My granddaughter has always loved to do art–draw, paint, use play-doh, make things from cardboard, glue “treasures” onto paper (her definition of “treasure” is quite broad). For her 4th birthday party my daughter planned a mural project.
Materials & Supplies
- A looooooooong piece of butcher paper or painter’s paper (hardware store)
- Tempera paint, it’s WASHABLE or Water-color washable markers, several containers to put along the paper
- Brushes, lots – you can use sponge brushes – buy them in packets at hardware stores (they’re cheaper)
- Plastic palettes for them, to use for mixing colors, available at Aaron Brothers, Michael’s and elsewhere
- Baby wipes, rags, paper towels (a hose) for clean-up
Possible Themes to Paint
You can just let the kids loose (meaning paint anything they choose – which they will probably do anyway . . .) or tell them to paint:
- A Happy Birthday picture to the birthday child
- A birthday present they would like to get and/or give
- Self portrait
- Portrait of the birthday child
Where and When
- Garage floor, patio, driveway
- After they have a a chance to run around a while
The kids all had a blast and my granddaughter had a party souvenir.
I might do the same for my own birthday. The only hitch is my friends are too old to sit on the driveway.
Peggy