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Face Painting Ideas
Face painting has become a popular activity with kids of all ages. It's an especially fun activity for a party because the kids will have a place to show off the decorations.
Materials Needed:
A table
Face paints (available at craft, party supply, toy, and art supply stores)
Or face-painting accessories, such as lipstick, eye shadow, "clown white" make-up (available at costume shops or drugstores), and stickers
White paper
Felt-tip pens
Mirrors
Construction paper
Before the activity, gather all the face painting materials - pens, paper, and mirrors - and put them on the table. Then make awards out of construction paper for categories such as "most creative," "funniest," or "best use of color" - one for each guest (so everyone receives a prize).
Divide the kids into pairs or let them choose partners. This activity works best if the kids sketch some designs first, so let them take their time experimenting on paper. When they're ready, have the artists begin painting their partner's cheeks, avoiding the eye and mouth area.
If you prefer to use accessories like make-up and stickers, let the kids use the stickers for a basic design and paint colorful scenes around them. Or let them freely experiment with color, using the stickers for body designs.
When they are done painting, allow their partners to admire their new faces in the mirror for a while, and let the artists show off their work to everyone. Then have the partners try their hand at face painting. The kids won't want to stop there! Let them paint designs on their hands or use partners again. Give everybody a special award at the end.
Creative Options
Buy packages of temporary tattoos (available at discount and toy stores) and let the kids go crazy putting tattoos all over each other's bodies - on their ankles, arms, wrists, and tummies.
Give the artists specific themes to create, such as monsters, flowers, or animals, and have the rest of the group guess what the artist has painted.
Have a jar of cold cream and a box of tissues on hand so the kids can clean up and do the activity again with different partners. Take digital-camera snapshots of each design before cleanup, if possible.
Prizes and Favors
Give the kids several tubes of face paint to take home. Or, offer everyone fun stickers and temporary tattoos to use at the party and take home.
Trouble-Shooting Tips
If freehand painting is too difficult for the kids, provide picture books or magazines and let them copy designs of their choice.
If the kids worry about not being good at art, tell them it's not a contest and that the goal is just to have fun.
Provide the kids with old T-shirts to protect their clothing.
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