Nail Polish Art Activity for Kids

Nail Painting Activity for Kids

Here is another super fun art activity to do with your budding artist that involves nail polish! This activity is perfect for any creative kid that enjoys painting their nails, toes, or anything for that matter. This activity can be done outdoors to keep the mess down. We enjoy taking the art outside for many reasons. First, the clean up is always so much easier and because of that, the kids do not have to be too careful with making a mess and can instead focus on having fun and creating. Another reason we take the art outdoors is to breathe fresh air and to get nature as an inspiration.

This nail polish activity is perfect for girls and boys who love painting nails all by themselves! We all know it can be a challenge to paint your nails without help, so to cut down on the frustration, have a copy of their hands and feet to paint freely. We used card stock paper to trace their hands and feet onto. Once we had their hands and feet traced, I had the kids draw their own nails on their fingers and toes. Now they had easy to reach and easy to paint fingers and toes!

Kids Nail Polish Art Activity:

Ages: two years and up (adult supervision required)

Type of Activity: Art

Skills it Develops: hand/eye coordination, fine motor skills, cognition, and creativity.

Materials Needed:

1.       The Alpha Kids (nail polish for girls & BOYS) Nail Polish

2.        Cardstock, cardboard, or construction paper

3.       Pencil

4.       Painters tape (optional)

5.       Tray (optional)

Directions:

1.       Tape the paper onto a tray or whatever surface your child will be doing the activity. We have a designated craft table that serves all our creative projects.

2.       Once the paper is secured into place, have your child trace their feet. You can help them this process, or it may be easier for them to trace your foot, instead of their own.

3.       Next, draw on some nails at the tips of each finger. You can draw a small dot on the left and right of each nail and they can connect the dots, by drawing a “smile” to make the nail. If this is too difficult, you can draw this for them.

4.       Unscrew the lids of The Alpha Kids nail polish to have each color they pick ready for their activity.

5.       Remember, this is nail polish. It can be wiped from several hard surfaces, so long as you do it immediately when it drops. Please keep an eye and try to keep this activity on a tray, on a designated art table, or outside.

Nail Polish for Girls and BOYS?

Nail Polish for girls & BOYS?!

Because all kids should have FUN

Nail polish is not just for girls anymore! In my house, art is big, getting messy is big, and freely exploring is big. As a child development specialist, I know the importance of creative play, dramatic play, artistic play, and any other type of play. For young children, play is everything. It is how they learn, process, and make sense of their world. When I became a mom, I couldn’t wait to expose my kids to textures, sounds, and colors. My daughter took onto art and messy play, like a fish to water. Creating of some kind became her favorite activity. In our house, I have a kid’s art table set up next to a bookshelf filled with different art that is accessible at all times of the day. For some, this is too much, but mess does not scare me. Markers, crayons, paint, playdough, glue, scissors, etc. are an arm’s reach and constantly used. When my son came along, he quickly followed in his sisters’ footsteps and jumped into the creative pool headfirst.

My son is the type of kid who is usually always covered from head to toe in something, be it dirt or markers. He has always enjoyed a good sensory experience. One day I was painting my daughter’s nails and my son said “mommy! Jack, too!” I repeated, “you want color on your nails, too?” He replied with an excited “yes!” This was the start to a whole new explorative road. He picked out his colors and marveled at his newly painted bright toes…then asked me to do his hands! I didn’t bat an eye. To me, this is another form of art, creative expression, and imagination.

There are some serious benefits of encouraging your child’s sense of wonder and creativity. When children engage in art, creative thinking, or dramatic play it helps to foster their social and emotional growth and development. The act of self-expression helps a child process, cope, and make sense of their feelings. When children play and create, it gives them an opportunity to make sense of their environment and their unique experiences to the world around them. Not only this, but when they are given outlets to freely create, given independent choices, and encouraged to make something their own, it boosts self-confidence. So, you better believe when my son asks for color on his nails, I encourage it!

Back in 2011 J.Crew posted an ad with Jenna Lyons, the creative director painting her son nails pink. The ad portrayed how she and her son enjoy their weekend quality time and how much fun they have painting their toenails neon pink. This mama total gets it! She knows her son just wants to have fun and he loves pink. Plain and simple. With more and more parents encouraging rather than stifling their child’s creativity, I have started to see little boys all over with painted nails and knew there was a need to support and promote this creative kid, like my son; thus, The Alpha Kids was born. 

Be original, be creative, be super!

Brittany McCabe, M.A.

Nail Polish for Boys? Absolutely!

Nail Polish for Boys? Absolutely!

Mama over at Mama Writes Reviews checked out yo yo yellow and blaster blue and her two boys LOVED it!

“I've made it a point in my parenting life to let the boys play with whatever toys they wanted, even if it was a "girl" toy. They have a doll that they take care of here and there, and for a long time, Cocoa Puff's favorite color was pink. Totally works for me... I'm all for letting my kids express themselves in whatever creative way it might be.”

To check out the full article, head over to Mama Writes Reviews.