DIY Sensory Abstract Artwork – So Easy A Baby Can Do It!

Now that Remy is almost 10 months old, I’m always looking for activities for him to do that allows him to explore with his senses. Sensory activities are important since they engage the senses: seeing, feeling, tasting, listening, and smelling. This allows your little one to experience the world around them and start to understand their environment.

This painting activity is a great weekend activity and allows for your baby to explore the senses of sight, touch, sound, and smell. Hopefully no tasting here! And the bonus is that you get a beautiful piece of artwork that was made by your budding artist!

Time: 10 minutes

Materials:

• Baby
• Canvas
• Non-toxic, washable paint
• Plastic wrap

Gather all of your materials

Choose the paint colors that you will be working with, making sure that they are complementary. Limit to four-ish paint colors since too many can leave your artwork mucky. Since we are giving this piece of artwork to my sister, who’s favorite color is mint, we chose mint, white, gray, and teal. We might even do a series of three canvases using the same color scheme!

You can make this project any size you want, but we used a 12×12 canvas. We got a whole bunch of these canvases from Michaels on sale, so keep an eye out for that. And make sure to use those coupons! 🙂

Lay the groundwork

Start your baby’s creative juices right by randomly placing spots of paint all over the canvas. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect! This is abstract art, after all.

TIP: Avoid placing paint really close to the edge as this may cause some of it to leak out, causing a mess.

After you are satisfied with your paint spots, carefully place and secure plastic wrap over the top.

Ready, set, smear!

Once the plastic wrap is secured, let your baby have at it! They will probably try to eat the canvas more than once, but once they see and feel the paint spread under their tiny little hands, they will start to get the idea and try to go after all the paint spots!

You may have to help them out a little, making sure to spread the paint evenly. Otherwise, you may have random globs of paint hehe.

While your baby is hard at work, be sure to tell them what is happening. How cool the paint feels on their hands as they squish it. The way the colors blend together and spread over the canvas. Even if they don’t understand you, this is a great way to bond and interact over a simple art project.

You’re done!

After your little one is finished with all the fun, peel the plastic wrap off slowly and let the canvas dry for a few hours. Then you will have beautiful artwork to give as a gift (like a housewarming), hang in your home, or decorate your office space! When your friends and family see it, ask them, “How do you feel about this newest abstract piece that we got from that art gallery?” Then cherish that look when you tell them that your infant/toddler made it! 🙂

This is an easy, quick, and mess-free sensory art project that can be done over and over again. Make a matching set of three canvases that are complementary. Or make a whole bunch for holiday presents and have your baby “sign” each artwork with a footprint or handprint! The possibilities are endless.

Let me know if you tried this out and how it worked for you! Also, what other sensory activities have you done? I would love to hear from you!