The Patio Is the Canvas. The Brushes Get a Bath.

How it went: We've done this enough times to have a routine, and it hasn't gotten old. Our kids are in it for the brushes and the mixing. Our son squeezes paint into piles and pushes them around. The circuit everyone likes: paint for a while, then wash the brushes in water for next time.

Why bother

Outside, they paint with their whole arm on a sheet bigger than they are, and the hose does the cleanup. Pack one tote, leave it by the door, and you won't have to invent anything at 9 a.m. again.

Brown is a color. You'll get a lot of it.

Be honest. Holding paper corners is the closest you'll get to sitting today.

What you'll need

• Washable paint that's made for hands. We vetted these Crayola washable finger paints^* (affiliate link) (labeled 12 months and up).
• White paper. We vetted this 18-inch butcher paper roll^* (affiliate link). Tape strips side by side.
• Chunky paintbrushes, one or two per kid
• A muffin tin, painter's tape, a tote and a garden hose
• A small tub of water for brushes
• Optional: smooth rocks or a cardboard box

Quick start

• Tape the strips to a shady patio, edges touching.
• Squeeze a tablespoon of each color into the tin, then cap the bottles.
• Say, "Paint it any way you want. Hands count."
• Refill the tin and hold down the corners.
• When they're done, wash the brushes together in the tub so they're ready for next time.

Discover moment: Paint a blue stripe and ask, "What happens if you brush yellow into it?" Then they'll find out.

Connect moment: Press your hand down next to theirs. Yours will be called "too big."

Too much? / Too easy?

Too much (under 2): Two colors, one strip of paper. Less brown.

Too easy (3-5): Let them squeeze their own paint into piles and push the piles around.

Too easy (6-8): Paint rocks, or turn a cardboard box into a house. Once they're dry, start a summer collection.

Cleanup

Wash the brushes in the tub, then dump the water. Rinse hands with cooled hose water, then the patio. Peel the tape, roll up the painting and refill the tote.

What I tell friends: Paper on the patio, paint for a while, then wash the brushes together. Everybody likes that circuit.