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Fun and easy kids activities

Animal Resist Painting

Sep 8, 201219,322 views
Painting
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save
Animal Resist Painting Save

by TurkeyMom in Painting

Ages2–5 yrs
Prep20 min
Activity20 min
Leveleasy
MessMedium
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Glue a paper animal cut-out onto half a sheet of cardstock, paint all over it with a fat brush, then peel the animal off to reveal a clean white silhouette. Once dry, draw in the animal's habitat and food, and talk about where each animal lives and what it eats.

⚠️ Safety first

  • An adult does all the cutting with scissors.
  • Use washable, non-toxic kids' paint and glue, and supervise toddlers closely. Paint and glue are not for mouths.
  • Expect vigorous painting and splattering. Cover the table and dress kids for mess.
  • Sequins and small stickers (birthday-card extension) are choking hazards for toddlers. Supervise closely or skip them for little ones.

Before the kids arrive

  • Cut the cardstock sheets in half.
  • Print animal outlines and cut them out.
  • Cover the table and set out paint and fat brushes.

Steps

  1. Pick an animal cut-out and say its name and the sound it makes.

  2. Spread glue on the back of the cut-out.

  3. Stick the animal onto a half sheet of cardstock and press it flat.

  4. Paint all over the paper with a fat brush, right over and around the animal.

  5. Peel off the cut-out right away to reveal the white animal.

  6. Let the painting dry.

  7. Draw in where the animal lives and what it eats, like grass for the rabbit or fish for the duck.

  8. Choose a new animal and make another one.

Tips

  • We started with the play dough stencils and soon realized that regular printables worked much better.from the author
  • Peel off the cut-out immediately. It comes off without any trouble.from the author
  • I didn't expect them to turn out clean, but the printables were surprisingly easy to peel off. Half a sheet of cardstock doesn't take long to finish painting.from the author
  • Talk about where each animal lives and what it eats while you paint. Baby A repeated the animal names over and over and made the animal noises.from the author
  • Our toddler chose her own colors, but you could also pick a background color that suits each animal.from the author
  • It is NOT EASY making art with a toddler, because co-operative toddlers are very hard to come by! Expect a "one more" instead of a tada! moment.from the author
  • Using removable labels instead? Let the paint dry completely before peeling, or use a hairdryer if you're in a hurry. Peeled while wet, they stick.from readers
  • A special education teacher planned to adapt it for a general education art class, painting over different textures for texture work.from readers

Make it your own

  • Once dry, have an older sibling add details: flowers for the butterfly, fish for the bear.
  • Turn it into a birthday card and glam it up with stickers, sequins or whatever catches the kid's fancy.
  • Cut Christmas or winter shapes from removable labels and paint over them with liquid watercolor.
  • Explore textures by painting over sandpaper, wax paper, foil or mesh shapes (a teacher's idea from the comments).
  • Frame a painting together with a photo of the child painting it.
  • Use the finished animals to decorate a playroom.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · September 2012
Animal Resist Painting
I cut 4 cardstock papers into halves and made 8 individual pieces to work on. We started with the play doh stencils and soon realized that regular printables worked much better.
1 / 10

Animal Resist Painting: the original post

Today I wanted Baby A to be the lead mess maker of this animal resist painting project. While Big A was away, mom and baby buckled down with something we both love – PAINT. I’m introducing brushes to Baby A.I cut 4 cardstock paper into halves and made 8 individual pieces to work on.

We started with the play doh stencils and soon realized that regular printable worked much better. Anyway, mom picked out a few resist art animals to add to the fun element and to create more interest in wildlife with babyA. While I held on to the animal stencil, baby A started painting, might I add vigorously around the stencil. Once I removed the stencil I thought she would have a tada! moment. She looked at it and said “one more” Bummer!

Baby repeated the names of the animals over and over while making corresponding animal noises. Mom and baby had an amazing uninterrupted conversation while making art. I just talked to her about where each animal lives and what it eats. I’m not sure if anything got into her amidst the vigorous painting and splattering. Love one-on-one with kids. Makes me feel like a much better mother. We tried a couple of more stencil art.

Soon Baby A wanted new resist art animals – a duck and a rabbit. The stencil looked miserable and so I just cut out the image from an outline printable. Baby worked her fine motor skills and process learning skills, by applying glue on the back and then sticking them on the cardstock paper. Once the animal is stuck on the card stock, it shouldn’t take long for the kid with a fat brush to fill up the cardstock paper with paint.

Peel off the cut out immediately. It comes off without any trouble. That’s it you got your own animal resist painting. We made a bunch more.

Once they dried, I added habitat and diet details. Unlike us (with a toddler who chose the colors she wanted to use) you could also do a nice job and choose appropriate background colors for each animal Here is the final line up of all our color resist art animals.

I realized it is NOT EASY making art with a toddler because co-operative toddlers are very hard to come by! Made me want to do more toddler activities. Ways to extend this activity 1. Once dried, you have an older sibling to add details to the card. For example, add flowers for the butterfly and talk about where each animal lives and what they eat. Add fish to the bear art..You get the point. 2. Convert it into a birthday card for another person. Glam it up with stickers, sequins, whatever catches the kid’s fancy.

Thanks for reading

Happy Sharing

What readers say

💬 15 comments ✍️ 4 answered by the author 🍎 tried with 1 classes or groups

🍎 In the classroom

Adapted for a special education art class

A teacher found this was just what she needed for her special education students in a general art class, planning to try textures like sandpaper, wax paper, foil and mesh.

“it was exactly what I was looking for with a few adaptations for my special education students in a general education art class.”
Francine956, Sep 2012

✨ Readers' twist

Try removable labels and liquid watercolors

Kids cut shapes from removable labels, arrange them on watercolor paper and paint over with liquid watercolors. Let it dry completely first; labels peeled while wet stick.

“you can also get this affect with removable labels (staples).”
leigh, Nov 2012

🎉 Worked for us

Cleaner than expected without wax

A reader expected a wax resist and liked this paper cut-out version better. TurkeyMom replied the printables peeled off surprisingly easily on half-sheet cardstock.

“When I saw resist painting I thought you were going to use wax, but these are so much better.”
jtulip, Sep 2012

🎉 Worked for us

A pretty result keeps kids going

A reader felt that seeing a pretty result right away is encouraging for a child, so they won't want to stop painting.

“I think it must be really encouraging for the child to see a pretty result...and they will not want to stop.”
The Smart Child, Oct 2012

✨ Readers' twist

Frame it with a painting photo

One reader suggests framing the finished artwork alongside a photo of the baby painting it, as a keepsake.

“I would frame this with a photo of baby painting in one space !”
Debra, Jan 2013

Tried it?

Reviewed before it appears. No links, and please no children's names.

Read all 15 comments

  1. xo Dee · Apr 2013

    ok I am probably commenting a bit to much. But I am just LOVING posts. This was a great idea! Jo and I did a painting this week, but it was with a homemade stencil.. it went really well, but this would be fun to try!

  2. Debra · Jan 2013

    Quick, adorable artwork that will make baby and mama happy : ) I would frame this with a photo of baby painting in one space !

  3. leigh · Nov 2012

    these are great - for older kids, and even younger kids, you can also get this affect with removable labels (staples). kids cut out shapes (I love Christmas/winter shapes) arrange on watercolor paper then cover with liquid watercolor paints. Let dry com pletely, if you're in a hurry use a hairdryer. If you peel when not dry, they stick.

  4. TurkeyMomAuthor · Oct 2012 · replying to The Smart Child

    Kids love to freely paint all over any given surface anyway.

  5. The Smart Child · Oct 2012

    Oh, this is so easy and lovely. I think it must be really encouraging for the child to see a pretty result...and they will not want to stop. We must try this one:)

  6. Christy · Sep 2012

    What a great idea! I would never think of something like that. And to turn them into cards?? Genious! I have an overflowing stack of stuff I can do this to right now. haha Thanks for linking up to tip-toe thru Tuesday!

  7. andiejaye · Sep 2012

    these are so cute! would be perfect to decorate a playroom! thanks for linking up to tip-toe thru tuesday!

  8. Francine956 · Sep 2012

    This is one of those " why didn't I think of that?" moments! I happened to see this on pinterest and it was exactly what I was looking for with a few adaptations for my special education students in a general education art class. We are working with textures and this would be a great way to have them use different textures to create art! I will probably start with sandpaper, then maybe wax paper, foil, mesh, etc. What is especially nice is the versatility and numerous possibilities that have been sparked by your idea! Thank-you for sharing!

  9. maggy, red ted art · Sep 2012

    Oooh these are really lovely. A wonderful to get arty with with kids! Thanks for joining in with Kids Get Arty - the next session is in Nov - would be great to see you there again, as well as looking at a real artist with your child as part of the post! Maggy

  10. TurkeyMomAuthor · Sep 2012 · replying to maggy, red ted art

    Thanks for the lovely words. We will see you again in November - when my kids turn 4 and 2 around Thanksgiving time. Turkey babies with their faces!. All your link parties are amazing!

  11. jtulip · Sep 2012

    I love the way they turned out! When I saw resist painting I thought you were going to use wax, but these are so much better. Thanks for the great idea, I can't wait to do this with my kids!

  12. TurkeyMomAuthor · Sep 2012 · replying to jtulip

    Yeah. I didn’t expect them to turn out clean. But the printable were surprisingly easy to peel off since we were painting on half a card stock- that should not take long to finish painting. Mom’s library link-up is amazing. I’m still working on my buttons page.

  13. TurkeyMomAuthor · Sep 2012 · replying to Penny

    Your website and my older one are match made in heaven! A site for animal activities is great.

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