Painting With Toy Cars, Your Guide To Get Started

Do you have a car lover? A paint lover? A mess lover? All of the above? Then I have got the project for you! Have you tried painting with toy cars?!

Painting is such a great project to participate in with our littlest of learners, it can be simple, rewarding, and best of all…messy.

It’s time to step out of the box and remember that anything can be our paint brush.

Prepping Your Space

When you’re preparing a messy painting project for toddlers, the key to a successful and super fun project is being ready for anything.

For this project we are giving our little learners toy cars as their paint brush and the freedom to paint in every which direction they want to.

Will they only paint the paper?

Will they stray and drive on their bodies?

Will they drive their toy car off the side of the table?

No matter what they do, our goal is to anticipate it!

Cover your space

For this painting with toy cars project I skipped our regular cardboard box table cover and went for large sheets of kraft paper taped down.

The best part about using kraft paper, not only does it cover the space well, but it is easy to roll and throw out when our project is complete.

As you’ll see later, it also posed as little extra exploration for the kiddos when they were done with their project.

Cover Your Child

Aprons, smocks, bibs, it doesn’t matter what you choose just choose something.

When you are painting with multiple toddlers, reduce the stress and clean up with something simple like an old t-shirt.

My favorite clothing cover is an old adult medium t-shirt cut up the seams. Slip it over their head, easy on easy off.

What’s In Your Clean Up Kit

Anticipate anything.

Prepare all the clean-up supplies you will need prior to inviting your kids to the table.

Consider things like:

• wet wipes for light painting
• washcloths for messy painting
• a drying rack or space to put the paintings while you clean up the children and art space
• A bowl or small tub of water to clean the toy cars

What Do You Need

Materials List:

• Kraft paper to cover your space
• Large sheet of white paper
• 1 or 2 colors of paint
• 1 or 2 toy cars
  • Look for cars with fun textured wheels

Our Set Up:

As messy as this craft can be, it was incredibly simple to set up.

Not only does the kraft paper cover your workspace, it also holds the paint and allows your child a simple way to drive all the way across the page.

What We Did

After setting up the space and inviting the kids to the table, I told them ‘Today we are going to paint with toy cars.’

That was it.

Now around here this is just another day. We paint with flowers, pompoms, fingers, toes, dinosaurs, you name it we will try it.

Check out our painting with flowers project here.

Want to try painting with marshmallows?

If you are just getting started and your little is looking at you with confusion, show them the cool bumps on the car wheels.

Drive the car across the page.

Tell them they can drive in the paint.

If they’re still not so sure, drive through the paint and show them the tracks on the paper.

It is so fun to watch as these little learners come up with ideas on their own or follow prompting from their peers. However sometimes we need to step in and give a little guidance before they can take over.

Today we had cars driving

And car stamping.

Ways To Learn

Don’t forget to talk to the children while they’re painting with toy cars. Even if they cannot yet talk, they are listening and they are absorbing what you are saying.

• Try putting out two colors that mix to form a new color.
  • Blue+yellow
  • Red+yellow
  • Red+blue
• Ask questions like:
  • What colors do you have
  • What color did you make
  • How many wheels are on your car
  • What shape are the wheels
  • How many lines (tracks) does your car make
• What sound does a car make
• What sound does a car horn make
• Watch these amazing fine motor skills at work!

Art doesn’t have to be just about making pretty pictures, it’s an amazing time to introduce new things to these little learners .

Setting Expectations

One forgotten way to learn is setting clear expectations for how we act during activities. Set your rules and repeat your rules.

• Keep rules simple and easy to understand, using language that is clear and concise.
  • Do not paint your body, we only paint our paper.
  • Do not eat paint, it tastes yucky!
  • Do not paint your neighbor, we only paint our paper.
  • Keep the toy cars on the paper.
• Consistency is key; enforce rules consistently to establish a routine and expectations.
• Encourage toddlers to participate in creating the rules to give them a sense of ownership and responsibility.
• Be positive and encouraging when reminding toddlers of the rules, focusing on positive reinforcement rather than punishment.

Repeat repeat repeat! These kids are smart, they’re listening.

By establishing clear rules, providing opportunities for creativity, and offering support and encouragement, you can create a positive and engaging crafting experience for toddlers. Remember to be patient, flexible, and open to the unexpected adventures that come with crafting with young children.

The End Results

I love how engaged they were with this project.

The coverage of these large sheets of paper by 1-year-olds is impressive.

Bonus Activity

Once I removed the white sheets of paper from our project space, these kiddos wasted no time getting their hands in the paint.

Another bonus for the kraft paper.

Painting is this groups favorite activity. You can tell how often they do by understanding the progression of exploring the materials.

First, we try this new activity, next we dive in with our finger-painting fun.

Takeaway Tips

• Talk to the children while they create. Repeat colors and shapes.
• Remember that your first, second, third time painting may be a disaster. Repetition with words and actions is so beneficial to toddler development.
• Set clear expectations prior to, during and after creating. Repeat the rules you have set.
• Don’t forget to write the child’s name and how they created this fun project on the back of their paper!!

Want to know more about crafting with your one-year-old? I’ve got a whole post on when and how to start! Don’t forget to also grab my guide on tips to get started below!

I am always looking for fun new out of the box activities for my littlest learners. These one to three-year-olds are such an amazingly excited and artistic bunch. I would love for you to let me know your favorite art projects!