Unleash a whirlwind of color and creativity with spin art, the ultimate hands-on activity that turns ordinary paper into mesmerizing masterpieces!
Perfect for rainy afternoons or birthday party fun, this simple yet exhilarating craft lets kids experiment with vibrant paints flung from a spinning platform, creating one-of-a-kind swirling patterns that spark imagination and fine motor skills.
Whether you're a parent seeking screen-free entertainment or a teacher hunting for group projects, spin art delivers mess-free magic (with a splash of supervised excitement) that's as easy to set up as it is endlessly rewarding. Dive in with us and watch your little artists spin up some serious joy!
Salad Spin Art Activity for Kids
My son was very curious about the salad spinner. I explained its use with cleaning greens (practical life, right?) and then explained how we were going to use the spinner to create art! His face lit up.
The only differences I made from the posts above were: 1) we used regular old Crayola kids paint and 2) we didn't use a spoon and instead just flicked our wrists and, well, at times, dumped/poured the paint into the salad spinner. I liked the thickness of the paint and subsequent design; the result was different from watercolor.
Steps to Success – Art Activities for Preschoolers
- Get out your salad spinner
- Layout onto the bottom one or two coffee filters. I tore the filters to make them fit well.
- You and your child, or just your child, choose paints
- Flick, dump, pour. Whatever method you'd like!
- Place the cover on the salad spinner
- Spin and spin, fast and slow
- Gently take out the artwork and allow it to dry on the pavement in the sun or inside somewhere safe from little fingers (and big fingers in my case!)
- Hang in home
Additional Salad Spinner Learning
- Practical life – using a salad spinner and understanding what it is used for
- Fine motor skills – using the salad spinner by pumping the knob in the center, pressing the “stop” button and the “white” button to hold down the pump
- Talk about colors – primary and make new ones! My two year old kept repeating: “red and blue make purple!” Being able to see that transformation makes the lesson stick.
- Talk about opposites such as: “fast/slow, drip/pour, stop/go, wobbly/solid”
- Talk about the artwork. Ask your child what he or she sees in the image. My two year old saw a butterfly, a fish, and a sun.
- Use the paints and spinner as a building and balancing exercise (see photo above). My son started doing this activity on his own.
Art Activities for Kids
Have fun!
Marnie