“I’m bored.” You sigh, again. This is something you are starting to hear every day. This may be a problem during summer break, or during the cold winter months. I know you probably feel like you never know what to do to keep them occupied. So, my suggestion is to try a painting activity with your 7-year-old child. I went through and found a few things you need to get started, and some painting activities to do with your child.
What benefits can paint activities provide for your 7-year-old?
Let’s talk about what painting can do for your 7-year-old child and how it can make your child’s life better. Painting can be beneficial to all children, but especially children with disabilities, or fatal illnesses, such as cancer, as shown in a study done by the Caspian Journal of Pediatrics.[1] This study shows a decrease in aggression with children who suffer from cancer. Another study shows that painting therapy helps reduce the symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder in children.[2] It is also determined in this next study that painting can be used to assess a mother-child relationship using art therapy.[3] Your 7-year-old child can benefit from painting activities, especially if they are dealing with any kind of physical or mental ailment. There are benefits for every 7-year-old child when it comes to painting.
Structure through painting activities
Painting can provide structure to a child’s everyday life. What I am saying is, when you plan painting activities daily for your child, you are providing structure to their life. So, Daily structure in your child’s life is important to your 7-year-old’s development.
Painting encourages creativity
When you put your mind to it, painting can get the creative thoughts flowing. Your 7-year-old needs time to develop their creativity, and they also need to use their imagination to grow, learn, and play. Creativity allows them to view and solve problems they may face in the future as an adult.
Painting activities can help develop fine motor skills
Painting helps develop dexterity and coordination. It helps to develop the hand/eye coordination needed for many skills. This means that they will learn to accomplish things, especially with their hands that will aid them in their future jobs and in life. Not to mention the fun they will have developing these skills when they do paint activities.
What supplies will I need for your 7-year old’s painting activities?
I know you want to jump right into the painting activities you can do with your 7-year-old. We do have a lot of ideas. But first, you should have on hand all the basic painting supplies your 7-year-old child will need to get started on their painting activities.
Paint brushes
You need paint brushes to get your 7-year-old started on their painting activities. The brushes you may need vary, depending on each project you are working on. But a basic starter kit will work just fine. Check out this starter kit from Amazon.
Paint
It is a given that you need paint for your 7-year old’s painting activities. There are many types of paints you can get. Watercolor, washable, fingerpaints, etc. It all depends on what style you like. Check out a few different styles of paints.
Smock
You will probably want to get a smock for your 7-year old’s painting activities. A smock will provide cover to your child’s clothes to keep them from ruining them. Be sure to get a smock to help free up your time during cleanup and be able to spend more time helping your child do their painting activities.
Canvas or paper
Your child will need something to paint on, like a canvas or painting paper made especially for painting. There are great paint pads to keep all your child’s work together and organized.
Easel
An easel will help keep your child’s work off of the table or floor, and keep the paint off of everything but the canvas. It is also easier to look at your work straight on instead of bending over to paint.
Drop cloth
Be sure to have a drop cloth under your 7-year old’s workspace. Doing this will keep the dripping paint from landing on the table or floor as your child is transferring it to the paper. Check out our choice for a super cheap drop cloth.
Palette
They will need a palette to put dollops of the different paint colors on. It is a plus to have one with a place to experiment with colors.
What are a few springtime painting activities for your 7-year-old?
Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year. The flowers and trees are blooming. Baby animals are everywhere. It is a great time to paint those beautiful scenes with your 7-year-old. Here is a list of a few spring painting activities for your 7-year-old.
- Flower garden
Have you ever looked outside in the springtime and saw the flowers and trees blooming? It is a beautiful scene. Your 7-year-old will enjoy studying a beautiful flower garden and using all the vibrant colors to paint what they see. Or, what about this paint by number flower garden?
- Baby animals
What about the baby animals in the meadow? Your 7-year-old will love looking at them and painting all of the babies’ activities with the many colors of the rainbow. Or you could have them paint something like this.
- Handprint tulips
Another springtime painting activity to do with your 7-year-old is painting a handprint tulip. Paint a stem with green paint, then, have your child pick a color and paint your child’s hand with that color. Ask them to place their hand at the end of the stem and then you have a handprint flower. Have a look at this lovely pink paint for your child’s handprint tulip.
What are some ideas for summer painting activities for your 7-year-old?
Does your 7-year-old get bored during summer break? I know I have trouble keeping my child occupied during those hot summer days, when it is just too hot to take him outside. Take a look at these summertime painting activities for your 7-year-old to do while they are on summer break.
- Beach setting
If you live close to a beach, this is the perfect summer painting activity for your 7-year-old. Even if you do not live close to a beach, it is still perfect because you can plan a vacation and plan the painting activity to keep them occupied while on vacation. They can paint anything they see; the water, the sand, maybe some aquatic life.
- Footprint butterflies
This one is perfect for a hot summer day’s painting activity. Have your child dip their foot into their choice of paint, then simply press it onto the paper in the shape of a butterfly’s wings. Next, you can have them paint an oval for the body, eyes, and a mouth of the butterfly. My son loves to do this with the blue paint below.
What fall painting activities can your 7-year-old do?
Fall is also a beautiful time of year. The leaves change from green to so many vibrant colors. This is my favorite time of year. Plus, there are so many painting activities to do with your 7-year-old child.
- Leaf painting activity
Ask your child to gather leaves that have fallen from the trees. Place a leaf under a sheet of paper. Let them pick a color and paint the paper over the leaf. This will leave a painted imprint of the leaf. Here is our choice of paint to use for this activity.
- Tree painting activity
Your child can make a tree with a simple brown rectangle for the trunk. Then, set out the different colored paints they can choose from. Have them simply dip their fingers in the different colors and then poke little, tiny finger leaves all over the paper. It is that simple. These finger paints below are perfect for this activity.
- Pumpkin painting activity
This one is a bit different than the other ones because it uses a pumpkin instead of a canvas. But, instead of carving a pumpkin, take some paint and have your 7-year-old paint faces on the pumpkins. It will be so much more satisfying to them. The pumpkins do not rot, and it is much safer. I highly encourage this painting activity for your 7-year-old. We prefer to paint the pumpkin black then, use a white paint pen to paint with to control drippage.
What are some fun painting activities for your 7-year-old to do during the winter?
We all know 7-year old’s get bored during the winter months. You cannot go outside when it is extremely cold. So, here are some fun painting activities you can do while your child is on winter break and stuck in the house.
- Santa
Your 7-year-old can paint Santa Claus using a deep red for his coat, pants, and hat. Use a matte black for his boots, and bright white for the beard and hair, and of course the little cotton ball on the tip of his hat. Try this paint set.
- Snowscape painting
Let your 7-year-old paint a snow scene. Have your child look outside at the land and the snow covering the trees and take it all in. Then let your child transfer what they see to their canvas. Check out this nice white paint, which is most of what the painting will have. They also have multiple colors to choose from, to help make sure your 7-year-old has all the colors they need to paint a snowscape.
- Christmas tree painting
After you decorate your tree, a nice winter paint activity would be to have your 7-year-old look at the tree and paint what they see. Have them paint the tree, lights, ornaments, etc. Then the look of each present.
- Gifts for family
Take one of these activities and turn it into a present for a family member. Or have your child do a footprint tree with green paint and make one for each family member as a gift.
What are some unique and creative painting activities for your 7-year-old?
We have discussed many painting activities for your 7-year-old so far, but most of them have been meant for painting on canvas and paper. My 7-year-old loves canvas painting. But that is not all he can paint on. Also, there have been a lot of paint brush painting or finger-painting activities. Here are some other creative ideas for painting activities with your 7-year-old.
- Sponge painting
This is a lot of fun with my 7-year-old. He always has a blast. It is quite simple. Instead of using a paint brush, just take a sponge and dip that in the paint instead. There are even shape sponges like the ones below.
- Straw Painting
Pour a bit of paint on your surface of choice. Canvas, paper, cardboard, etc. Then, have your 7-year-old blow through a straw to move the paint around. Pouring several different colors and blowing them into each other makes it an ever more fun activity for your child. These straws are cheap and perfect for this occasion.
- Sensory bag
A study completed by Diane Kearn, MA, ATR shows that painting can help children with sensory issues.[4] I mention this, because you may be experiencing something like this with your 7 year old. If you are, make a paint sensory bag activity a try with your child. Lay out paints of different colors in a gallon size bag with a zipper and zip it shut. Have your child mix the paint with their fingers. It will help relieve your child’s anxiety and stress. We recommend these bags for your 7-year-old’s sensory bag.
- Alphabet painting
Guide your child in finger painting their name and the alphabet. This will help them not only in school but keep them occupied as well. They will love it. Or they can paint the alphabet with these alphabet painting sponges.
- Egg painting
Easter eggs are a big part of spring. So, boil some eggs and enjoy this wonderful painting activity with your 7-year-old. Or even better, we encourage you to try this egg painting kit.
- Figurines
Now this one is always fun. Buy a little statue or figurine for your 7-year-old to paint. There are all kinds of little trinkets like dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. Let your 7-year-old pick one out they like and tell them to go crazy painting it however they would like.
- Roll marbles
Lay out a piece of paper in a baking sheet. Pour a bit of paint, different colors if you would like, and let your 7-year-old have fun rolling marbles through the paint puddles. They will absolutely love it.
- Wooden peg people
Check out your local dollar store, I am sure they sell little wooden peg people. If they do, pick a couple up. It is kind of like the figurines, except have them take their fingers and paint the peg people instead of a paint brush. This goes with the sensory statement, though it is not a bag.
- Stamp painting
Instead of using a paint brush or even their fingers, have your child use a stamp of their choice. They can dip it in paint and make a whole scene using just different stamps. They could paint on anything, canvas, paper, cardboard, etc.
- Painting with felt
Instead of using canvas for your 7-year old’s painting activity every time, you can use a piece of felt material. The texture is great for 7-year-old children with sensory or attention issues, as well as, those that aren’t affected by such sensory dysfunction issues.
What are some amazing painting activities for your 7-year-old?
We have been through a lot of great painting activities for your 7-year-old child. But, what about amazing painting activities? Let’s see what we can come up with.
- Steppingstone painting activity
We all know how cute steppingstones are in our gardens. Have your 7-year-old paint their very own steppingstone like the one below.
- Rock painting activity for your 7-year-old
This painting activity brings out the creative side of your child. Please check out this great rock painting kit from Amazon.
- Sand painting
So, we knew we could do all of those painting activities with, well, paint. But, did you know you could paint with sand? Amazing huh? Well, take a look at this sand painting activity for your 7-year-old child.
- T-shirt painting
Well, yes, you can! T-shirt painting makes a wonderful activity for your 7-year-old. Not only that, it makes a wonderful keepsake that your child may be able to pass down for generations. Look at this wonderful t-shirt painting activity kit for your 7-year-old below.
- Paint-by-number
Paint by number projects is not only fun, but a great painting activity to teach your 7-year-old their numbers. This cute paint by number below will be perfect for your child.
- Refrigerator magnet
Your child can paint their own refrigerator magnet. It is a lot of fun for a 7-year-old child. My 7-year-old has painted many magnets and has loved every minute of it. We also get to see it every day, which is a plus as well. Check out this refrigerator magnet painting activity kit for your 7-year-old.
- Paint a birdhouse
This is a common school project, but you can try it at home as well. I did it with my 7-year-old and he had a great time. He also loved that he made something for the animals. I highly recommend this painting activity.
What are a few educational painting activities for your 7-year-old?
As a parent, we want the best for our child. We also want to contribute to our child’s education. So, for a 7-year-old, painting activities are great. Not only are they fun and help with their creativity in the ways we discussed earlier, but they can also be educational. Check out these educational painting activities for your 7-year-old child.
- Portrait painting activity
Bring a little mirror to your 7-year old’s work space and let them look at themselves. Then, let them paint the way they see themselves. You will be able to learn about how they see themselves in their own eyes. Meanwhile, you paint how you see them from your eyes. Use this canvas for this.
- Paint mixing activity
Teach your child which colors to mix to make other colors. Ex.: blue and red make purple. This will be a great lesson for your 7-year-old child to learn about primary and secondary colors.
One last thing
When you do paint activities with your 7-year-old child, it will not only be fun, but it will leave you with so many good memories and keepsakes. Try any one of these painting activities and I promise it will keep your 7-year-old child happy. Remember to cherish those memories you make, too. These are my favorite recommendations linked below. Grayblock Bird House Paint, Fabric Paint Art Markers Set, Paint Your Own Turtle Steppingstone
[1]Khodabakhshi Koolaee, Anahita, Roza Vazifehdar, and Farshad Bahari. “Impact of painting therapy on aggression and anxiety of children with cancer.” Caspian Journal of Pediatrics 2.2 (2016): 135-141.
[2]Khadar, Mojtaba Gholamzade, Jalil Babapour, and Hassan Sabourimoghaddam. “The effect of art therapy based on painting therapy in reducing symptoms of separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in elementary school boys.” Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013): 1697-1703.
[3]Gavron, Tami, and Ofra Mayseless. “The joint painting procedure to assess implicit aspects of the mother–child relationship in middle childhood.” Art Therapy 32.2 (2015): 83-88.
[4] Kearns, Diane. “Art therapy with a child experiencing sensory integration difficulty.” Art Therapy 21.2 (2004): 95-101.
