Get Started with Process Art
A guide to painting with toddlers and pre-schoolers
Do you have to do crafts with kids in the early years?
The short answer, no!
Crafts can cause so many headaches for us parents - especially when our kids are reluctant to do them anyway. Forced crafting is no fun for anyone, especially if it ends with a huge mess tidy away.
The best way to approach this with the under 5s is to embrace process art which focuses, as you might've already guessed, on the process rather than the end product.
Process art? Isn’t it just a way for kids to make a huge mess?
Well, yes and no.
In the early years, process art is a way for young children to explore a range of different materials.
Process art takes the pressure off of you as a parent (because you don’t have to focus on making a specific end product)
Process art also helps children to feel more confident about their own creativity.
In another lifetime, I was the art coordinator of the primary school I taught in. In my first few months in the role, I discovered that many of the older children were quite literally terrified to create anything.
And I’m not overexaggerating: some would ask me if every single line they drew was ‘right’ whilst others would get tearful or frustrated if they did one thing ‘wrong’.
Looking at the displays down the hallway of the school made me realise what was happening: rows of uniform and perfect creations greeted me.
When there is too much focus on art looking ‘perfect’ or exactly the same, art loses its joy and children loose confidence in their own creativity.
If you would like to have the same focus idea - such as creating a Jack-o-Lantern on Halloween - You can do this by setting up an invitation to create, using a selection of materials for your child to get creative with.
This means less pressure for us as parents (to focus on an end product) and more focus on the creative process itself.

Does this mean crafts are bad? Well no, IF you and your child enjoy creating craft projects then go for it! It can be a lovely way to spend time together.
From experience, I've found that children are more likely to embrace crafts once they reach middle childhood (6 onwards)
Featured below is our Welsh Dragon, who I made with my eldest son when he was around 6-7. At that stage, he'd had lots of experience getting creative and had the confidence to be fully involved and share his ideas.
’The Red Flower’ Poem perfectly sums up why it’s important to protect creativity:
The Red Flower
Once a little boy went to school--
He was quite a little boy and it was quite a big school.
But when the little boy found that he could go into his room
From the door outside, he was happy.
And the big school did not seem quite so big any more.
One morning, when the little boy had been in school awhile,
The teacher said, "Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make pictures.
He could make all kinds.
Lions and tigers, Chickens and cows, trains and boats,
And he took out his box of crayons and began to draw.
But the teacher said, "Wait, It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now", said the teacher, "We are going to make flowers."
"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make flowers.
And he began to make beautiful flowers
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said, "Wait! And I'll show you how."
And it was red, with a green stem. "There," she said, "Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at the teacher's flower.
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher's, but he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over and made a flower just like the teacher's.
It was red, with a green stem.
On another day, when the little boy opened the door from the outside all by himself,
The teacher said, "Today, we are going to make something with clay."
"Good!" thought the boy. He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay
Snakes and snowmen, elephants and mice, cars and trucks
And he began to pull and pinch his ball of clay.
But the teacher said, "Wait! It's not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher, "We are going to make a dish."
"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some that were all shapes and sizes. But the teacher said,
"Wait! And I'll show you how." And she showed everyone how to make one deep dish.
"There," said the teacher. "Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish and looked at his own.
He liked his dish better than the teacher’s, but he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again, and made a dish like his teacher's.
It was a deep dish.
Pretty soon the little boy learned to wait--And to watch
And to make things just like his teacher
And pretty soon he didn't make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened that the boy and his family moved to another house, in another city.
And the little boy had to go to another school.
This school was even bigger than the other one.
He had to go up some big steps and walk down a long hall to get to his room.
The very first day he was there, the teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture." Good! thought the little boy.
And he waited for the teacher to tell him what to do.
But the teacher didn't say anything. She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy she said,
"Don't you want to make a picture?"
"Yes," said the little boy.
"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.
"Why anyway you like," said the teacher.
"And any color?" asked the little boy. "Any color," said the teacher.
" If everyone made the same picture,
And used the same colors,
how would I know who made what, and which was which?"
"I don't know," said the little boy.
And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.
Author Unknown
Managing the Messiness of Art with Young Children
When my daughter was much younger, we used to do huge, messy art projects where she’d often end up with her entire body covered in paint. Whilst I still absolutely love for my children to have those sensory experiences, moving to a rented apartment has really changed my perspective on mess and how to manage it.
If you are in a similar situation to me or don’t want to make a gigantic mess for other reasons, check out our top tips for managing painting sessions with your children.
1. Manage your expectations
First off, how old is your child? The younger the child, the more likely it is that they will make a mess. When Miss Z was under 12 months, we would do yogurt painting in the highchair or paint squish bags that were taped to the floor or table. As she got older and explored non-toxic paints (18 months +) we took our painting sessions outside on the grass. Now that she is 6, she will quietly sit at the table and carefully paint pictures but I personally believe she had to go through the messy, sensory stage first.
2. Preparation
From experience, spontaneous paint sessions where materials are taken out on a whim never end well. Get out all the materials in advance, including baby wipes / damp cloths and an apron so that clothes don’t get dirty. Think carefully about which paints are needed and what items will be used as paintbrushes. Once the painting session begins, you need to supervise carefully!
3. Choose a dedicated space for painting
We often use our IKEA Flisat table for painting. It’s situated in a small nook in the kitchen so that any spills can be cleaned up quickly. I also place a messy mat on the table (you can also do this underneath too) so that floors and furniture don’t get ruined.
If you don’t have such a space in the kitchen, you may want to consider using the bathroom or utility room instead. Basically anywhere with close access to a sink is an excellent option!
4. Keep paint options to a minimum
If you don’t want to end up with a murky canvas, limit the paints available. For example, Miss Z wanted to paint the ocean recently so we discussed the colour first and decided upon pink, blue and purple. Allowing your child choice over which colours is important and it’s all about framing the question correctly. For example, which three colours could we use to paint the ocean?
Using a paint palette means that the amount of paint used is limited to a small section. Children will tend to use up all the paint that’s left available to them so if you leave a huge tub of paint out, they will find a way to use it all.
5. Choose paints carefully
Painting with little ones means, as a rule, we’ve always used non-toxic acrylics paints. The colour ends up beautiful and vibrant however it is impossible to get out of clothing. If you are precious about your children’s clothing or don’t want to potentially spend time scrubbing paint from floors, then opt for a washable paint. I’ve heard good things about Crayola washable paint.
6. Teach responsibility
Perhaps the most important point of all is to teach your children how to use paints responsibly AND help with the clean-up process. Miss 3 has been exploring with ‘proper’ paints since she was 18 months old and has always helped clean up afterwards. Yes, it takes longer but its a valuable lesson for little ones. One of our other painting projects – for slightly older ones – is here.
How do you feel about art in the early years?
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So many interesting points. Found the story of the little boy very touching. Def a lesson to learn! Thank you for giving me such a new perspective on art and craft.