The Best Painting Activities to Promote Fine Motor Skills in Kids

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Are you looking for some new fine motor activity ideas?  Maybe you are looking for some new ideas for art activities for preschoolers.  Sometimes, it’s really fun and easy to combine the two.  So, today I’m going to show you some great painting activities to promote fine motor skills.

The best painting activities to promote fine motor skills in kids.

Squirt Gun Painting

This is my absolute favorite example of painting activities to promote fine motor skills. PLUS…this project is perfect for a hot summer day. Your kids will have a blast making squirt gun paintings!

squirt gun painting - the best simple summer art projects for preschoolers. Art made with a water gun and blue, green, and white paint.  This is an example of a painting activities
 to promote fine motor skills.

Spray Bottle Painting

Use spray bottles to create a great work of art and build hand strength.  You can add paint to the spray bottles.

Looking for a spray bottle painting activity with less mess? Add squares of bleeding tissue paper and spray it with water.

water and color dripping down the paper with a spray bottle painting activity for kids.  This is an example of a painting activity to promote fine motor skills.

Puffy Paint in a Squeeze Bottle

Mix up some puffy paint and put it in a squeeze bottle to create a textured painting.  Try out this puffy paint recipe by Meaningful Mama.

squeeze bottle painting 0  colorful puffy paint on blue paper as an example of fine motor painting activities

Q-tip Painting

Add a small amount of tempera paint to some bottle caps or to a paint tray.  Kids can use a cotton swab to paint a dotted design or to trace letters.

Learning letters with fine motor activities -   A cotton swab or q-tip dipped in blue paint and used to trace the letter R with dots.  This is an example of a painting activity to promote fine motor skills.

You can also use this technique for seasonal crafts, like a snowman craft activity.

Dropper Painting

Add liquid watercolor or food coloring to small containers.  Kids can use a pipette or eyedropper to add paint to a paper towel or other absorbent material.

We folded the paper towel and added drops of the solution.

using an eyedropper to add drops of paint to a white paper towel is an example of art activities for fine motor skills

It was fun to unfold the paper towel to reveal the design.

unfolded paper towel with drop of paint on it - an example of fine motor painting activities

Clothespin Painting

You can make your own paintbrush with a clothespin clip.  Supply several different materials.  Kids can pick up the materials with the clothespin and then experiment with different painting techniques.

A small piece of sponge in a clothespin clip is an example of painting activities that promote fine motor skills

Dot Marker Painting

Get out the bingo markers and let your kids use them for painting activities. They can use them on a blank piece of paper for a free art activity or print up some alphabet dot pages for an alphabet painting activity.

Use dot markers and stamps with your alphabet dot letters.

I hope that you have a blast trying some of these painting activities to promote fine motor skills with your kids.  Which activity is your favorite?

Additional Fine Motor Resources

Are you looking for additional fine motor activities for your kids?  Check out these fun resources in the store.

alphabet dot activities
fine motor skills activities for preschoolers includes hole punch activities, scissor cutting practice, pre-writing strokes and tracing lines practice, and pincer grasp activities fine motor mats.
alphabet q-tip activity
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