It’s very hard to find crafts for young children that won’t destroy both them and everything around them.
 
Colouring usually means a blue toddler and needing to repaint the walls. Play-doh leads to small pieces of it being walked around the house and into every carpet.
 
Anything involving paint or glue? You will spend twice the amount of time cleaning up as your child did playing.
 
If you need to entertain your small child but you don’t have the time or energy to redecorate the house after, here are a couple of mess-free amusements.
 
Water Painting
 
This brilliant invention means your toddler feel like they are painting, without the cleanup after. The way it works is the colouring book comes already coloured in, but the colours aren’t revealed until it gets wet.
 
With a paintbrush and a small amount of water, your child can paint their way through the whole book without making a mess. Some water paint books are even reusable.
 
No-Mess Marble Painting
 
This one may take a bit of prep on your part, but it will delight your toddler and older children alike.
 
Take a very strong zip-lock bag, two of more watercolour paints and baby oil. Mix each paint separately with some oil at about a 1:1 ratio, and add them to the bag.
 
The bag should be mostly empty to allow the paint to be moved around. Get all the air out and then seal the bag. For extra sturdiness, attach the bag to a strong piece of card.
 
Your child will be able to push the different colours of paint around inside the bag, creating new shapes and colours. It’s just like finger painting, but without any direct contact with the wet paint.
 
The oil will prevent the paint drying so you can keep using it! If you want something even more colourful, add some glitter to the bag.

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