DIY: Painted Trees with a Toddler

Crafting with my kid is one of my favourite things! Not only do I enjoy passing on my love for crafting, but for the changing seasons. We are working on colours, and dexterity right now, and what better way than to paint leaves on an autumn tree.

I am not a fan of busy work. I feel like if you’re going to do an activity, then do an activity. Have a reason, and use the opportunity to really engage your child. This is a great one because it allows you and your little love to appreciate the beauty of fall, get outside, and connect in nature.

Materials:
-1 canvas
-1 black marker
-4 Qtips
-2 squares of parchment paper (one for under the canvas, and one for the paint)
-paint (red, yellow, orange, purple, green, brown)

To start, my daughter and I went on a nature walk. We took our time to look at all the trees, touch and feel the ones still hanging, and the ones that had fallen to cover the dirt in a layer of colour. We compared the trees that have not transformed to a fiery wilt, and we laughed. It was a great time to connect with her, and to explore the simple beauty outside. We picked a few leaves and brought them back home for the next part of our activity.

When we got home, we matched the colours we found to the paint that we had. My daughter decided to leave the greens out because she really loved the “fire” trees. (She also enjoyed pretending to be Marshall from Paw Patrol and “putting the fire out”!). I had already prepped the canvas by drawing the tree trunk with a marker, so we were ready to go! Using Q-tips, she started dotting leaves into the branches. In getting the materials ready, I decided to give her more orange and yellow versus red and purple because the darker colours have a tendency to overpower the lighter ones, and my kid is quick to cover a painting in the darker.

You’ll notice in our example my daughter’s favourite painting technique, the swirl, but I am happy with how it turned out! The second example was done by a six-year-old who wanted the leaves to fall. It’s a fun activity, and a great piece of art to liven up your fall decor!








Andrea ArEsse resides in Port Moody with her husband and daughter. She is an avid DIYer and fills her days with arts and crafts, themed photo shoots, travel, and exploration. Women empowerment has become a big part of her life since having a daughter, and she has spent the last year writing a survival guide for new mothers that she is hoping to have published in the coming months. Head over to the blog to check out her sassier side of motherhood. www.momknowssomethings.com