Christmas Countdown: Mess free painting

Uncharacteristically, I've made an attempt to be more organised this Christmas. Today, I thought it would be good to do some painting with Alice that we can use for thank you cards. Normally, I'm more than happy to let her get herself and everything around messy, but I've got a lot to do before the big day, so I'd rather not add to the workload. Fortunately, I remembered a craft idea I came across when I was a teacher that is almost completely mess free, but still fun for a toddler.

You'll need:

A ziplock bag
some paper (I used the backs of old envelopes)
Paints
A sponge cut into pieces

Cut the paper to fit into the bag. Dampen the pieces of sponge and dip each into a different colour of paint. Put the sponges in the bag and squeeze out a little air. Zip up the bag and allow your toddler to squeeze, shake, stamp and jump up and down on the bag. Before the paper gets too battered, take it out and hang up to dry. Add some more paint to the sponges, another sheet of paper, and off you go again!

Alice loved seeing the colours spread across the paper. This kept us both entertained, and we have some lovely paintings to show for it.