...I let my 4 month old paint.

I'll probably be the mom who actually wears the macaroni necklace my kid brings home from Kindergarten. As it stands, I'm already putting her artwork on display around the house, and that's in addition to the typical hanging things on the fridge.

For the first year of her life, starting at 5 months old (when she could safely sit well enough to do it), I let my daughter do one painting a month...more if family members requested them for holidays or birthdays! The process is simple: Put down an old/cheap sheet, get some canvas and paints, let baby rub the paint all over the canvas...VOILA!

There are baby-safe paints, like Crayola's, made from talc and non-toxic coloring that are pretty affordable.  We used acryllic at times, too. If you choose to use acryllic paint, keep a box of wipes handy because all the way up to High School kids will try to taste colorful things, and acryllic is NOT non-toxic. You can also try this homemade recipe:

 

 

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Here's now we have the babe's artwork displayed in her room (4-11 months).

 

 

 

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Here are some photos of the artist at work!

 

 

(The babe with her piece "Ceiling Fan", 6 months old)

 

(The babe painting a Breast Cancer Awareness piece, 7 months old)

(This was my first Mother's Day gift from the babe! I think she painted me, so I outlined it on the photo on the right.)



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These days, we're focusing on more challenging mediums, like crayons and markers and coloring inside the lines, but every so often we bring out the paints and see what we can rorschach out of it . Maybe some day soon she'll be able to tell us what she painted.