they dance and paint the afternoon away!

Shaving Cream Marbling from The Artful Parent – This is a well-loved, classic art experience for a reason. Kids love dripping paint on the shaving cream, swirling it around, and making all kids of beautiful prints.

Now THIS. This is what childhood memories are made of! “Remember the time you let us paint our feet and make swing pictures Mom?!?!”

Why yes I do. That was a two cup of coffee morning, I recall 🙂 And totally worth the mess.

I hope you are having a fabulous start to your Spring friends. Thank you so much for reading!