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Sensory Art Ideas: Bubble Wrap Finger Painting

A sensory painting idea that is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers but a true sensory delight for all ages, bubble wrap finger painting requires just a few commonly available art and household materials and makes fun art prints.

Sensory activities: Bubble Wrap Finger Painting for Toddlers and Preschoolers

When I recently discovered the contents of a parcel protected in bubble wrap my first thought was, “Oooh, this could be fun!’ Then I thought about using it as the surface for some tabletop finger painting and I thought, “Oooh, this could be lots of fun!!”

Sensory activities for toddlers

And it was! I took one of our low play tables outside and taped the long strips of bubble wrap to the tabletop with masking tape. I then squirted some child friendly acrylic paints in complementary colors onto it, and our toddler was straight in – mixing the paints with her hands.

Sensory activities: Finger Painting on bubble wrap

She loved rubbing her hands in the paint and then banging them on the table. Making hand prints, exploring with fingertips…

Sensory activities: Bubble Wrap Finger Painting via Childhood 101

…feeling the paint and feeling the bumpy, knobbly surface of the bubble wrap.

Sensory activities_Bubble Wrap Finger Painting via Childhood 101

She explored the paint and the fun, bumpy, bubbly surface for ages. We didn’t, but you can easily make wonderful art prints by pressing down pieces of paper onto the painted bubble wrap. The result is a fabulous spotty print that would make a wonderful wrapping paper.

And when it came time to clean up, I had a wet cloth ready for wiping off hands, and the table was a cinch – all I had to do was take off the bubble wrap!

Sensory activities: Bubble Wrap Finger Painting

For more fun learning sensory activity ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, check out these related posts;

KIDS ART IDEAS: Tabletop monoprinting
Childhood 101 Sensory Rosemary Rice Play Activity
Over 55 super ideas for sensory bins

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Filed Under: Pre & K, Preschool Play, Sensory Play, Sensory Play Ideas, Toddler Play

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Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Sarah Richard-Preston says

    June 9, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    I love how this idea incorporates sensory exploration! You could also make prints from the bubble wrap by pressing a piece of paper gently on top. I recently posted a similar activity painting on bubble wrap with paintbrushes and tempera paint http://www.thebubblebox.com.au/blog/bubble-wrap-dancing-printing/. Another great way to explore bubble wrap is to put on some music for your child and dance around. Pause the music and jump up and down on the bubble wrap (see if you can make some pop!). Alternate between dancing to the music and stopping to jump on the bubble wrap. It's lots of fun!

Trackbacks

  1. 6 Sensory Activities for 2 Year Olds | dotspots&carrots says:
    August 3, 2014 at 7:02 PM
    […] Texture Eggs / Coloured Ice Sensory Hair Rollers / Bubble Wrap Painting […]
  2. Super Fun Finger Painting Ideas + A Cleanup Trick - B-Inspired Mama says:
    October 28, 2014 at 12:28 AM
    […] Paint on Bubble Wrap – Add an extra sensory element by inviting the kids to paint on bumpy bubble wrap.  Check out the bubble wrap finger painting fun at Childhood101. […]
  3. Finger Painting Ideas says:
    March 1, 2017 at 10:07 AM
    […] Bubble Wrap Finger Painting from Childhood 101 – Paint AND bubble wrap!? Now that’s an engaging art activity for the kids. […]
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