Monster Feet Painting
Paint the bottom of their feet and walk them down a roll of paper. Messy, hilarious, and over in ten minutes.
Paint the soles of a child's feet and walk them along a strip of paper to make monster footprints. Suits ages 2 to 6, needs washable paint and a bowl of warm water ready.
The short version
- Water bowl and towel out first, before any paint.
- Hold their hand the whole way — painted feet slip.
- Short strip of paper. Long ones end badly.
- Age
- Ages 2–6
- Prep
- 5 min
- Play time
- 15 min
- Mess
- High
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Where
- Either
Why kids love this
Being allowed to put paint on their feet is the entire activity. The prints are almost incidental. It is also very fast, which suits a child who has decided they are not doing any more crafts today.
What you'll need
- A long strip of paper — lining paper or the back of wrapping paper
- Washable paint in one or two colours
- A shallow tray or plate for the paint
- A bowl of warm water and a towel, ready before you start
- Googly eyes or a felt tip for later
Before you start
Set the water and towel up before any paint comes out. Once their feet are painted you cannot leave to fetch anything, and a painted child walking to the bathroom is how carpets get ruined. Roll the paper out and weigh the ends down.
How to do it
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Roll the paper out on the floor and tape the corners.
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Put the bowl of warm water and the towel at the far end.
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Pour a thin layer of paint into the tray.
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Hold their hand. Step one foot in the paint, then onto the paper.
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Walk them the length of the paper, one foot after the other.
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Step straight into the bowl of water at the end.
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Dry their feet, then look at the prints together.
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When dry, add eyes and teeth to turn each print into a monster.
Make it easier
Sit them on a chair and press one foot onto the paper rather than walking. Far easier to manage with a toddler.
Make it harder
Ask for a pattern — left, right, left, right, with a jump in the middle — and see if the prints show it.
Other ways to play it
- Use two colours, one per foot.
- Do handprints instead for a less slippery version.
- Make it a dinosaur trail rather than monsters.
- Cut the prints out and stick them up the stairs.
- Do it outside on a path and wash it off with a bucket.
How it changes by age
- Two: seated prints, one foot at a time, with you doing all the holding.
- Three to four: walking with a hand held.
- Five and up: they can do it alone and will want to decorate the monsters properly.
What they're learning
Balance and body awareness while walking on a slippery surface, plus a good conversation about left and right. The decorating afterwards is where the imagination arrives.
Clearing up
Feet in the bowl, paper left flat to dry, tray rinsed. The whole thing is over in fifteen minutes including cleaning up.