Parenting Guru: Simple, creative painting projects for kids

If you're stuck inside (again!) and looking for some fun ways to turn a quick watercolor activity into an afternoon project, here are some of our favorite spins on the craft (watch out MOMA!):

Art in the Driver's Seat
Getting my son to paint: difficult. Getting my son to play with Matchbox cars: easy. Combine the two and you've got a winner. You can either draw a race track for your kids to paint, cut the paper in the shape of a car or just let them go for it. I always put the paper on a baking sheet so the cars don't go off-roading.

Flower Fun
Don't just paint pictures of flowers. Use the flowers as a paint brush. You can give different types of flowers a try, but we've gotten our best results with mums and carnations. And if the petals come off, we leave them in the paint to give the piece more intrigue and texture. Bonus points: next time you go to a friend's house, take them some flowers and share this fun activity with their family.

Everyday Inspiration
Wine corks (yes, this is an everyday object in my house when I'm not pregnant...I have 2 young boys), marbles, kitchen utensils, fly swatters-all of these make really interesting patterns. You can put a bunch of different things out for your kids to explore, or focus a project on one of them. For instance, draw a bunch of flies on a big piece of paper and tell your kids to swat them. Just realize that this clean up may be even messier than if you got the real thing.

Edible Art
Ok, I wouldn't eat the paper (unless you use a tortilla or piece of bread), but try using different foods as paint. Baby food, pudding, jelly, pasta sauce...anything liquid will do. Fill muffin tins with a variety of foods and have your kids guess what's in each spot as they paint.

What are your favorite painting projects for kids?

Amy is a Shine Parenting Guru. She loves finding new ways to get her not-so-creative son to explore art and writing for her slice-of-life blog, UsingOurWords.com.