Updated on: Mar 03, 2024
Arts and crafts are a simple way to keep your child occupied and entertained, so why not turn it into a kids paint party? Painting is super fun and interactive for kids of all ages, so throwing a paint-themed party is something your child will enjoy and have loads of fun with their friends. While the thought of a “paint-themed” party might bring forth thoughts of messiness and hours of cleaning afterward, there are ways to plan a clean, fun paint-themed party.
It’s important to get some inspiration for your party before you start to plan and budget. It can be easy to quickly get overwhelmed while planning out a party, which is why there are plenty of ideas in this article that can help you become inspired and excited!
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Decorations
1. Paint Brush Centerpieces
Not only will you be using these paintbrushes, but they can be set as a cute mason jar centerpiece for your tables before the painting and activities begin. Add some flowers, ribbons and there you go, a cute centerpiece for your artists!
2. Paint-Themed Balloons
Balloons that match your theme are super simple and a really nice way to make your party look even more exciting. They’re cheap, quick, and what kid doesn’t like balloons?
3. Paint Sample Banner
Instead of buying a cheesy banner, there’s always the option of making your own! All you need to do is head over to your local hardware store that has paint sample papers and gets the amount you need to spell out what you want for the party. Simply write a letter on each paper, tie them on a string, and you're done!
4. Water Color Posters
This is also an idea that you could potentially make yourself. Whether the party is for a birthday, sleepover, or just for fun, you can make/buy watercolor posters that relate to your party.
5. Artist Photoshoot Wall
Pictures are popular these days, so it’s important to have a designated area specifically for taking super cute pictures that you’ll be able to look back on and remember forever. There are so many ways you can do this too, and maybe even make your own photo backdrop if you’re feeling creative!
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Party Favors
6. Take-Home Watercolor Paints
After a fun party of painting and activities, send your guests home with a little paint kit so that the painting doesn’t have to end with the party. It’s a simple way to provide your guests with painting materials and keep the kids occupied!
7. Mini Canvas
Mini canvases are super trendy right now and also provide your guests with a way to paint adorable little pictures. Mini canvases are also nice for those who aren’t necessarily into painting full-scale pictures but might want to dabble a little with something smaller and less intimidating. Anything mini-sized is also super cute.
8. Colorful Candy
You can also send your guests home with some snacks that they can enjoy later. Who doesn’t love bringing home candy from a party? Especially since this is a kids' party, they’ll all love the fact that they can take home some yummy candies.
9. Paint Splatter Handsantizer
It’s always important to stay clean and wash your hands, especially during the colder seasons. Pocket-sized hand sanitizer can be customized to match the paint-theme party; all you have to do is get a little creative. Try printing some paint splatter confetti pieces and pasting them onto the hand sanitizer or even buy paint-related stickers to remind your guests of your amazing paint-themed party!
10. Coloring/Painting Books
Another easy party favor would be mini coloring books that your guests can use after the party. These are super cheap and easy, and your guests will appreciate the gesture and the kids will stay occupied and entertained.
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Food/Menu Items
11. Canvas Cookies
Cookies are easy and quick to make and can be baked in large batches to feed everyone at your party! If you want to get creative, you can frost the cookies to look like mini painting canvases or easels.
12. Rice Krispy Paint Brushes
If you’re short on time but still want food items that relate to the paint-themed party, you can buy/make some rice crispy treats. Next, you’re going to melt down some colored chocolate and dip the tips of the Rice Krispies into the chocolate. Use colored popsicle sticks to stick into the ends of the Rice Krispies to make it look like the handle of the paintbrush. This is also a nice way to get a little creative with your party.
13. Color Palette Cupcakes
Cupcakes are essential for throwing a fantastic party, and they can be incorporated into your party in a really clever way. Once you’ve made your cupcakes, all you need to do is frost different colored icings and create a platter that is shaped like a painter’s palette. Simply place your cupcakes to look like different colored paints on the palette!
14. Paint Brush Pretzels
For a quick snack on your food menu, you can roll the tips of pretzels into melted, colored chocolate. Once you’ve done this, the key is to place them in a cleaned-out painter can to make it look as if they’re paintbrushes!
15. Color Palette Veggie Tray
With all these delicious desserts and treats, it’s important to also get creative with those fruits and veggies! Simply place your veggies on a platter that resembles an artist’s palette. This is a similar idea to the cupcakes but is a much healthier option/alternative.
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Games & Activities
16. Paint by Number
Paint by number is a fun activity that suits all ages. You might not want to create your own but there are tons of printable pages you can download or buy from the store.
17. Paint Twister
This game will be a bit more involved and messier, so make sure that you’re prepared and your guests have the right clothes for this game. Simply get out a game of Twister and add large amounts of paint that correlate with the colored spaces. It might be messy, but it’s a super fun game that all the kids, and maybe even the adults, will thoroughly enjoy.
18. Finger Painting
Finger painting is a really easy activity and doesn't require that many supplies. All you need is a canvas, some paint, and your fingers and you’re good to go! This is a really good idea if you’re on a tight budget or if you don’t have access to a ton of art supplies. It’s also really fun for the kids!
19. Paint Balloon Fight
Similar to the paint twister, this game can be a bit messy, so if you’re okay with cleaning up afterward and getting your clothes dirty, it’s a super fun game. All you need to do is fill up water balloons with paint and divide everyone into two teams to have a paint balloon fight. You can also do different variations of this game such as capture the flag or tag. Make sure that you’re using non-toxic, kid-safe paint just to be safe.
20. Guess the Painting
This game is fun for all ages. All you need to do is divide everyone into teams. One person will start painting something and the teammates have to guess what it is before time runs out. You can get creative and use art brushes or just your hands to paint these pictures on paper, either way, it’s really fun in group settings.
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Party Supplies
21. Tablecloths
Since this is probably going to be a very hands-on party, you’ll need to make sure that you have tablecloths to keep the paint from getting all over the tables. You can keep it simple with plain tablecloths you don’t mind getting dirty or you can get paint-themed tablecloths to spice up your party a little bit more.
22. Art Supplies
This party theme will require a few different types of art supplies. While you don’t necessarily need them, a paint-themed party should include non-toxic paint, brushes, and something to paint on such as canvas or plain paper. Along with these art supplies, you’ll need to make sure you have jars/cups filled with water so you can put your used brushes somewhere so that they don’t dry out and get ruined.
23. Paper Towels/Cleaner
This paint party is definitely going to require some cleaning supplies after the party is over. Make sure that you have paper towels available or even some bleach wipes to clean up any unwanted messes.
24. Cups/Utensils
Cups, spoons, and forks will be needed for any of the snacks and menu items that you decide to include. You can get plain colored cups or even paint-themed cups and utensils that will make your party even more exciting and memorable!
25. Aprons
If you or your guests aren’t wearing proper painting clothes, it’s important to always have some type of apron on hand to prevent any paint from getting on clothing.
Kids Paint Party Ideas: Invitations
26. Paint Splatter Invites
Invitations with bright paint splatters are a super creative way of showing your guests what the theme of the party will be.
27. Watercolor Invites
This is a nice way to leave options open that fit within your budget. You can either buy these online or make your own! Simply use blank paper and get a little creative with the watercolor to create your invitations. This might be a bit more tedious, but it can be fun if you have the time and creativity.
28. Create-Your-Own
Create-Your-Own invitations are a really cool way to display your creative skills and can be fun to include the kids in this process. All you need is some construction paper, markers and any paint you want to create these invitations. You can get some ideas from the internet or just use your own imagination. Have fun with it!
29. Palette Shaped Invites
Palette-shaped invitations are really unique and match the previously mentioned cupcake display if you decide to do that as well.
30. Paint Palette Invitations
As a fun way to invite your guests, send the invites as actual palettes of paint. This is really unique and will make your guests so excited to go to your paint party by starting them out with their own case of paints.
Kids Paint Party: Conclusion
There are so many ways that a kids paint party can be planned and it’s a nice way to get a little creative yourself. While it might be a little messy with the kids, everyone will love this unique idea and will remember how much fun they had painting and spending some time being creative. There’s a lot of ideas you can incorporate with this party while also staying within a planned budget. All you need to do is create a checklist of main ideas you want to include and work from there.
Even if you aren’t much into painting, it can be fun to play some games, get a little paint on your clothes, and enjoy some paintbrush Rice Krispies!
For more kids-related content, check out our Kid's Birthday Party Budget, Kid's Birthday Party Checklist and Kid's Theme Party Ideas.
For more birthday and theme party content, check out Party Themes and Birthday Party Ideas.
Written by Amber Phipps