Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Add some bug painting to your toddlers’ day with this fun process art activity!
If you are looking for a fun art activity for your bug theme, this idea is super easy and toddlers love it.
Little prep is involved because it’s all about the process.
Simply put the few materials on the table and invite your toddlers to start painting.
Even our busiest little friends stopped awhile for this engaging art!
Easy and Fun Bug Painting for Toddlers
If you’ve been following Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds for awhile, you know how much I love process art.
This type of art focuses on the action involved, not the end result.
There is little teacher prep work, the set up is usually pretty easy, and little (if any) instruction is needed.
Also, no two are alike.
What you will need:
- Plastic (toy) bugs
- Paint
- Shallow containers
- Paper
While you can use any size bugs, I found that our toddlers preferred the larger size.
They are also fun to paint, as I will share shortly.
You might need to first demonstrate how to dip the bugs into the paint, “walking” them across the paper.
I like to provide more than one color so the children can explore color mixing.
All they need to do is dip their bug into the paint and then move it with their fingers across the paper.
When multiple colors are used, new colors emerge as they blend!
When finished, let the bug tracks dry.
Bug Painting
If you have toddlers who really love to paint, as I do this year, you can take this activity one step further and let them actually paint the bug.
Simply hand the children a paint brush and away they go!
I love three dimensional art because it allows children to explore length, width, and depth.
They are thinking about every side of the bug, even getting the brush in small crevices.
Some toddlers might problem solve reaching all the areas by actually picking up the bug, using both hands to get it painted.
More fine motor taking place!
While painting the bugs, ask the children if they can identify them.
Who has the ladybug? Who has the spider?
Clean up is easy because all the painted bugs can be tossed into a tub of warm sudsy water.
In fact, you can take this activity one step further, handing your toddlers scrub brushes and letting them clean the bugs.
This can be done in the sink, in a sensory bin filled with water, or outdoors with buckets of water!
More toddler painting ideas:
Bugs and Butterfly Activity Plans
I’m so excited to be one of the authors of these hands-on activity plans for toddlers and for preschoolers!
Easy to follow plans include activity modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.
Note: This is a digital product. Links to downloads will be sent to you after purchase!
For more information, click on the graphics below:
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This is a super cute project! I wish I could try it with my own kids (tupperware tubs are hard to come by in Japan.) Maybe I’ll try it anyway ^__^
http://eflforkids.blogspot.jp/
You can use boxes or box lids. Anything with an edge to contain the spray a bit. Or, try it right on the sidewalk!
La baie d’açai a également un certain nombre d’antioxydants qui sont excellents pour le corps, car ils aident à restaurer d’autres antioxydants déjà dans le corps comme la vitamine C, la vitamine E et le glutathion. Les flavonoïdes dans la baie aussi aider à protéger le corps contre la maladie.
baie açaï
I love this idea for outside this summer. The papers are cute but outside it would be fun to let them spray anything they want! I have a feeling we will have some beautiful colored rocks and trees outside this spring and summer.
Oh yes, this would work great sprayed right onto the pavement! And it washes off easily. A great summer activity for sure!
Hi there fellow Kids Co-op co-host 🙂 I love this post! I’m Pauline and I blog over at http://lessonslearntjournal.com. May I please feature this (with a picture from your post) as part of my roundup of this week’s linky party? If this hasn’t already been pinned onto our Weekly Kids’ Co-op interest board, I’d love to do that for you too. Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks for sharing….Nice one amazing
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