I know paint + toddlers seems like a recipe for disaster but the endless days of downpours this spring called for new activities.

Crayola’s Washable No Drip Gel Paints (purchased at Michael’s) work like a dream. The package comes with 18 paint tabs and a 100% natural brush. The strips perforate into three strips of 6 colors; for easier handling, I cut the strips in half and gave the babe 3 tabs at a time. The little paint tabs were perfect for toddler dabbling and the paint was, in fact, drip free (i.e., paint clung to the brush and made it from paint tab to paper without dripping) and completely washable. The paint was so easy to clean up that on the next go ‘round we made lots of handprints, which was great fun and made for many keepsakes. Working with the paints also offered lots of fun with color naming and explorations into the effects of color mixing.

Use cover weight paper (aka cardstock) or painting paper (i.e., material that won’t pucker like regular sheets of computer paper) and your little artist’s work easily will translate into a framed gift or card for a loved one.