Looking to host a paint birthday party for your kid’s birthday? Super fun!
I hosted a few of these for my kids while they were growing up. We had a great time!
We’ve also been to quite a few private paint parties that were thrown at fabulous paint studios. Basically, I’ve tried to recreate the “paint studio feel” at home at a fraction of the cost.
Let me share with you some ideas to make this paint birthday party the best it can be!
Where to Paint
The dining room may be the first place your mind goes to when you think of where to have the paint birthday party.
However, take a moment and think of some other places that have a little more room…
Outside may be the perfect place to have your painting party. You could move some tables and chairs from inside easily to your backyard. I would suggest a backup plan if it ends up raining on the big day.
Another place that is large that we don’t tend to think of would be the garage.
When I had our paint parties, we all started downstairs. Then we moved together to the upstairs playroom when it was time to start painting.
It was nice having the paint room away from where everyone was gathering when they entered. This prevented anyone from trying to start painting or getting distracted.
Pick a place that has space for enough tables, chairs, and elbow room for each child.
What to Paint On
There are so many options here.
Your first thought may be to buy blank canvas in bulk. That’s the easiest and most commonly painted item at every paint birthday party that we’ve been to in the past.
The smaller in size you go, the cheaper you can buy the canvas bulk sets for. In my opinion, anything smaller than 8″x10″ is too small for a party. The link I supplied above is for a 11″x14″.
If you go too small, the painting time will go by a little too quick. You may spend $20 or so more on the larger size, but it will be worth it.
If you want to be a little different than the normal paint birthday party, there are options besides the blank canvas.
One that is common at paint studios but is a little pricier is wood panels.
Here are some additional items you could supply for your party guests to paint on:
- Canvas Tote Bags
- Fabric from your local craft store
- Glass (such as vases)
- Canvas shoes
As you explore options, I would make sure you test the paint you plan to use on the exact item you’ll be giving the kids at the party. If needed, give the kids “care instructions” with their painted masterpiece at the end of the party.
What to Paint
Let me first tell you what I’ve done in the past.
My husband is fantastic at drawing. I can give him a picture and ask him to draw that exact image on twelve canvases and he will do it. They’ll literally all look exactly the same.
I, on the other hand, cannot draw two stick figures that look the same.
So I’ve given him twelve or so canvases in the past and he’s drawn the same image on each one.
However, there is another option here for those of us that are not as talented.
For around $5, you can purchase carbon paper for tracing.
Steps:
- Find an image (or images) that you want your guests to paint
- Print out the image
- Place the carbon paper over the item to be painted
- Place the printed out image on top
- Trace the image
Bam!
The image lightly transfers to the item and your guests will never know you spent less than five dollars.
I like this option because you can create specific images to your party theme. For example, if you’re throwing a Movie Night Party tied in with this paint party, you can print out an image that is specific to the movie you are watching.
If you have a specific image that you’re trying to turn into more of a coloring page, check out this YouTube video on how to go about doing that in Canva.
Although I’ve always gone the route of having an image already on the canvas, you could stand at the front of the room and give a step-by-step instruction to your painting guests. Having a completed painting at the front of the room will help the guests see what the end goal is.
I would suggest trying this out on Saturday with your kids (and maybe a friend or two) before you attempt this on party day.
Paint Supplies
First off, you’ll want to cover the surfaces that the kids are painting on. Disposable covers are exactly what you need.
Plus they make clean up a breeze after the party has ended.
You can find some really cute paint themed table covers on Amazon.
If you are on a very tight budget, use a plastic drop cloth found in the paint isle or cut open large garbage bags.
Now for the best part – buying the paint supplies!
You’ll need the following:
How far you go after those three requirements is up to you. Art supplies can get expensive.
I like to add in paint palettes, as they are super cheap on Amazon in bulk. You can easily find these for less than $1 each.
I’d also have some paper plates nearby, so if the kids want to have a flat surface to mix/explore different color options, they have the plates readily available.
One of my daughters attended a paint birthday party once where the birthday girl’s mom made super adorable aprons with their names sewn on.
I do think that aprons are a cute added touch here. Plus, they will protect your guests clothing.
Amazon has some bulk, solid color choices for less than $1 each. Not as bougie as the mom who sewed in names, but definitely a few steps above paper towels tucked in collars.
Side note – Make sure you take note of the dimensions of the aprons before you buy online. Depending on the age of your guests, some of the options may be too small.
All-in-one At Home Paint Birthday Party Options
There are some all-in-one options available out there if you don’t want to piece all of this together.
The prices actually aren’t as shocking as what you’ll see from an actual paint studio.
Check these out if you’re looking for an all-in-one purchase:
- 249pc Art Painting Party Kit (shown below)
- 63pc Painting Kit
- 84pc Painting Kit (with 12 animal drawn canvases)
Decoration Ideas
Decorating for a paint birthday party is super easy and fun!
Basically you can take anything (like sheets, balloons) and splash some paint on it and it’s automatically paint birthday party themed.
Here are some paint birthday party decorations that are super cute:
- Paint Cake Topper
- Paint Brush Cupcake Toppers
- 50pc Art Party Balloons
- Paint Straws
- 3 Tier Art Themed Cupcake Stand
- 9pc Paint Party Centerpieces
- 142pc Tableware Set
- 54pc Art Hanging Swirls
- 5pc Giant Inflatable Paint Brushes (cute prop for a photo booth!)
- Art Themed Photo Backdrop
- Treat Bags
Extra Paint Birthday Party Tips
- Have at least one extra station (I typically do two) in case someone destroys their project or an additional party guest arrives that you thought wouldn’t make it. The idea of having a firm guest list is great, but be flexible.
- Don’t sit the kids too close to each other. They’ll want some elbow room. When in doubt, add an extra table.
- Go ahead and assign spots for the kids and write their names above where they’ll be sitting and on the back of the canvas painting (or whatever item they’ll be painting). Once all the items are painted, they may not easily be able to identify their item before taking it home.
- Paint early and do cake and/or a fun game after to give the wet paint a chance to dry before they take their artwork home.
- Apply a glue dot or some other adhesive to the bottom of the cup of water.
- Don’t fill the water cup more than halfway full.
- Have an adult or older sibling walking around and giving out more paint as needed. You don’t want the kids getting up and down once they are seated.
- Put a note on the invitation that states “wear/bring something you don’t mind ruining” or provide large, old t-shirts for the kids to wear. Even if you use aprons, it won’t cover everything.
- You’re going to have kids with different types of skill levels. Compliment them all!
- Play music! Everyone tends to be quiet while they are concentrating. Give them some background noise.
- I have never spent time on party favors for a paint birthday party. The kids are already taking their own masterpiece home so I wouldn’t stress about adding any additional type of party favor.
Side Activities
From my experience with past paint parties at home, painters could spend anywhere from thirties minutes to a little over an hour painting.
Because of the varying time to completion, I would set up a small activity area where guests can go to spend their time once they’ve completed their work of art.
This doesn’t require additional tables or supervision. You could easily set this up on a nearby rug or carpet.
Activities that require little supervision plus a small amount of dollars:
- Friendship bracelets
- Scratch off Rainbow Paper Animal Masks
- Glittery Garden Party Hats Craft
- Art Themed Tattoos
- Board Games or a deck of cards
Final Thoughts on a Paint Birthday Party
These parties were so much fun for both me and my kids.
Get your child involved in the planning and preparation. I can’t imagine the dollars I spent on things that mattered to me but didn’t matter at all to my child. I should have involved them more than I did.
Let them have input in what the guests will paint and where in your home the party will be held. Remember it’s their special event.
Let them help where they want to help.
I do agree that it is fun to surprise your child with certain things at their birthday party. So be sure to include some special touches that they didn’t expect.
For more birthday party ideas, check out my 10 Cheap and Unique Birthday Parties for Kids article!
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