Easy Fork Painting for Kids

While scrolling through Instagram, I came across a video of someone painting delicate flowers… with a fork! I immediately turned to my almost-3-year-old and, with as much excitement as possible, asked:

"Wow! Do you want to try this? Painting with a fork?!"

At that moment, I made a deal with myself—I’d only go through with it if he showed a fair amount of enthusiasm. And bingo! He was excited (or maybe just mirroring my energy, but who cares?). So, we went for it!

The Key to Success: Building Excitement

With toddlers (especially 2 to 4 year-olds), it’s all about creating excitement. We had already started on a high note by watching the result together, so I had to move quickly before he changed his mind. To keep him engaged, I got him involved in the setup:

“Can you grab the big cardboard from under the sofa that we use for painting?” “Let’s put on an apron this time.” (Because honestly, I already have enough laundry to do.)

I pulled out an oversized adult shirt we use for messy projects, which led to the inevitable toddler logic moment:

“That’s an apron??”

Fair enough, right? After a quick explanation, we were ready to go!

Simple Setup, Big Fun

We kept things minimal:

• Cardboard to protect the floor
• Extra newspaper (just in case!)
• A tray for the paint (but anything works)
• A sheet of paper each (so you're doing it together)
• A fork, of course!

Next, I let him choose his flower colour. He picked orange, so instead of giving him an orange paint pot, I grabbed red and yellow to let him mix his own shade—because adding a little color exploration always makes things more fun!

I considered letting him paint green stems but opted to keep things even simpler by let him draw a few lines with a big pen instead.

The Magic of the Process

I gave him some quick instructions but let him explore in his own way. Then, to guide him a little, I narrated my own painting process:

"I think I’ll start with red flowers! Let’s press the fork slowly on the paper… WOW! Look at that texture! What do you think?"

He clapped and complimented my work (I don't know who was more hyped at this point)! Describing what you’re doing and how you’re feeling encourages kids to do the same, making the experience even more rewarding for both of you.

After making fork flowers, we experimented with:

• Painting flower petals using a round brush (we love round brushes here!)
• Layering fork marks to create a fun grid texture

The Best Part? The Bonding!

We wrapped up by admiring each other’s work, placing the paintings outside to dry, and feeling super proud of our creations.

A simple, creative, and (impressively) mess-free art activity that’s perfect for toddlers!

Now, 3 points to remember:

1. Don't get high expectations
2. Don't pressure them (it might not be the right moment)
3. You know your chicken, so try a different approach if you need to. My eldest was never much into crafting/drawing, but something that worked a few times was to just start my own thing in the living room until he would come and watch me for a while then casually ask if if he could try too.

Check out this video to see how it went for us!