About

I was never a fan of painting, or art in general, when I was younger. Even in art class, I used to try so hard to perfect something by copying what it looked like in another image. This was defeating the whole purpose of art in itself. I would always get so upset when my interpretation turned about to be nothing like the original. I was also just so obsessed with the idea of perfection and wanting the piece to look just right. So of course I tried to copy someone else’s work who was perfect. It was just perfect because they made it. Anything I would have decided to make on my own would have been perfect, too. I just didn’t look at it that way.

That was the problem, though. In all my classes that did have us copy things, I never realized that that was merely a method of teaching basics and understanding lines, colors, and mediums we worked with. They weren’t trying to teach me just how to copy things, they were giving me the basic understanding of art and then trusting I would change and use it for myself.

So, as I’ve come to realize that I am an artist, my appreciation for art grew. I’m much more open to the idea of letting go and just seeing where it takes me. And that’s how I came to love finger painting.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or even a babysitter, all you have got to do is find some shipping boxes to break down and finger paint on with your children. I wish I would have been asked if I wanted to do this activity more when I was growing up. I love the feeling of the paint on my skin and knowing there is no way I could mess this up. It is really hard to have control over what happens when you have no utensils. There’s nothing to be exact about. Finger painting is messy, and that’s what makes it feel so great to do.

They get to use their hands, something children love doing and learn from, and they also get to create something they can call their own. Too often we try to teach our kids that they have to try over and over again until they are perfect. Painting teaches them it is great to make a mistake. The picture can look even better after a mistake!

It doesn’t matter how those shipping boxes look after you paint on them. Your child will love being able to get their hands on paint and really just designing their own look on these boxes.