Finger-painting is an experience that no preschooler should be denied! Plunging bare fingers right into the mushy, colorful goodness and then spreading color directly from finger to paper is a gratifying experience for both the young and the young at heart! It promotes fine motor development, and is ideal for children for whom manipulating tools is difficult. It is also a fantastic sensory experience, both for touch and also for smell and sound depending on the medium used. There are plenty of different ways to do finger-painting (I’ll try to give you a few to choose from on this site) but perhaps one of the easiest ways is to use shaving cream! Shaving cream is a great medium from an adult perspective because it’s cheap, accessible, and extremely washable. Kids love it because it’s foamy! (OK, I love it because it’s foamy too.)
Simply spray your favorite can of cream into an empty container or bowl, and color with watercolor liquid, watercolor powder, or plain old food coloring. (Keep in mind that what and how much you use to color the cream can effect its “washability”.) Stir in the color, and you’re ready to go! (I did provide paint brushes here, because, sadly, not all kids like to get their hands dirty, and request a brush.) The more thinly this paint is applied, the better it dries. Thick foam dries into a fragile foam that flakes off easily and may upset your more fastidious artists. For the more easy-going, however, the light-as-air dry foam is fun to examine! Enjoy some finger-painting today!
If you’d like a three dimensional piece of artwork to hold up against drying, mix one part shaving cream & one part glue. This will dry but still have that foamy look to it.