FloPo | Making spring flowers with baby handprints using washable paint (6 months+)

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Prepare a wipe-clean surface and place thick paper flat where the child can reach it without leaning over paint. 2. Pour small amounts of each paint colour onto separate shallow trays so the paint is easy to touch without deep puddles. 3. Dress the child in an apron or old T-shirt and keep warm water and cloths within arm’s reach for quick cleaning. 4. Sit beside the child so you can support balance and reach, and place one paint tray closest to them to start. 5. Offer your open hand to show the paint is for touching, then pause and let the child decide whether to reach in. 6. If the child touches paint, help them bring their hand over the paper and press down gently, then lift, allowing them to see the print. 7. Let the child repeat prints, smear, or switch hands. Add a second colour only when the child shows interest. 8. If the child avoids paint on skin, offer a sponge dabber or brush so they can still make marks and watch colour transfer. 9. When the child shows signs of being finished, clean hands and surface, then place the artwork somewhere safe to dry out of reach.

Learning Objectives

This activity offers repeated chances to explore texture, pressure and movement through Physical Development, especially early fine motor control and hand–eye coordination. It also supports Expressive Arts and Design as children experiment with colour and make marks in their own way. Communication and Language can be supported through simple, responsive words for actions and colours as the child explores.

Adult Role

Stay close and emotionally attuned, watching for signs of uncertainty such as pulling away, stiffening, or seeking wiping, and respond calmly with a pause or a clean cloth. Model simple, descriptive language that matches what the child is doing, such as “press”, “lift”, “wet”, and colour words, without quizzing or directing. Scaffold only as needed for access and comfort: support the wrist for a print, reduce the number of colours, or offer a tool if the child dislikes the sensation. Step back when the child is repeating actions or concentrating, and avoid correcting the ‘shape’ of the flower. Observe how the child chooses colours, uses pressure, and copes with messy hands, and adjust the environment to keep it safe and manageable throughout.

Observation Cues

Does the child watch their hand as it presses, lifts, or slides through paint? Do they repeat a movement (tap, press, smear) and adjust pressure after seeing the print? Do they show preferences by reaching for a colour, avoiding a texture, or asking for “more”? Do they pause to look at the mark they made, then return to the same area or try a new spot? Do they tolerate paint on skin for longer over time, or seek wiping/cleaning quickly? Do they use sounds, gestures, or words to share what they notice (e.g., pointing, “red”, “again”)?

EYFS Links

Physical Development: children practise controlled hand movements as they press, lift, and adjust pressure, and they manage messy hands with adult support. Expressive Arts and Design: children explore colour, texture, and mark-making through an open-ended process where the ‘flower’ idea can emerge from their prints. Communication and Language: adults can build understanding and early vocabulary by naming actions and colours in the moment and responding to children’s gestures, sounds, and words.

Age adaptations

Budding Adventurers

Offer a small set of spring colours plus a wipe station the child can use with support (cloth, water bowl, towel). Children may choose to make repeated prints in a line or cluster and begin to notice “more” and “less” paint on their hand. Introduce a second sheet so they can start again without the adult needing to ‘fix’ the first one.

Curious Investigators

Add a simple visual prompt nearby (a real daffodil or a photo of spring flowers) without asking children to copy it. Provide a black or brown chunky marker for adding centres, stems, or “garden” details once paint is dry enough, and allow children to decide what counts as a flower. Adults can model richer language like “petals”, “centre”, “bright”, and “mixing” while staying responsive to the child’s plan.

Confident Discoverers

Offer a wider palette and a choice of tools alongside handprints (sponges, brushes) so children can combine techniques. Children may plan where prints go, experiment with overlapping colours, and talk about seasonal changes they notice in spring. Adults can support children to label their work with their name or a short dictated caption if they choose.

Ethos adaptations

Place one sheet of thick card on a tray to define the workspace and offer only two paint colours in shallow dishes, plus one small cloth and a small bowl for wiping hands. Arrange the items left-to-right (paint dishes, paper, wipe bowl) and keep spare paint out of reach so the child can manage one clear set of materials and return each item to its place. The adult gives one slow, silent demonstration of touching paint, pressing, and lifting, then sits back with hands in lap. The adult limits language to brief safety words and only steps in to reposition a dish, refresh a small amount of paint, or block paint from going near eyes. The adult watches for repetition, careful control of pressure, and the child noticing a “too much paint” smudge and adjusting without being corrected.

Set up outside on a washable groundsheet near a water source, with paper clipped to a board to manage wind and uneven surfaces. Offer paint in small pots alongside spring finds such as safe petals, grass, or leaves that children can place near prints, keeping the materials open-ended rather than aiming for a finished picture. Stay nearby to manage risk from slippery paint, cold hands, and outdoor distractions, and use brief, responsive commentary like “cold wind” or “wet paint” instead of directing a sequence. Notice how children adapt their movements on different surfaces, whether they choose to combine natural items with prints, and when they need a pause to warm hands or wash.

Create an invitation space with a low table covered in neutral paper, a drying line at child height, and a clear area for finished work so children can choose to return later. Arrange spring-colour paints, large paper, and a few open-ended mark tools (sponges, rollers, chunky pens) in visible baskets so children can enter the activity from different starting points. Position yourself as a listener and co-researcher, using reflective language such as “I can see you’re pressing hard” or “You’re mixing yellow and blue here” rather than showing a ‘right’ flower. Follow children’s ideas if they rename the marks (sun, fireworks, garden) and document their words with a quick note on a sticky label placed beside the work. Watch for collaboration around shared colours, children negotiating space on the paper, and the theories they form about colour mixing and print shapes.

Lay a plain cotton cloth on the table and place only a few items on it: thick paper, one muted spring paint in a shallow dish, and a warm bowl of water with a soft cloth. Choose one natural tool only if needed, such as a sea sponge, and keep extra colours and equipment out of sight so the space stays calm and uncluttered. The adult begins with a quiet, steady demonstration, then sits close as an anchor with minimal speech and a slow pace. The adult decides when to bring in a predictable wipe-and-return moment, placing the dish back on the cloth in the same spot each time, and decides when to reduce stimulation by sliding the paint slightly away or covering it briefly if hands go to face. The adult watches for deep concentration, repeated pressing, or signs the child wants to stop, and responds by mirroring one slow press, offering the warm cloth without comment, or ending the session and moving materials away without asking for “one more”.

Making spring flowers with baby handprints using washable paint (6 months+)

Time & Space