How to Paint WITH Your Children, but WITHOUT the Mess!

As much as you love engaging your child in art and the world of hands-on crafting, chances are you cringe a bit when you hear, “Can I paint now?!”. You want to say, “yes“. After all, you know the great creative and fine motor benefits that it brings to your child, but…. the MESS! It seems as though you have one of two options. One, say “no”, and risk feeling guilty for limiting this desire and your child whining as a result. Or two, say “yes“, and risk needing an outfit change at its best (stained clothes at its worst) and a large amount of clean up afterwards. Luckily, there is a third option. An option that will allow your children to paint, but WITHOUT the mess!

Disclosure: After verbally promoting Kwix Stix for years, I have since partnered with them to bring awareness to others within this post. As ALWAYS, I only recommend products that I truly love and all opinions included are 100% my own.  

The perfect solution

My daughter was just about two years old and crayons just weren’t cutting it anymore. After recently learning about paints from her cousin, I was being asked on the daily, “Mommy, can I paint?!”. While I would love to say I was agreeable the majority of the time, the reality is that I wasn’t. Time after time I would find an excuse or distract her with a different fun opportunity. Why? Because I didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with the mess.

Then my youngest daughter was born and over came a group of my fellow occupational therapist friends to meet her. Wanting to make my almost two-year-old feel equally as important, they suprised her with a “big sister” gift. As she ripped off the paper, I watched as her excited face turned to wonder as she showed me the package of Kwik Stix paints. I must admit, my face must have showed wonder as well because before I knew it, one friend quickly jumped in, “Have you seen these before? The kids I work with [in the pediatric occupational therapy clinic] swear by them!”. In truth, I hadn’t… after all my oldest was not yet even two years old and anything to do with “paint” I had been quick to ignore. However, fully trusting their professional opinion and always open to anything crafty that claims to be “mess-free”, I was hooked. Little did I know, I was just introduced to what would soon become my FAVORITE paint product for children.

Kwik Stix… say “good-bye” to mess

The very next day, and every day since, Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Sticks (created by Pencil Grip, Inc.) have been an art staple in our household. By simply uncapping and twisting, these paints are ready to be used in no time and with NO water necessary (so easy to manipulate that my two-year-old could open, utilize, and close them with no assistance needed). Furthermore, unlike traditional paint, they dry within 90 seconds, resulting in far less overall mess and clothing stains (a feature every parent can get on board with!). And a special bonus… is that they are AP certified (non-toxic) and are gluten, egg and peanut free.

Along with eliminating the mess, we were also able to eliminate the need for paint brushes and smocks in the process. As a result, when my children want to paint, Kwik Stix makes the entire process no more cumbersome or messy than coloring with crayons.

Fun with Kwik Stix

Fast forward two years and thousands of painting projects later, I was excited to learn a few additional features of Kwik Stix in the process.

1. Unlike when working with “real” paint, the colors don’t mix and create a large brown masterpiece mess. Instead they layer on top of one another nicely.
2. They work on endless surfaces including: paper, pasteboard, canvas, cardboard, and even pumpkins!
3. If they happen to get on undesirable surfaces (i.e. table, skin, etc.) they wipe off very easily.
4. They now come in a “skinny” version as well for more precision when painting.
5. They help encourage efficient pencil grasp (to aid in handwriting), yet in a very fun and playful manner.

For all the above reasons and so much more, I would HIGHLY recommend that every household has a set, or two, or even three (as they come a variety of colors and sizes). So much so, that Kwik Stix have become my go-to gift for children ages 1+! If you want to secure your own you can find them available at Walgreens, in stores and online at Michaels, online at Target, and on Amazon!

Happy painting!